Welcome back, USFL

UNTflyer · May 11, 2012

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/usfl-relaunching-next-march-hall-of-fame-receiver-fred-biletnikoff-involved/2012/05/10/gIQAR6jFGU_story.html

Mark Gommesen · May 11, 2012

Please excuse me while I climb on my soap box.

“We will play in markets where there are no NFL teams or major league baseball teams. It’s a league for guys who are on the bubble for making NFL teams, and we will have complete open access for the NFL. We want to build a model that is sustainable.”

The USFL is looking at a 14-game season from March until June in eight cities.
...
Nearly all of them also have avid college football followings, something the USFL hopes to draw from.

The new league is seeking to take advantage of the self-inflicited wound in college sports scheduling. The NCAA has abandoned avid college fans for large portion of the year. For 2008 and succeeding seasons, the NCAA has mandated the first ever start date for Division I baseball. This day is exactly thirteen weeks before the selection of the NCAA tournament field, which takes place on Memorial Day. That places the start of the baseball season in mid to late February right when the college basketball is peaking. The NCAA needs to shift the season forward four to six weeks. First, this would avoid a conflict with basketball. Second, the start of the NCAA season would start at time similar time as the profesional leagues when sport fans are beginning to direct their attention to baseball. Third, it would encourage the growth of colligate baseball in the frost belt. The result is increase in the interest in, and attendance at colligate baseball. This would also remove many of the impediments for major conferences from insisting the baseball and softball be included in major media contracts. There is absolutely no reason, why baseball cannot and should not be a major revenue generating sport for universities.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Mark Gommesen