XFL, USFL in “advanced” merger talks

[4th&long]

One one hand, I understand, but on the other hand, best case scenario, you'd like to have as much of the country covered as possible to potentially gain the greatest amount of interest in the league.

The PST is only 17% of the country EST zone is 49% and CST about 29%.

I really don't get the obsession with market size.

I mean, when St. Louis is drawing 38,000 and LA drew 13,000... it's not the be-all and end-all. This isn't the 1980s and even then, the Chicago Blitz was Exhibit A in why obsessing over market size isn't helpful. Exhibit B, I'll point to the CFL, where you have world-city Toronto struggling and tiny steeltown Hamilton drawing good crowds.

It'd be different if they were putting teams in places like Billings, Montana and Odessa, Texas (ahem). But other than Birmingham, every XFL and USFL city has at least one other major league squad. These are all cities that are known to support professional sport at the highest level.

Splitting hairs on how much market size you cover ignores a lot of inter-market dynamics. You'll have cities in other markets rooting for teams based on college alma mater effect (in 2020, DC had a lot of Buffalo fans thanks to former Bill Cardale Jones and UB star Tyree Jackson; NY had fans in PA thanks to Matt McGloin).

Larger market sizes have more people. More people means more viewers. Viewers = better TV money, more advertising money. More people = more potential fans, more potential ticket sales.

[GDAWG]

The PST is only 17% of the country EST zone is 49% and CST about 29%.

I really don't get the obsession with market size.

I mean, when St. Louis is drawing 38,000 and LA drew 13,000... it's not the be-all and end-all. This isn't the 1980s and even then, the Chicago Blitz was Exhibit A in why obsessing over market size isn't helpful. Exhibit B, I'll point to the CFL, where you have world-city Toronto struggling and tiny steeltown Hamilton drawing good crowds.

It'd be different if they were putting teams in places like Billings, Montana and Odessa, Texas (ahem). But other than Birmingham, every XFL and USFL city has at least one other major league squad. These are all cities that are known to support professional sport at the highest level.

Splitting hairs on how much market size you cover ignores a lot of inter-market dynamics. You'll have cities in other markets rooting for teams based on college alma mater effect (in 2020, DC had a lot of Buffalo fans thanks to former Bill Cardale Jones and UB star Tyree Jackson; NY had fans in PA thanks to Matt McGloin).

Larger market sizes have more people. More people means more viewers. Viewers = better TV money, more advertising money. More people = more potential fans, more potential ticket sales.

There's no guarantee a New Jersey team or a Philly team would get St. Louis like attendance....or even DC like attendance.

[4th&long]

I really don't get the obsession with market size.

I mean, when St. Louis is drawing 38,000 and LA drew 13,000... it's not the be-all and end-all. This isn't the 1980s and even then, the Chicago Blitz was Exhibit A in why obsessing over market size isn't helpful. Exhibit B, I'll point to the CFL, where you have world-city Toronto struggling and tiny steeltown Hamilton drawing good crowds.

It'd be different if they were putting teams in places like Billings, Montana and Odessa, Texas (ahem). But other than Birmingham, every XFL and USFL city has at least one other major league squad. These are all cities that are known to support professional sport at the highest level.

Splitting hairs on how much market size you cover ignores a lot of inter-market dynamics. You'll have cities in other markets rooting for teams based on college alma mater effect (in 2020, DC had a lot of Buffalo fans thanks to former Bill Cardale Jones and UB star Tyree Jackson; NY had fans in PA thanks to Matt McGloin).

Larger market sizes have more people. More people means more viewers. Viewers = better TV money, more advertising money. More people = more potential fans, more potential ticket sales.

There's no guarantee a New Jersey team or a Philly team would get St. Louis like attendance....or even DC like attendance.

Its (much) more about TV ratings. a 20 million TV viewer market in NY is 20 x bigger than a Birmingham 1.1 million viewer TV market. There is a reason there are two teams in LA and NY for baseball and FB.

[GDAWG]

Larger market sizes have more people. More people means more viewers. Viewers = better TV money, more advertising money. More people = more potential fans, more potential ticket sales.

There's no guarantee a New Jersey team or a Philly team would get St. Louis like attendance....or even DC like attendance.

Its (much) more about TV ratings. a 20 million TV viewer market in NY is 20 x bigger than a Birmingham 1.1 million viewer TV market. There is a reason there are two teams in LA and NY for baseball and FB.

No guarantees that the league will be a ratings success either in both of those markets.

[4th&long]

There's no guarantee a New Jersey team or a Philly team would get St. Louis like attendance....or even DC like attendance.

Its (much) more about TV ratings. a 20 million TV viewer market in NY is 20 x bigger than a Birmingham 1.1 million viewer TV market. There is a reason there are two teams in LA and NY for baseball and FB.

No guarantees that the league will be a ratings success either in both of those markets.

Gdawg - I'm explaining why teams focus on large TV markets, its why Networks focus on large markets. You are welcome to push back and sure nothing is guaranteed. But this is TV ratings 101. Its how it works.

here's a list of Households by Nielsen TV list
https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2022-23/markets/

[GDAWG]

[GDAWG]

Its (much) more about TV ratings. a 20 million TV viewer market in NY is 20 x bigger than a Birmingham 1.1 million viewer TV market. There is a reason there are two teams in LA and NY for baseball and FB.

No guarantees that the league will be a ratings success either in both of those markets.

Gdawg - I'm explaining why teams focus on large TV markets, its why Networks focus on large markets. You are welcome to push back and sure nothing is guaranteed. But this is TV ratings 101. Its how it works.

here's a list of Households by Nielsen TV list
https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2022-23/markets/

They will have teams in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Washington DC and Seattle (and probably Detroit). Those are fairly huge TV markets. If they get a team in Chicago (and they should capitalize on the disaster that is the Bears at this moment) and somewhere in the Bay Area, I don't think they need to have teams in the New York metro area or Philly.

[MGB01]

Wondering if I should pull up the Wildcats/Guardians game thread from 2/29/20 (the one where they pulled in about 12K/pre-empted by 10 minutes of Trump telling everybody what Fauci told him to do) and see if 4th was as insistent on 'Yes this is what you should be doing" as he is now, I don't remember offhand.

[4th&long]

Wondering if I should pull up the Wildcats/Guardians game thread from 2/29/20 (the one where they pulled in about 12K/pre-empted by 10 minutes of Trump telling everybody what Fauci told him to do) and see if 4th was as insistent on 'Yes this is what you should be doing" as he is now, I don't remember offhand.

And what was the viewership for that game? Like 1.6 million ? right

[Coffeeeyes]

Gotta think too a merged USFL-XFL draft could pull way bigger names than the league has the last few cycles, a Ben DiNucci and AJ McCarron could be the type of player regularly we’re going to expect. That’s my hope.

Was thinking about how the only QB taken in the XFL rookie draft, Lindsey Scott Jr. was also drafted in the USFL rookie draft. Hasn’t signed with either and hasn’t retired, might be persuaded to come to the league.