Alternate History and Sport: Alternate Leagues

[David Flin]

@Pete U presents here another aspect of the impact of alternate history on sport, this time looking at how league systems might have developed differently.

 

[Coiler]

Spring American football is one of those theoretical things that proves time and again that there's basically no real demand for it in practice. The best-case scenario is being bought out by the NFL and having the most successful teams folded in a la ABA. I doubt even a better-run original USFL lasts for that long.

 

[Pete U]

I'll be interested to see what happens with the USFL*/XFL merger over the next couple of years. I'm not sure the financial restraint required is compatible with a good enough product, but all the other major leagues have a minor league farm system. It may well be the physical toll of the NFL is too much to hvae a similar thing in place

 

[Coiler]

but all the other major leagues have a minor league farm system. It may well be the physical toll of the NFL is too much to hvae a similar thing in place

That and college football is the de facto farm system for the NFL. You don't need to throw away money on a developmental league that no one will care about when you can just follow on from a system that was popular long before the NFL was even invented.

 

[RyanF]

Interesting note on the USFL antitrust settlement cheque: by 2009 it had worked its way into the possession of producer/director Mike Tollin, who made the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? (2009). During the film he interviews Trump about the league and tries to present the future President with the cheque, only for Trump to walk out.

 

[Stateless]

I think there's a small error in the first paragraph, where it says, "So, we will start with the oldest league in the world, the Football National League." before going on to talk about baseball's National League in the next paragraph.

 

[Pete U]

Yeah, that should say Baseball

 

[David Flin]

It does now.