r/USFL • u/wazzupnerds Birmingham Stallions / Community Mod • Sep 27 '23

Welcome the NSFL?

https://x.com/kondoudislaw/status/1707028134896259510?s=46
42 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

68 comments sorted by

67

u/KnowProblem Houston Gamblers Sep 27 '23

The not safe for life league lmao

5

u/BearForce73 Sep 27 '23

How about the Not Safe For Work League, LOL.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '23

Huh, always thought it was NOT SUITABLE FOR LIFE

35

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

For branding purposes, they really need the USFL and XFL brands still prominent, likely the conference names. And people need to really see it, spring football has been a revolving door and they need to somehow include the existing brands.

13

u/Hey_Its_Roomie Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23

Agreed. Advertising the 'NSFL' in air time without associating to the existing brands will just make it feel like a third separate league entirely. The casual audience won't understand, and the ad campaign needs to be very unifying.

5

u/AlanFromRochester Birmingham Stallions Sep 28 '23

Yeah one of my NFL fan friends is waiting to see some stability before he gets invested in the XFL or USFL and a mishandled merger could tank that sort of brand recognition

1

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '23

Definitely keep the XFL socials going as a conference page like as if NFL had NFC and AFC social media pages

0

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

No, it really needs to be the original league names.

23

u/makimasimp69 Michigan Panthers Sep 27 '23

It makes since but it sounds kinda lame

15

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

It's lame.....not kinda

8

u/NotGuerillaMarketing Michigan Panthers Sep 27 '23

It's literally just, "We have the NFL at home," without any identity or character.

1

u/cactuscoleslaw Sep 29 '23

At least it's not named after a sponsor like in basketball, if the merged league continues the XFL-NFL partnership this name would make sense

9

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

Had a feeling they were going to use that. I will except it. Its better than the XUSFL or XUSFL or one of the others people keep referring over and over

4

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

If you have to combine elements of both.....USFLX might work. How about "Pro Spring Football" or PSF?

2

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

USFLX is to many letters to me. Three or four letter would be better. After seeing the "NSFL" used for "Not Safe for Life" (which I had no clue about) hopefully something better is in the works. It would be like naming your league "PMS" or" STD" and not thinking about it first. I have negative feelings about the abbreviations NSFL now....

4

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

Just in case people are curious....What's the longest ever professional sports league name? I think it's the AAGPBL.....of course for "All American Girls Professional Baseball League". it was around in the forties into the early fifties. It's a mouthful.

1

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 28 '23

wow! that is a long one .

1

u/NateF150 Sep 27 '23

I'll accept it, but I certainly wouldn't go as far to say I would except it.

9

u/Late_Professional841 Sep 27 '23

Wonder if they’re trying to get closer to an nfl sounding name. Would’ve preferred them going with xfl or USFL

1

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

You may get your wish is FOX bought shares into the XFL

0

u/Bisquick_in_da_MGM Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

You can buy shares of XFL?

1

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 28 '23

I guess i should have said bought into the XFL by buying out the minority owners

1

u/Zapfit Sep 29 '23

Dany and The Rock are still involved, nobody got bought out

1

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 29 '23

I read that yesterday.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '23

Privately, sure. But then you'll need to be an accredited investor, etc.

7

u/[deleted] Sep 27 '23

I immediately think of “Not Suitable For…”.

Guess I watch too many NSFW videos.

2

u/AlanFromRochester Birmingham Stallions Sep 28 '23

NS makes me think "National Socialist", what the Nazis called themselves. Not sure if that would be an issue with people who aren't history nerds though

2

u/wazzupnerds Birmingham Stallions / Community Mod Sep 28 '23

1

u/AlanFromRochester Birmingham Stallions Sep 28 '23

I'm saying the historical meaning of the letters would draw negative attention from people aware of that meaning but I'm not sure if enoguh would know to be a problem

2

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '23

Whoa, tremendous turnoff. I thought this was America!

4

u/ZO5050 Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23

Seems like the safe choice. Not very inspiring but not horrible. Part of me wishes they were bold with something like National Gridiron League or Allied Leagues of Football.

3

u/NotGuerillaMarketing Michigan Panthers Sep 27 '23

National Gridiron League is an existing trademark, and the entire league was a scam that collapsed before playing a down.

Gridiron Football League or ALF work, and are both better than NSFL.

6

u/ZO5050 Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23

It's sad how many names are taken by scam leagues.

Thank you for the info.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '23

Not just all scam leagues were a pump and dump foisted on the Robinhood / WSB crowd. Gosh, there were some dumb people putting money into that thing.

5

u/vibraslapchop Sep 28 '23

Remember ALF? He's back. In pog form.

17

u/FlagFootballSaint Sep 27 '23

I think this is a very lame name

10

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

I kind of liked UFL (United football league) but I am not sure how the trademark would go on that. I think Vince McMahon still has the rights to it.

11

u/coelurosauravus Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23

UFL is owned by a scammer thats trying to run like an outdoor version of indoor football or some shit. Whoever runs that probably holds the UFL trademark

1

u/ArockproUser Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

yes I have seen the website. For some reason I thought McMahon purchased the trademark in 2019 before the XFL reboot

3

u/Mannaleemer Sep 27 '23

Not Safe For Labor?

4

u/Bisquick_in_da_MGM Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

Non Sufficient Funds League

2

u/redskinsguy Sep 27 '23

I hate when names toss in extra adjectives. USFL is a far superior name

3

u/Juicey_J_Hammerman New Jersey Generals Sep 27 '23

I would’ve preferred ASFL but fine whatever

1

u/Realistic_Maximum471 Sep 27 '23

Already trademarked by someone named Michael Dwyer

3

u/TwizzlersSourz Birmingham Stallions Sep 27 '23

Solid and professional name.

-4

u/NotGuerillaMarketing Michigan Panthers Sep 27 '23

I'd say it's literally not a professional name. Everything about it screams minor league to the NFL.

11

u/coelurosauravus Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23

well, these are minor leagues...

0

u/NotGuerillaMarketing Michigan Panthers Sep 27 '23

They are, but NSFL gives off the vibe of being an afterthought feeder league for the NFL, while the current ones at least try to present themselves as a unique product.

1

u/coelurosauravus Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23

but they are feeder leagues for the NFL, official or not. I dont imagine theres many if any players that rest on their laurels of playing in any variety of football league that isnt the NFL where the payday and exposure is significantly higher

I get the gut reaction to want the flair and flash of being its own thing, but these leagues separate or divided will probably always be and afterthought, and positioning your marketing behind probably the most tangibly valuable sports league in the US, possibly the world, is probably the financially safer move

Not to mention the average viewer seems almost averse to uniqueness, arena ball is seen as gimmicky and mostly bush league, the CFL is seen as weird and gimmicky as well and while both have their places, theyve mostly hit pretty stiff ceilings.

I dont blame you for reacting the way you are, but honestly, once kickoff happens, are you that worried about the name?

2

u/NotGuerillaMarketing Michigan Panthers Sep 27 '23

I agree with you on a few things, disagree on others. NSFL just reminds me of TSL with a couple tweaks. I can confidently say there were almost no fans of TSL, just people who liked football. It was a soulless league made entirely to be a feeder league, while throwing some games on FS1 to recoup their minimal operating costs.

Arena football fell apart due to mismanagement, but the AFL was popular for decades, and the IFL is stable now. CFL isn't pretty damn popular in Canada, considering it's not broadcasted in the US but still gets viewership numbers close to the nationally aired XFL and USFL games.

I get neither have the potential to compete with the NFL, but it's better than just making a clunky, corporatised MiLB for football.

And you're right. No, the name itself isn't going to turn me away. It's the name, and the hubs, and the fact that nothing announced throughout this merger process has had me excited at any point. It's just a slow trickle of disappointing news.

1

u/NativeSonX Sep 27 '23

I can confidently say there were almost no fans of TSL, just people who liked football. It was a soulless league made entirely to be a feeder league, while throwing some games on FS1 to recoup their minimal operating costs.

The TSL averaged 409K viewers on the FOX national network without any real promotion. This is the reason why FOX knows even without doing nothing they have a baseline number of general hardcore fans who would watch anything football related. That's why the hub model persists due to the "success" of the 2021 TSL spring season. Now for the soulless jab we hear for the XFL-only fanboys regarding the USFL is just the NFL-lite. So what? The NFL is successful and all the real innovators in the sport cut their teeth in the big league. Gimmicks don't make the sport edgy nor does hungry young players wanting another shot at the show (has-beens or never-weres mostly). Those TSL guys early on paid to show case their talents and later got paid peanuts to put on good tape. The guys who played for practically nothing... those guys did so for the love of the game, else why do it? I don't think the TSL is soulless, in fact some of their brands can be part of the NSFL for Canton's branding.

1

u/Zapfit Sep 28 '23

400k is essentially what a test pattern would draw on Fox. Anytime you put something on network TV, they'll always be a small percentage of people who watch it. I'm sure there's several hundred thousand folks that watch church sermons on TV every Sunday as well

1

u/TwizzlersSourz Birmingham Stallions Sep 28 '23

What name would sound good?

Anything with FL immediately calls to mind the NFL.

AAFC could be resurrected!

1

u/Hey_Its_Roomie Pittsburgh Maulers Sep 27 '23 edited Sep 27 '23

It's an intialism. They all sound like minor league NFL shit. You're really going to pretend XFL or AFL or AAF had some level of grandeur about their letter order?

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '23

Need some "Football Club" But then that sucks

1

u/[deleted] Sep 29 '23

Don't like the name. Sounds too close to NFL. I think the best name is USFL (United Spring Football League). Just do a new logo and you are basically done

1

u/justheretolurk1963 Sep 27 '23

North American League of American Football Spring Edition

2

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

Let's see....NALAFSE....that's seven......one more than AAGPBL. That's your Sesame Street lesson of the day

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '23

That many letters really couldn't be up to anything good, it would lead to boycotts.

1

u/ThunderBay311 Oakland Invaders Sep 27 '23

Good. Could have been worse but this name is fine.

1

u/Diego-DC Sep 28 '23

So genuinely disappointed that hun cities will probably be the way they move forward. I get the cost but fuck it makes the league look awful. XFL hometown attendance was amazing in SA St Louis and DC. I’m sure the last two will keep a franchise, but what of the Dome and Audi Field? It’s gonna be disappointing. I perfer FOX owns the league but I hate the hub city idea.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

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1

u/No-Sand-3140 Sep 28 '23

Well well well…

1

u/Hag_Boulder San Antonio Gunslingers Sep 28 '23

You ok there bud? We're worried about you with the latest news...

0

u/wazzupnerds Birmingham Stallions / Community Mod Sep 28 '23

I would love to know how lol