United Football League (2008)

Infobox sports league
title = United Football League
current_season =

pixels = 100px
sport = American Football
founded = 2007
fame =
motto =
teams = 6
country = USA
champion =
website = http://www.ufl-football.com/
ceo = Michael Huyghue
TV = TBD

The United Football League is a professional American Football league being organized by William Hambrecht, a Wall Street investor and former minority partner in the USFL's Oakland Invaders, and Tim Armstrong, a senior executive at Google. Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, was the first to publicly profess interest in owning a franchise.

The league, which is still in its infancy, plans to play games on Friday nights, which would put it in direct competition with high school football. The NFL, on the other hand, is prohibited under the federal anti-trust exemption law (15 U.S.C. § 1291) from broadcasting any professional game within seventy-five miles of any inter-collegiate or inter-scholastic (high school) game on any Friday (after 6:00 PM) or Saturday, beginning with the 2nd Friday in September, and ending the 2nd Saturday in December (15 U.S.C. § 1293). In essence, the UFL would be the only pro game in town.

Cuban has said that he believes the league will fill its rosters with quality players selected late in the NFL Draft, undrafted free agents, or players that are released by NFL teams. [cite web | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2887465 | title = Mavs' owner Cuban says pro football demand is greater than supply | publisher = ESPN | date = 2007-05-30 |accessdate = 2007-05-30 ]

Between six and eight teams will compete in the inaugural season, which was originally scheduled for August 2008. [cite web | url = http://uflaccess.com/ufl/uflaccess-exclusive-ufl-to-begin-play-in-2009/ | title = UFL to begin play in 2009 | publisher = UFLAccess | date = 2008-02-23 | accessdate = 2008-02-24 ] The league initially intended to place these teams in markets (including a few outside the United States) where the NFL had no presence.

Despite a June 2007 report in The New York Times indicating that teams were already being set up in Las Vegas, Mexico City and Los Angeles [cite web | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sports/playmagazine/0603play-business.html | title = First and long - Very Long | publisher = The New York times | date = 2007-06-03 | accessdate = 2007-05-30 ] , no franchises have yet been officially established and Mexico City is now seen as unlikely to land a team in the league's inaugural season. [cite web | url = http://www.gambling911.com/United-Football-League-053007.html | title = Betting on the United Football League (UFL) | publisher = Sports911.com | date = 2007-05-30 | accessdate = 2007-05-30 ]

Expected to announce its first six franchises by the end of March 2008, the UFL instead saw that month pass with no team locations having been finalized. According to fan website "UFLAccess", the league's opening games have now been pushed back a year to August 2009 to allow for more time to attract owner-investors, negotiate a TV broadcast deal and build league branding. [ [http://uflaccess.com/ufl/uflaccess-exclusive-ufl-to-begin-play-in-2009/ UFLAccess Exclusive] . UFL Access. 23 February 2008.]

League office

Commissioner's office

*Michael Huyghue - Current [cite web | url = http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/2007/09/peppers-doing-w.html | title = BEASON’S AGENT BECOMES COMMISH | publisher = Charlotte Observer | date = 2007-09-17 | accessdate = 2007-09-17]

Executives & staff

*Frank Vuono - Chief Operating Officer
*Larry Upson - Vice President of Officiating/Operations
*Ed Reynolds - Security and AdministrationRalph Vuono - Sr Director, Marketing

Teams

The UFL will field teams in Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and San Francisco. [Vick could play pro football in 2009 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/08/10/ufl/?eref=sircrc]

Potential players

*Michael Vick - according to Yahoo! Sports, Vick would be paid more to play in the UFL, and use the league to jump to the NFL again. [http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Michael-Vick-s-post-prison-job-prospects-look-pr?urn=nfl,99944]

Potential franchise owners

*William Hambrecht - One of the UFL's founders, mentioned by Commissioner Huyghue (according to Reuters) as the possible owner of a San Francisco team.
*Three ownership groups are vying for Las Vegas [cite web | url = http://www.lvrj.com/sports/12587056.html | title = "Las Vegas close to getting franchise in fledgling UFL" | publisher = Las Vegas Review-Journal | date = 2007-12-18 | accessdate = 2007-12-18 ]

Past potential franchise owners

*T. Boone Pickens, Jr. - originally committed, but currently out because of personal/time issues. [cite web | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sports/playmagazine/0603play-business.html | title = First and Long — Very Long | publisher = The New York Times | date = 2007-06-03 | accessdate = 2007-05-30 ]
*Charles Wang - Once rumored for Long Island, NY according to Newsday.
*Fred Wilpon - Once committed for New York franchise.

Media Negotiations

The UFL has discussed many targets for a TV carrier. They have put into consideration MyNetwork TV, who has just joined the Nielsen Ratings group. Some talks with FSN have been reported, and so have stories about TNT and USA.

References

[NFL Rival To Announce West Coast Teams Soon http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1529711620080515?sp=true]

External links

* [http://www.ufl-football.com Official Website]
* [http://www.ufl2008.com Old Official Website]
* [http://www.blogmaverick.com/2007/05/30/competing-with-the-nfl/ Cuban announcing the league on his blog]
* [http://www.uflaccess.com/ UFL Access/News Source and Discussion Forums for the League]
* [http://unitedfootballleagues.com/ Top Ranked Fan Discussion Site for the League]