You're forgiven if the United Football League hasn't made much of an impression on you at this point. The league hasn't got any players, the teams don't have names and, this you're probably aware of, there's a pretty viable professional football league already kicking around the country. You'll be more familiar with it come October, though, thanks to a television deal announced today.
The UFL's inaugural eight week season and Thanksgiving weekend championship game will all be televised on VERSUS, Comcast's cable sports station. Getting a spot alongside the NHL and bull riding may not seem like much, especially when the XFL failed despite a deal with NBC, but with no Arena Football this season, there will likely be a market for football. The league will play on Thursday and Friday nights, avoiding the NFL, and could have enough intriguing names, like the oft-rumored Michael Vick, to get people to check it out.
The timing of this announcement coincides with word that Comcast may be dumping the NFL Network from two million homes in April. There's not much future for any league that tries to battle the NFL head on, but the backing of a cable giant and a modest plan are working in the UFL's favor.
They've got teams planned for New York, Las Vegas, Orlando and San Francisco in the opening season, and they're playing 11-on-11 outdoor football. That means you can't write it off as a live arcade game, like Arenaball, or a complete joke, like the XFL. It's "real" football, which makes it a heir to NFL Europe, a league that was taken seriously by scouts and fans alike.
The TV deal will give some legitimacy to the league and the people playing in it. If they capitalize on it, you can be sure that you'll be hearing discussions about how much Orlando's quarterback could help Team X, or how that Vegas cornerback might be just the guy to step in and replace injured starter Y.
Football's popularity is so great in this country that there's a place for a viable minor league. Embracing that role, rather than trying to get past it, is the UFL's best chance at success.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
