Second Coming of USFL in 2022


It's official.  The United States Football League (USFL) will return in the Spring of 2022.

The original USFL which played from 1983-1985 plans to play again in April 2022 with eight of the original franchises returning.  The eight franchises set to reboot the USFL are:

  • Michigan Panthers
  • New Jersey Generals
  • Philadelphia Stars
  • Pittsburgh Maulers
  • Birmingham Stallions
  • Houston Gamblers
  • New Orleans Breakers
  • Tampa Bay Bandits

All eight teams will play a 10-game schedule in one location for the revival season to gauge what the interest will be.  I have read some reports that seem to hint that Birmingham will be the location.

Following the regular season, the top two teams in each division will play against each other in the semifinals followed a week later by the championship game.

FOX Sports is the official broadcast partner of the USFL and will broadcast games on a weekly basis.

The original USFL found success playing in the Spring where other leagues have failed.  The league grew to 18 teams but eventually folded after New Jersey Generals' owner - Donald Trump - urged the league to move to a fall schedule and sue the National Football League for violating anti-trust laws but the moves failed and so do the league.

So, can the new USFL survive?  The odds are against it after two recent leagues - Alliance of American Football and XFL - recently failed in their attempts to play in the Spring.  As I have said before, the only way a Spring football league can survive is with LOTS of money and stay small until firmly established.  I think the 8-team, 10-game schedule is a good start for the USFL although I'm not sure that playing all the games at one location is a good idea.  It will be fun to see these old USFL franchises play again.

Here are the franchises which played in the previous version of the USFL:

  • Arizona Wranglers/Outlaws
  • Birmingham Stallions
  • Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers
  • Chicago Blitz
  • Denver Gold
  • Houston Gamblers
  • Jacksonville Bulls
  • Los Angeles Express
  • Memphis Showboats
  • Michigan Panthers
  • New Jersey Generals
  • Oakland Invaders
  • Oklahoma Outlaws
  • Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars
  • Pittsburgh Maulers
  • San Antonio Gunslingers
  • Tampa Bay Bandits
  • Washington Federals/Orlando Renegades
Only five teams played the entire three seasons without relocation or name changes:  Denver Gold, Los Angeles Express, Birmingham Stallions, New Jersey Generals and Tampa Bay Bandits.

The new USFL is a new, independent league controlled by FOX Sports through NSFL HoldCo, LLC, a new business entity.  It is not affiliated with the original league or any of its previous owners.




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