Friday, June 11, 2010

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?

Until I saw this documentary, the only alternate pro football leagues  I had  heard of were the CFL and the ill-fated XFL. Yet, in the 80s there was a moderately successful league called the USFL. Playing in the spring, the USFL drew good crowds and modest ratings and actually attracted three straight Heisman Trophy winners as well as some other players who would go on to be stars in the NFL. Despite the success, the league eventually collapsed and many of those in the documentary attribute this to the greed of owners such as Donald Trump who wanted to try to contend with the NFL. This is another interesting entry in ESPN's documentary series.
***