In an odd convergence of circumstances, the newest non-NFL football league had to postpone, perhaps indefinitely, the start of their inaugural season, the same day the last remaining USFL player retired from the NFL. Both of those event coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first game USFL, the last league to be semi-competitive with the NFL since the merger of the AFL.
This begs the question, do we have too much football in America?
Football is America’s sport. It passed baseball a long time ago. More attention is focused on the NFL and college football than any other sports in the nation. Yet virtually every non-NFL professional football league fails. The Arena Football League has been the only one which remained viable, but it has faced its own ups and downs.
Baseball, despite being less popular than football, maintains a mostly healthy multi-layered minor league system. The other three major sports have seen varied success at forming their own minor league. The NBA’s D-League only exists because the NBA pours money into it (much like the WNBA). The various minor league hockey systems are in a constant state of flux – some doing well, others folding.
Do we not have room in the entertainment appetites of the American public for minor league football teams? I guess the better question is, do fans (and investors) not have enough cash in the wallets to support another football league?