The USFL Needs to Move to Home Markets for the 2023 Season
07/04/2022
By Michael Lipinski, Sports Talk Philly Editor
The reborn United States Football League did what other Spring football leagues were unable to do, they made it through a season. The season, according to ownership and investors, was deemed a success. The USFL and Fox Sports have already announced that season two of the league will kickoff next Spring. But where is the million dollar question.
The Birmingham “bubble” made sense for season one especially with uncertainty around the pandemic and local rules. But the bubble environment made for an odd looking affair with nearly empty stadiums, unless you were watching the hometown Birmingham Stallions. That won’t work for season two.
If the USFL wants to be taken seriously they will need to move most, if not all, of their teams into the home markets.
Having the players and coaches in the community will increase their visibility and create connections with fans. The USFL doesn’t need to be the NFL to be successful especially in a sports crazed city such as Philadelphia. Case in point, the Blazers, Firebirds, Phantoms, Soul, Kixx, RiverSharks, and Wings all enjoyed decades of success here.
They were here in the Delaware Valley. They lived here, practiced here, and more importantly they played here.
Playing “here” might be the hardest part of the equation. Where will the Philadelphia Stars play if they move to the region?
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