USFL In Portland? I Think So

Any Portland Trail Blazers fan knows that our crowd is viewed as one the best crowds in the NBA. But it’s not just the Blazers team that this city supports. The Portland Timbers have seen some success selling out crowds in the last year as well.

Then there is our junior hockey league team, the Portland Winterhawks. They had a few sellout crowds during their run at the Memorial Cup before falling to the Edmonton Oil Kings in game 7 of the WHL final. The support that this city has shown hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Portland fans are dedicated, passionate, and they know their sports. So when I heard that we were one of the cities being considered for the relaunch of the USFL, I thought, “I don’t see why not?”

For those of you who don’t know, the United States Football League (USFL) was a professional football league that only lasted from 1983-1987. It was a league that played football games in the spring/summer. Back then, they tried competing against NFL, but the league soon fell apart after struggling to find stability in franchises as teams were relocated or merged.

In March of 2013, the USFL plans to relaunch. This time they are not trying to compete with the NFL, but rather as a developmental league. They plan to start as an eight team league. The spring/summer schedule is one thing that will remain. Since their plan is to play during these seasons, they are targeting not just cities without an NFL team, but also cities without a professional baseball team.

According to multiple sources, cities currently being considered are Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; San Antonio or Austin, Texas; Columbus or Akron, Ohio; Oklahoma City; Omaha, Neb.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Memphis, Tenn.

For me, I love the idea of having another minor league type team like the Winterhawks. It gives us sports fanatics something to do during the Blazers offseason. It also gives me one more sport to write about. I was very disappointed when the Portland Beavers (our minor league baseball team – formally known as the Portland Rockies) was taken away from us.

When the Blazers didn’t make the playoffs this year, a lot of fans needed another outlet. They turned to the Winterhawks and helped them get to the WHL final with a 9-2 home record during the playoffs. The couple Winterhawks’ games that I attended this postseason were insane. The crowd was very much alive when the team needed them.

I think this city will be great for a minor league football team. Although, it would be better if we had an NFL or MLB team, but let’s save that for another time. I know of a lot of supporters of Oregon and Oregon State college football programs. According to the Associated Press, regional draft picks would be used. This means that players from Oregon and Oregon State would be playing for a Portland franchise. This would allow those college football fans to have a connection to those players that don’t make it to the next level right away. If that is how it will work, a Portland franchise would definitely bring in fans.

The USFL will serve as an outlet to the NFL for players that still have the passion and dream of playing in the NFL, but aren’t quite there yet. This is something that the NFL hasn’t really had. If you don’t make the NFL, your dream of playing football for a career was pretty much over. There is the Canadian Football League, but that is the closest thing these American college athletes had. With the addition of the USFL, there will be a chance for more undrafted players to be recognized. I hate dream killers. Good thing the USFL is dream builder.