XFL Championship or Division Champion? Honestly we earned the right to it, we were roughly have of the league attendance.
- 320
XFL to merge with USFL; impact on St. Louis Battlehawks unclear
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/09/28/xfl-usfl-merger-battlehawks-football.htmlThe XFL and the United States Football League on Thursday announced plans to merger, but didn't provide any details about the fate of their respective franchises, including the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks.
"This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together," the leagues said in a joint statement.
The statement said additional details on the new league will be announced at a later date and that the merger is subject to regulatory approvals. Until then, fans of either league will be left pondering several key questions, including whether the new league will be a merger of all 16 teams involved, where those teams will play, when the merger would take effect and whether the schedule will follow the XFL's February-May model for the USFL's April-June.
News outlet Axios, which previously broke the news of merger talks between the XFL and USFL, reported last week the combination would be “structured as a merger of equals” and that the merger is planned to take effect for the 2024 season.
The merger would combine two upstart spring football leagues that have sought to provide professional football competition in the National Football League’s offseason.
The XFL, which includes the Battlehawks and seven other teams, this year revived operations after shutting down abruptly in 2020 after only five games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Originally the brainchild of former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, the XFL returned for its 2023 season under the new ownership of entrepreneur Dany Garcia, Hollywood star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and private equity firm RedBird Capital.
The USFL, a reboot of a football league originally founded in the 1980s, is owned by media giant Fox Corp. It restarted operations in 2022 and staged its second season this year.
While both focused on spring football, the two leagues have operated under different models.
- 502
I expect the Battlehawks will remain a team. The success of the team was proven the first time around and the second time.
Some site I saw speculation Stl could be a hub city if they do the USFL route from last year.Chris Stritzel wrote: ↑Sep 28, 2023I expect the Battlehawks will remain a team. The success of the team was proven the first time around and the second time.
Schedule released
First home game overlaps a CITY game. Cardinals play earlier in the day. Should be a busy day downtown.
UFL Championship will be held here.
https://pfnewsroom.com/news/st-louis-to ... june-16th/
First home game overlaps a CITY game. Cardinals play earlier in the day. Should be a busy day downtown.
UFL Championship will be held here.
https://pfnewsroom.com/news/st-louis-to ... june-16th/
Cardinals at 1:15pm (Bobblehead giveaway)jshank83 wrote: ↑Feb 05, 2024Schedule released
First home game overlaps a CITY game. Cardinals play earlier in the day. Should be a busy day downtown.
UFL Championship will be held here.
https://pfnewsroom.com/news/st-louis-to ... june-16th/
Battlehawks at 7pm
CITY SC at 7:30pm
It's a bummer the Blues are on the road in San Jose that day. Could you imagine all 4?
- 3,428
I’m disappointed the UFL playoff format is the same as XFL. Top 2 teams in each of the two 4-team divisions play each other to reach the championship. Last year this resulted in a 2nd place team with a losing record making the playoffs. And a team tied for second in the other division with a winning record was bumped. I was hoping they would fix that by having one wild card team. No losing teams in the playoffs.
Glad to see the playoffs planned for St Louis. I think I would hold it at the top seed. They should move the whole Arlington HQ to St Louis where half their fans live.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Glad to see the playoffs planned for St Louis. I think I would hold it at the top seed. They should move the whole Arlington HQ to St Louis where half their fans live.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- 102
Maybe it's time to rename this thread "UFL in STL"?
The Battlehawks beat the Arlington Renegades tonight, 27-24, and managed to set a new attendance record of 40,317.
The Battlehawks beat the Arlington Renegades tonight, 27-24, and managed to set a new attendance record of 40,317.
- 2,623
A lot of people on Saturday started their day off at the Cardinals game and went to see the Battlehawks after. The rest of the schedule doesn't support this idea but perhaps next year the Battlehawks could build on this. Call it Battlehawks day at the ballpark, the giveaway is GA tickets for the endzone nosebleed seats. Schedule kickoff two hours after the Cardinals day game should end. If you want another attendance record at the Battledome, this is the way.
- 1,607
- 3,757
Great job by our fans. Just wish AJ was healthy and the Battlehawks could have made it to the championship game. Would have been a showcase for St. Louis football fans. It would have been awesome to see the Dome packed to the ceiling. Maybe next year.
Aren't the teams all located in Texas and then fly out to their "home" games? Maybe reward stl fans and bring the team here. Better yet, move them all here considering the attendance here is higher than the other 3 games combined.
Not really sure what "bring the team here" entails. A practice facility? How does that reward STL? Housing the players here? The players aren't going to move to STL for 5 home games per year. That's a player's decision, not the league's. If you're looking for tax dollars, these guys are making less than some fast food workers.flipz wrote: ↑Jun 13, 2024Aren't the teams all located in Texas and then fly out to their "home" games? Maybe reward stl fans and bring the team here. Better yet, move them all here considering the attendance here is higher than the other 3 games combined.
Well now they're based in Texas so move whatever they have there to here. What is the point of having the stl name on the team if they are not here?aprice wrote: ↑Jun 14, 2024Not really sure what "bring the team here" entails. A practice facility? How does that reward STL? Housing the players here? The players aren't going to move to STL for 5 home games per year. That's a player's decision, not the league's. If you're looking for tax dollars, these guys are making less than some fast food workers.flipz wrote: ↑Jun 13, 2024Aren't the teams all located in Texas and then fly out to their "home" games? Maybe reward stl fans and bring the team here. Better yet, move them all here considering the attendance here is higher than the other 3 games combined.
- 1,792
maybe. I am sort of surprised the smaller markets that could never get an nfl team aren't stepping up in a big way. Memphis and Birmingham. San Antonio is doing decently well though. I would say they should disolve the Dallas and Houston team and target Louisville OKC, Milwaukee, Columbus, Portland, san Diego, Oakland, Orlando Salt Lake City, etc. That said seeing the Memphis numbers would give some pause on that strategy. Not sure how many fans are required for the league to make money but 10k plus seems like it should be sufficient.RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑Jun 14, 2024Long term, I simply don't see the league making it.
It's really bizarre to watch these games on TV, and see just how empty the stands are. No energy in the stadium equals a boring TV experience. I just don't see how this league can last more than a couple of years.
- 3,428
One problem with some cities like, say, Oklahoma City is that they have OU 20 minutes away. That is their pro football. Same problem with Columbus and some other cities. Not a problem in St Louis.STLEnginerd wrote:maybe. I am sort of surprised the smaller markets that could never get an nfl team aren't stepping up in a big way. Memphis and Birmingham. San Antonio is doing decently well though. I would say they should disolve the Dallas and Houston team and target Louisville OKC, Milwaukee, Columbus, Portland, san Diego, Oakland, Orlando Salt Lake City, etc. That said seeing the Memphis numbers would give some pause on that strategy. Not sure how many fans are required for the league to make money but 10k plus seems like it should be sufficient.RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑Jun 14, 2024Long term, I simply don't see the league making it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- 1,792
So take OKC for example. yes OU is a big draw, BUT they are theoretically a football rabid fan base, usfl runs off season from college ball so minimal overlap, and they are a small market that has almost no chance of drawing interest from the NFL for expansion. If they put a couple OU names on an OKC roster to juice the interest i don't see why it couldn't be successful.gary kreie wrote: ↑Jun 15, 2024One problem with some cities like, say, Oklahoma City is that they have OU 20 minutes away. That is their pro football. Same problem with Columbus and some other cities. Not a problem in St Louis.STLEnginerd wrote:maybe. I am sort of surprised the smaller markets that could never get an nfl team aren't stepping up in a big way. Memphis and Birmingham. San Antonio is doing decently well though. I would say they should disolve the Dallas and Houston team and target Louisville OKC, Milwaukee, Columbus, Portland, san Diego, Oakland, Orlando Salt Lake City, etc. That said seeing the Memphis numbers would give some pause on that strategy. Not sure how many fans are required for the league to make money but 10k plus seems like it should be sufficient.RockChalkSTL wrote: ↑Jun 14, 2024Long term, I simply don't see the league making it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Unfortunately there are some cities in the US that simply do not have the interest in supporting a pro/semi-pro sports team or a population that would welcome one, even if we argue that they should deserve an expansion team. Cities like OKC, Louisville and Columbus already have college sports or are in near proximity to big schools with elite or popular collegiate sporting programs which would make an expansion into those markets difficult owing to their strong support and fanbase for college sports. To me, you could even lump in Birmingham in here because while it's not home to any elite college programs, the fact is that the entire state of Alabama will ride or die with Bama football and would likely have a tough time attracting fans or viewers to watch a UFL game.
The other challenge here is that some of the cities listed as potential expansion locations are one-sport cities that tend to resist or show low interest in other sports leagues expanding into their city. SLC is a good example of this - until the recent NHL expansion, the Jazz were the only show in town and by all indication, the residents there were completely fine with that and weren't necessarily looking for a new pro sports league to expand into their region. I would argue that Portland is in the same category here as well - though they may be more ready for a new pro sports team than many other one-sport cities.
The other challenge here is that some of the cities listed as potential expansion locations are one-sport cities that tend to resist or show low interest in other sports leagues expanding into their city. SLC is a good example of this - until the recent NHL expansion, the Jazz were the only show in town and by all indication, the residents there were completely fine with that and weren't necessarily looking for a new pro sports league to expand into their region. I would argue that Portland is in the same category here as well - though they may be more ready for a new pro sports team than many other one-sport cities.
- 1,792
Umm maybe, but i don't know of any evidence for this. You could point to the Showboats difficulties and i would point to the NY Guardians failures.AJ1289 wrote: ↑Jun 18, 2024Unfortunately there are some cities in the US that simply do not have the interest in supporting a pro/semi-pro sports team or a population that would welcome one, even if we argue that they should deserve an expansion team. Cities like OKC, Louisville and Columbus already have college sports or are in near proximity to big schools with elite or popular collegiate sporting programs which would make an expansion into those markets difficult owing to their strong support and fanbase for college sports. To me, you could even lump in Birmingham in here because while it's not home to any elite college programs, the fact is that the entire state of Alabama will ride or die with Bama football and would likely have a tough time attracting fans or viewers to watch a UFL game.
The other challenge here is that some of the cities listed as potential expansion locations are one-sport cities that tend to resist or show low interest in other sports leagues expanding into their city. SLC is a good example of this - until the recent NHL expansion, the Jazz were the only show in town and by all indication, the residents there were completely fine with that and weren't necessarily looking for a new pro sports league to expand into their region. I would argue that Portland is in the same category here as well - though they may be more ready for a new pro sports team than many other one-sport cities.
This is why I thought Birmingham would be successful but they get terrible attendance with the best team in the league. So I don’t have much faith OKC would be any better.STLEnginerd wrote: ↑Jun 17, 2024So take OKC for example. yes OU is a big draw, BUT they are theoretically a football rabid fan base, usfl runs off season from college ball so minimal overlap, and they are a small market that has almost no chance of drawing interest from the NFL for expansion. If they put a couple OU names on an OKC roster to juice the interest i don't see why it couldn't be successful.gary kreie wrote: ↑Jun 15, 2024One problem with some cities like, say, Oklahoma City is that they have OU 20 minutes away. That is their pro football. Same problem with Columbus and some other cities. Not a problem in St Louis.STLEnginerd wrote: maybe. I am sort of surprised the smaller markets that could never get an nfl team aren't stepping up in a big way. Memphis and Birmingham. San Antonio is doing decently well though. I would say they should disolve the Dallas and Houston team and target Louisville OKC, Milwaukee, Columbus, Portland, san Diego, Oakland, Orlando Salt Lake City, etc. That said seeing the Memphis numbers would give some pause on that strategy. Not sure how many fans are required for the league to make money but 10k plus seems like it should be sufficient.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
All this league needs is a second season with the same leadership to build out regional sales teams. I think it's got serious potential. The most likely outcome in my opinion is no change in markets. Alternatively, I could see them swapping two markets (Memphis, Houston, Michigan, and Arlington) and replacing them with Seattle, Oakland, or San Diego.
I think the league has to carve out one of two paths. (1) Bring UK Premier tier structure to US Football, build local teams & talent (2) Go international, quickly.
I think the league has to carve out one of two paths. (1) Bring UK Premier tier structure to US Football, build local teams & talent (2) Go international, quickly.
- 1,792
Neither of these seems like a good move for the league. Firstly the tier structure would undercut the ownership and brands currently being developed at great expense. There is just no way they will be open to other teams an owners nosing in just by virtue of them being a better team. The European leagues developed from infancy as clubs which is the only reason why they still have relegation anyway. The tradition is too deep, but if they could the top teams would jettison relegation in a heartbeat.addxb2 wrote: ↑Jun 19, 2024I think the league has to carve out one of two paths. (1) Bring UK Premier tier structure to US Football, build local teams & talent (2) Go international, quickly.
Going international seems like an expensive logistical nightmare for a startup league. and what markets are you trying to capture?
I'll agree on the developing talent part. Seems to me USL could become an alternative to the NCAA as a development league. They do get paid after all. If i was recommending i would make it the goal of the league to roster 25-50% of each team with highschool prospects, with contractual agreements that if they go to the NFL the USL get a percentage of their professional salary, much like MLS counterpart. Why would a high school prospect go this route. Well because you get paid to hone your skill vs. college where the best you can do is endorsements and only the most elite athlete in college get lucrative name and likeness deals.
Other than that they need to develop a core base audience and brand strength and if they can't compete directly with the NFL in a market. Go to a market where the NFL is not present. If they don't see a path to 10k-15k regular attendance then they need to exit those markets and find new homes for the brands. I wouldn't give up on Memphis or Birmingham necessarily but you have to probe those market for opportunity and decide whether they can be developed to support a team. This is the first season these teams played in the city they are named for, so they may need a little time but a good marketing team should be able to assess whether they can make any inroads there. In markets with big college football following they should look to bring the local player who maybe don't quite make the NFL into the roster and highlight them to drive interest.
- 2,623
Mexico is the most intriguing option IMO. There is solid, unserved, demand for American football and the NFL isn't expanding there anytime soon.