UFL Owners Are the Loco Ones

“It’s all about u!” is the theme statement for the new United Football League that has graced Vegas with its presence. The UFL is in the second week of play and has accumulated the same crowd as last week at Sam Boyd Stadium.

On a good note, they have added the new locomotive sound for the Loco’s this week which is pretty cool. While there are not many that will object to the UFL, or the idea of it, many sit here and question the timing and presentation. It seems that the UFL is setting them up for failure.

Many teams have come to and gone from Las Vegas, NV. We have had our stint of XFL, Arena Football, ABA Basketball, Triple A Baseball, Minor League Hockey, and the list goes on. When looking at the UFL, I don’t see the problem being the location of these franchises. California, Florida, Las Vegas, and New York are pretty good places to start.

One problem with the UFL is there are only four teams. How can you start a league with only four teams? I understand the idea and thought process of starting slow and not getting over your head, but after the area league folded there were a number of places on the map that could have benefited from a UFL team. Chicago, Arizona, Boston, and Buffalo wouldn’t have been horrible ideas. Having a total of eight teams at least makes the inaugural season interesting.

Getting past the “four” team disaster, let’s move on to the more important factor of why the UFL is on the wrong railroad track. “It’s all about U?” Why is it about me? What did I do? If it’s all about me, make good tickets reasonable. Why in the hell am I going to pay $40 per ticket to sit in the good seats? To see J.P. Losman? I saw enough of him when he was on the Buffalo Bills and I really don’t need to see much more.

While I’m on the topic, why am I reduced to watching it on my computer screen? It’s great that you have a deal with “VS,” but thanks to Direct TV and their cat fight, I can’t even enjoy the game on my own television. I told numerous people that I was going to be attending the first UFL game here in Vegas and 100 percent did not know what the UFL was.

That tells me that they have not done their job. There was no hype, no major advertising push, just come see our four-team football game. If you plan on being successful it’s all about getting the people interested and creating the hype that we can’t miss this game. Station Casinos gave away tickets for the first home game and they still had a meager few.

They couldn’t even give away tickets to the UFL. Why? One reason is the timing of this league. Right in the middle of baseball postseason, beginning of hockey, start of basketball preseason, and oh, there is this league called the NFL as well. What horrible timing.

What moron decided these things? Take a few notes from the XFL and try to build upon them to create something that may stick. Strong advertising, local NBC TV, fans that were interested, and after the NFL season when people miss football the most. Fine…the cheerleaders helped too.

There are a few good points to the UFL and I don’t want to leave them out. This article isn’t to bash the UFL; it’s just to say, “Hey look, if you want this to work do it the right way.”

There are some good and interesting players. Yes, J.P. Losman sucks and still gets sacked 60 percent of the time and fumbles, but he was a high draft pick in the NFL. Actually, at least Losman throws the ball down the field, which is more than Trent Edwards can do in Buffalo. Speaking of Buffalo, another great feature of the UFL is broadcaster Doug Flutie. Boy could Buffalo use him right now.

I like that the UFL gives players a chance to succeed and another chance in some instances. This league is a great place for talent and for NFL scouts to watch and see what could be. No one in their right mind is going to argue more football.

In Las Vegas, if you want to be successful and last for more than three years this is not the way to start. It just seems like whoever is making these decisions is missing a few screws. They did a great job hiring the coaching talent and recognizable names, but the timing, marketing, and general structure are horrible.

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