UFL Ignored

[clapple]

My local paper does not even report scores. Does anyone else's? I know they are drawing rotten crowds; but the TV games are decent football. I didn't think they would do well in NYC and SFO; but even in Vegas and Orlando the attendance stinks. They need some promotion of some kind. And maybe get out of NFL cities?

 

[howie14]

I think it has too much the look of a staged TV show. The uniforms seem to be the same pattern put out in different colors, I think I read that the teams all practice in Florida and just come in for games. If that's true than there is no effort to promote the teams as belonging to the cities they're playing in.

Running the season concurrently with the NFL and NCAA makes things even tougher.

Except for the fact that the UFL games come to me on DISH in HD, I'd rather watch the CFL actually.

 

[HD MM]

It's a 2nd rate league, what do you expect?

 

[yaz96]

UF what?!?

 

[cosmo_kramer]

All four teams share the same GM. Must make for some interesting trades.

 

[Mr Tony]

Minneapolis paper shows the standings and the scores. But its buried in the "scoreboard" part where they have scores like local tennis/soccer scores and the NFL standings Tuesday-Saturday

 

[HD MM]

All four teams share the same GM. Must make for some interesting trades.

FOUR teams?! Is that it? Don't they get tired of playing eachother?

 

[The Insider]

The UFL is its own worst enemy. I mean that have done almost 0 advertising here in Orlando. When the XFL was around we had huge buzz, the games all had 15-20+ thousand fans in the stands and it was the talk of the town. Because the XFL promoted itself well, they got all over local radio/tv etc. The UFL has done nothing. No one here cares about them. The practicly give away the tickets and still no one goes.

First off Orlando thought we were finnaly getting our own football team. Then they change the name to Florida Tuskers (not Orlando) and split the home games with Tampa. Orlando has given up on this team as it seems the team gave up on us before even starting.

 

[meStevo]

Marketing is sinking the league, they're planning to go full blast next year with 2 expansion teams and are considering this season a dry run.

What hurts worse than their poor marketing is all of their games on Versus/HDNet. At least the XFL was on an OTA network. Apparently this is a 2 year deal (if the league lasts more than 2 years, that will be success all by itself).

ESPN/Major network support, not just a glorified RSN, will help make this league successful. The product isn't bad, there's just nothing out there to convince people otherwise. Though as someone who's been to both of the Locos games, I can see why Bills fans hate JP Losman, dude holds onto the ball like it's collecting interest or something.

There hasn't been any interest on this board so I stopped bumping my UFL 2009 Season thread... with the Tuskers win over the Locos this past weekend, they've clinched a spot in the championship game 11/27. If the Locos play the rest of their games like they did Sunday, it will probably be Tuskers-Locos.

A lot of people in the sports related industries are somewhat set in their ways, there's no reason to cover or change something unless provided some kind of incentive. I went off via text on our local ESPN affiliate because they werent giving any love to our local team, yet our horrid AFL Gladiators and awful UNLV get so much coverage every day, and at the time the Locos were 1-0. Their response (quoting the text message): 'I suppose ur right, it would be helpful if some kind of pr person reached out to us'.

So even in the local markets, after opening weekend, they're doing absolutely nothing but 'hey, tickets are now only $20' to get people in the seats and increase awareness.

I'm looking forward to going to the championship game the day after turkey day, but I backed off on picking up a jersey or anything cause as a pretty big supporter even I've got my doubts they're going to be here in 3 years.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I found that the XFL was basically ignored as well when it was out. I think UFL's biggest mistake was going on the same time as the NFL. I don't crave extra football during the NFL season, I crave extra football right BEFORE or right AFTER the NFL season.

 

[meStevo]

The UFL is its own worst enemy. I mean that have done almost 0 advertising here in Orlando. When the XFL was around we had huge buzz, the games all had 15-20+ thousand fans in the stands and it was the talk of the town. Because the XFL promoted itself well, they got all over local radio/tv etc. The UFL has done nothing. No one here cares about them. The practicly give away the tickets and still no one goes.

First off Orlando thought we were finnaly getting our own football team. Then they change the name to Florida Tuskers (not Orlando) and split the home games with Tampa. Orlando has given up on this team as it seems the team gave up on us before even starting.

They move any games around since then? They adjusted the schedule midway through the season to try and 'build more local support', the Vegas game that was supposed to be played in the Home Depot Center was moved to Sam Boyd on 11/20 for example. I'll be out of town or I'd be there.

 

[meStevo]

I found that the XFL was basically ignored as well when it was out. I think UFL's biggest mistake was going on the same time as the NFL. I don't crave extra football during the NFL season, I crave extra football right BEFORE or right AFTER the NFL season.

I believe next year it may start well before the NFL season, they're going to expand from 4 to 6 teams and the season will I think be 10 weeks.

XFL was awful on TV, even as a fan I could barely watch it because being there in person was such an orchestrated show aside from the football on the field.

The coin flip was the greatest thing in football that will never be done again. 2 players start 10-20 yards from a ball on the ground, they blow a whistle, whomever gets the ball first wins the first posession!

 

[Islandguy43]

Minneapolis paper shows the standings and the scores. But its buried in the "scoreboard" part where they have scores like local tennis/soccer scores and the NFL standings Tuesday-Saturday

Basically the same in buffalo. The only other thing I could find out about them was in "On the Air" section of the paper, showing sports on tv.

 

[anders5189]

I've never understood the premise of this league. With all the college and pro football that already exists what are they trying to do? The only places that lack a major college or NFL team are small towns and they are passionate about HS football. If you wanted to start a new league at least try to do what the USFL did and play in the spring. Trying to compete in the fall is like opening a mom and pop store across the street from Wal Mart.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

UFL ignored? As it should be. What were they looking to accomplish here anyhow? What they should have done was take the bottom 3 teams and the Lions, from the NFL, and put them in this league as punishment for being so freaking sh!tty.

 

[Islandguy43]

UFL ignored? As it should be. What were they looking to accomplish here anyhow? What they should have done was take the bottom 3 teams and the Lions, from the NFL, and put them in this league as punishment for being so freaking sh!tty.

Hey that works, as long as Buffalo and Dick Juron gets to play in the Championship game. After all the Dog Catcher job is taken in these parts.:rant:

 

[anders5189]

UFL ignored? As it should be. What were they looking to accomplish here anyhow? What they should have done was take the bottom 3 teams and the Lions, from the NFL, and put them in this league as punishment for being so freaking sh!tty.

You mean the Rams-Lions game wasn't a UFL game?

 

[HD MM]

All four teams share the same GM. Must make for some interesting trades.

They also share the same uniforms (albeit different shades of color)....

 

[meStevo]

And those are the primary uniforms, the away uniforms all look like a variation of the Locos jerseys.... which is annoying.

That's something that will certainly change after this season.

 

[meStevo]

Oh, they finally have stats on their website, I swear these werent anywhere to be found the first week:

Player Stats - United Football League (UFL) - Where Future Stars Come to Play!

I wonder what it takes to have ESPN cover stats and stuff? United Football League - Schedule and Standings - ESPN