USA Today, Sept. 3, 1990
The USFL’s annual owner’s meeting concluded today and the topic on everyone’s mind is the ongoing arbitration between the spring league and its fall rival, the NFL. While most expect that the arbitration process will continue into the fall, there do seem to be some general agreements in place which will impact both leagues. We will discuss this along with other league matters of note over the past month.
NFL-USFL ARBITRATION MEETINGS
We begin with the main concern of the NFL-USFL arbitration, player and coach signings. The timing of the two leagues’ seasons has produced over the past 8 years a very uncomfortable series of signings (poachings if you believe some voices in both camps). With the USFL season ending in late June and playoffs extending into July, it is not uncommon for USFL teams to sign NFL Free Agents just as the fall league’s teams begin training camp, and well after that league’s main free agency period, making it difficult for teams to sign replacements for players who jump leagues. A similar situation exists each spring as NFL teams open their free agency period, with some USFL players holding out in hopes of getting a better offer from an NFL team. A similar situation has occurred with coaching hires, with the most egregious cases being the USFL’s Baltimore Blitz signing of Coach Marty Schottenheimer away from the Cleveland Browns just as the NFL preseason was set to begin, and then, the following year, the disputed tampering with Philadelphia Stars head coach Jim Mora, signing with the New Orleans Saints only days after a surprise resignation from the Stars, with mounting evidence that Saints staff had been in contact with both Mora and his agent during the USFL season.
The concern about inter-league signings seems to have produced an agreement in broad terms around the idea of a “transfer window” similar to the format used in European soccer in which set time periods are designated for teams to communicate with agents and players and for signings to occur. Timing of these periods seems to be the biggest sticking point, as neither league is particularly enamored of the idea of players switching leagues at any point during the camps, preseason or season of their own league. Speaking under the agreement that names would not be disclosed, one of the USFL owners who is part of the arbitration team has stated that he believes an agreement on both transfer windows and on modifications to the draft will be ready for each league to vote on within the month, but that there are sure to be folks on both sides who are unhappy with the proposal currently under consideration.
The Collegiate draft has been another sticking point, with the NFL frustrated by the USFL’s ability to sign players in January, 3 months before their own draft in April. The NCAA has also chimed in on the draft issue, as they have grown increasingly frustrated with the USFL’s recruitment of top collegiate players in December, as Bowl Season is still in play. It has been confirmed that the NCAA has proposed a compromise position which would require the USFL to defer its draft until mid-January in return for the NCAA adjusting eligibility rules to allow seniors to sign with agents in the period between the regular season (typically ending around Thanksgiving) and the College Bowls without losing eligibility. The issue of Juniors and other underclassmen signing remains a bone of contention, and one which the NCAA is unlikely to negotiate. If, however, the NFL and USFL can agree on a draft system which allows both league’s equal opportunities to sign NCAA players, that may go a long way in minimizing the tensions between the two leagues.
Expect some movement on the arbitration front within the next 2 months as all parties have expressed a desire to complete the process prior to the end of the year. Any agreement is likely to take effect no sooner than the summer of 1991 as the USFL will be well past its free agency window, and will once again hold their collegiate draft in December, so any agreement will likely impact the time leading up to the 1991 Fall NFL season and the 1992 Spring USFL season.
USFL OWNERSHIP ISSUES
As reported earlier this season, it is well known that representatives of a group hoping to bring professional football to St. Louis after the departure of the NFL Cardinals has been in ongoing talks with parties in both the NFL and USFL. This month we learned that the Pittsburgh Maulers are out of that conversation. Owner Ed DeBartolo Sr. who has been plagued by issues of conflict of interest as his family also owns the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, has counteracted the St. Louis group and assured that the Maulers will remain in the Steel City by agreeing to sell the majority share of the Maulers to Pittsburgh Associates, the private-public consortium of businesses led by former Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguiri (who stepped down in 1988) which also has the controlling stake in the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB team. Debartolo will remain a minority owner and is likely to have a significant voice in team personnel and management, but the move reduces the issues surrounding the DeBartolo family’s ties to the NFL and also provides a solid bedrock of local corporate support for the Maulers. The joining of the Pirates and Maulers leadership under the umbrella of Pittsburgh Assoc. may also help to alleviate tensions between the two clubs over the use and care for Three Rivers Stadium, which houses both clubs over the course of the spring and summer.
The partial sale of the Maulers means that James Orthwein and his St. Louis consortium will likely be focusing their attention on the potential sale of the New England Patriots of the NFL or the uncertain situation of the LA Express in the USFL. Orthwein has made significant headway with the current owner of the Patriots Victor Kiam, but concerns about obtaining a lease to Foxboro Stadium, which is owned by a rival bidder for the club, Robert Kraft. Kraft’s ownership of the most viable stadium in the Boston area could be a major stumbling block for a potential purchase of the franchise, although that would be greatly diminished if Orthwein was able to get approval of the NFL to relocate the franchise to St. Louis immediately, an unlikely but not impossible situation.
If the New England sale runs afowl, there is significant potential for Orthwein to renew talks with the LA Express, who seem open to the idea of a sale. The concern with that sale, of course, is the impact a loss of the U.S.’s 2nd largest TV market would have on the USFL’s contract with ABC and ESPN. Having weathered the storm of losing Chicago when the Blitz bolted for Baltimore in 1986, the USFL would again find itself having to make concessions to their television partners or, at the very least once again guaranteeing a return to the LA market within a short time frame. And while the past year in Los Angeles has been rough for the franchise, with fans turning against current ownership for their inability to resign top players like QB Steve Young and HB Christian Okoye, the league’s revenue sharing has certainly kept the unrest from turning into financial exigency.
If Orthwein is again stymied in his attempt to relocate an existing pro football franchise, the next option may be to push one or both leagues to consider expansion. The USFL has postponed expansion considerations until after the resolution of their arbitration with the NFL, and it is almost certain that the NFL holds a similar position, but it is not unreasonable to expect that one or both leagues may look to expand in the near future. The NFL has sat at 28 teams since the introduction of the Buccaneers and Seahawks in 1976, while the younger USFL, which started with only 12 franchises, expanded to 16 in only its second year of existence, and again to 20 teams in 1987. A third expansion to either 22 teams, or perhaps more likely 24 franchises at some point in the upcoming decade seems plausible as it is well known that there are ownership bidders out there waiting for the opportunity. In addition to the well-known St. Louis bid, other groups have coalesced with hopes of bringing USFL football to town in locations as diverse as Seattle (a 1987 bidder), Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Columbus (OH), San Diego, and even a group in Tulsa who are hoping to entice the Outlaws back to the Sooner state.
Speaking of the Outlaws, it should be noted that the franchise has announced that it is extending its lease in San Marcos at Texas State University’s Bobcat stadium for another two years due to delays in the construction of San Antonio’s AlamoDome. The dome, now slated to open in time for a 1993 USFL season, has suffered some significant delays as shortages in steel and labor force over the past year have put the stadium construction almost 12 months behind schedule. The Outlaws will continue to play 7 games per year in Bobcat Stadium and have announced that their annual game played in another Texas stadium will continue, with 1991 scheduled for Fouts Field at the University of North Texas in Denton and 1992 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of SMU in Dallas.
OTHER LEAGUE MEETING NEWS
Here are just a few of the other items which have come out of this week’s meetings in New York:
USFL Films to work with Fox Network to broadcast Friday Night “This is the USFL” nationally. The longstanding “This is the USFL” recap show produced by USFL Films will be hitting a broader audience as it has signed an agreement to join the fledgling Fox Network as a regular Friday night feature. FOX, which has been expanding its sports base, will broadcast an expanded 1 hour version of the show each Friday at 8pm Eastern Time. It is rumored that FOX has been interested in a potential Monday or Friday night USFL broadcast as part of its goal to become a 7-day-per week entertainment destination. The introduction of a full recap, interview, and highlights show may be a step in this direction. The USFL has to date avoided Monday Night broadcasts in favor of a Saturday-Sunday combination in hopes of avoiding the obvious parallel with the NFL product. However, with Friday night a viable option, something the NFL avoids due to conflicts with high school football in the fall, the USFL may be open to adding a third evening game to its schedule. With the ABC/ESPN contract due for renegotiation in 1992, timing may be right for a third venue for USFL football, and it appears that FOX is hoping to build the USFL into its budding sports division.
The Competition Committee recommended only one rule change for the upcoming season, involving the Unsportsmanlike Conduct violation. After a few games this year got chippy, the league has voted to approve what they are calling a 3-strike policy. Under the new guidelines if a player is called for unsportsmanlike conduct twice within a game, they are required to leave the field of play and are disqualified for the remainder of the game. Additionally if over a span of 3 weeks a player (in any combination of games over that period) is charged three times with unsportsmanlike conduct, they will face a 2-game suspension and a fine to equal one game check. That is a hefty price to pay for what is usually a pretty rare penalty to be called. We should note that unlike the NFL where the unsportsmanlike penalty can be called for excessive celebration or taunting, in the USFL the primary uses of the call are for physical altercations between players, namely biting or the throwing of punches, or for the extremely rare situation where players come off the bench to participate in a scuffle on the field.
Finally, the USFL has announced the next two locations for its newly-dubbed Summer Bowl. As they have done in the past, the league will alternate between Western Conference and Eastern Conference locations. With the last 3 championship games having been played in prime time, during the cooler part of the evening, there are fewer concerns about location, although the Phoenix area is still likely to be snubbed as their late afternoon temperatures in July can be an unbearable 100+ degrees.
The league announced this week that following Summer Bowl 1991 at the LA Coliseum, the 1992 edition of the league’s championship would be played at the home of the current champions, at Washington D.C.’s. RFK Stadium.
The 1993 edition of the game will return indoors for the first time since the 1989 Silverdome game, as it will be hosted by the city of New Orleans and its SuperDome.
TEAM MARKETING & DESIGN
And, just in case you thought we had forgotten, we do have one more uniform reveal for you. Russell Athletic this week revealed a modest redux of the uniforms of the Oakland Invaders. Much to the hopes of the Invader faithful, the logo, colors and uniform design are not significantly altered from the yellow and sky blue designs that fans have grown to embrace. The most noteworthy adjustments are a reordering of stripes, to create consistency, with the helmet stripe now running from white to navy to sky blue from outside to inside. This Is paralleled on the blue jersey with a yellow-navy-white pattern and on the white jersey with a yellow-navy-sky blue pattern. Oakland’s design has also joined with two recent trends, the use of three-color numbers and the presence of the helmet logo at some other location on the uniform. In Oakland’s case the familiar lightning bearer logo will be found on the hip of both the yellow and white pants. The team has announced a plan to alternate the pant-jersey combos to include an all-white look, white over yellow, blue over yellow and blue over white. Finally, the jersey will feature the team’s name “Invaders” embroidered over the front numbers in 1” lettering, not as notable as some NCAA teams, but another feature that fans can find on their replica jerseys as they tout their loyalty to the East Bay’s pro team.
