Mavs' owner Cuban says pro football demand is greater than supply

**Batpuff** · 05-30-2007, 11:30 PM

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is part of a group considering formation of a football league that would compete with the NFL for players drafted lower than the second round.
The league, still very much in the preliminary stage, would play its games on Friday nights. The NFL does not play then because of the potential conflict with high school football.
"It's a pretty simple concept," Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "We think there is more demand for pro football than supply."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2887465

FreakNasty · 05-30-2007, 11:37 PM

Here are 3 reasons this wont work...

The WFL
The USFL
The XFL

**Scotty doesn't know** · 05-31-2007, 12:56 AM

FreakNasty Wrote:Here are 3 reasons this wont work...

The WFL
The USFL
The XFL

Very good reasons! Big Grin

On to the topic, is this just a publicity stunt or are they seriously thinking about making a football league that can compete with the NFL?

**Tomcat68** · 05-31-2007, 06:33 AM

Although 3 leagues have failed, one has succeeded in the AFL.

If you the league could actually pony up the money up front to start signing legimate draft picks after the 2nd round of the NFL's draft, it might not be a total flop. Many great players emerge from late rounds. The biggest concern would be the NFL using it as a stepping stone, or minor leagues, where they could pluck players who began to excel.

Personally, I find Friday night a bad time for the games, but if they were on during a time where I wasn't already committed to another football game, I would certainly watch.

**TidesHoss32** · 05-31-2007, 09:00 AM

one of my favorite players of alltime was a 7th rounder out of Idaho State (Merril Hoge), could anybody see that 6th rounder Brady guy in some new league? ..this league will flop badly, and besides, the players that are (somewhat) close to making teams get sent to the World League anyways... Dont get me wrong, Id LOVE to see a good league (the USFL comes to mind, that was a great league) start playing between NFL seasons, but I dont think thatll happen. Freaks right when he listed the reasons why this league would fail. Money wouldnt be the issue at first, drawing the 60 and 70,000 fans after the league is established and the revenue the league would generate would be the problem..and drawing that many fans, selling that many products, and generating that kind of revenue right out of the gate, in todays economy, wouldnt make it for 3 or 4 seasons, tops..

rallo316 · 05-31-2007, 10:43 AM

FreakNasty Wrote:Here are 3 reasons this wont work...

The WFL
The USFL
The XFL

i agree totally.

FreakNasty · (This post was last modified: 05-31-2007, 11:10 AM by FreakNasty.)

Tomcat68 Wrote:Although 3 leagues have failed, one has succeeded in the AFL.

If you the league could actually pony up the money up front to start signing legimate draft picks after the 2nd round of the NFL's draft, it might not be a total flop. Many great players emerge from late rounds. The biggest concern would be the NFL using it as a stepping stone, or minor leagues, where they could pluck players who began to excel.

Personally, I find Friday night a bad time for the games, but if they were on during a time where I wasn't already committed to another football game, I would certainly watch.

The AFL barely hung on for 5 or 6 years... they got a big fish in Namath, and it turned an entire 180...

For a new league to work, they will have to grossly overpay college athletes, and hope they get a folk legend like Namath in a huge market...

**Batpuff** · 05-31-2007, 12:18 PM

I think that the XFL could have made it it if they toned it down some. They were getting great fans out. Look at the players that did well after they shut it down If they would use it like the minor leagues in baseball its possible. Hell anything is possible look at the damn gas prices.

GRIZZ · 05-31-2007, 12:44 PM

If they had it at a different time of the year instead of the same time as the NFL then it would probably work. I saw on the news that they were looking for boarder line players that would probably not shine in the NFL as well as guys that are about ready to hang it up with an established name to finish their careers. The XFL was a joke IMO, it was just about as rediculous as wrestling has become. The reason the AFL worked so well was because back then there wasn't that many teams in the NFL back when it opened and it provided a large fan base in areas that didn't have current NFL teams with the exception of New York. I saw where they are looking for just 8 teams to start this year costing the owner $30 million dollars to purchase a team and that the remaining share holders will come from purchasing stocks in a team. They are wanting to put teams in professional sport crazed cities to get the fan base it needs right away to get their feet on the ground. The good thing about this is that the cities will own the franchise much like the people in Green Bay that own rights to the Packers. San Antonio is one city that I believe is getting a team as well as Las Vegas but not too sure of the other 6 cities.

**Batpuff** · 05-31-2007, 12:57 PM

I never said that the XFL wasnt a joke i said if they would have toned it done some it would have been ok.

**Tomcat68** · 05-31-2007, 03:56 PM

5 cities I have heard are:

Las Angeles
Las Vegas
San Antonio
Mexico City
Orlando

FreakNasty · 05-31-2007, 11:33 PM

Tomcat68 Wrote:5 cities I have heard are:

Las Angeles
Las Vegas
San Antonio
Mexico City
Orlando

They will have to hit some big markets to make it....

They have a chance to make a legitmate league IF they are willing to grossly overpay, and it's the only way they can make it... Cuban or whoever creates the league will need to make sure every owner has deep pockets, willing to take a early money loss, and willing to shovel the cash to get top-tier talent...

The AFL did that in the mid-60's, they had Sonny Werblein (head of MCA who owner the Jets), Lamar Hunt (had a ton of money from oil) and several other owners who were unafarid of going into the red because it hardly hurt their pockets, and beating down on the "old fashion" NFL was worth it....

**Tomcat68** · 06-01-2007, 07:23 AM

FreakNasty Wrote:They will have to hit some big markets to make it....

They have a chance to make a legitmate league IF they are willing to grossly overpay, and it's the only way they can make it... Cuban or whoever creates the league will need to make sure every owner has deep pockets, willing to take a early money loss, and willing to shovel the cash to get top-tier talent...

The AFL did that in the mid-60's, they had Sonny Werblein (head of MCA who owner the Jets), Lamar Hunt (had a ton of money from oil) and several other owners who were unafarid of going into the red because it hardly hurt their pockets, and beating down on the "old fashion" NFL was worth it....

Totally Agreed. The quote I heard on ESPN was that they were looking for 7 more billionaires in addition to Cuban.

The truth of the matter is that if they are willing to pay first round NFL money to players going past round 2, and can manage to create some legitimate superstars, they will have a chance.

Also, you have to look at the perspective of an athlete, too. Many kids do play for love of the game and not the dollar. If they can make the same, or near the same amount of cash in a different league and be a star, major contributor, or even just a starter, that could lure collegiate players who will most likely have the "career backup" role in the NFL.