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investor. The UFL has been beset with numerous financial problems, some of which stem from weak financial backing and an inability to get widespread national television coverage. It has so far played three seasons, the third of which was aborted two weeks prior to the season's end. As of June 2012, a
180:
in 1995, with teams only in
European cities. The name of the league was changed to NFL Europa in 2006. After the 2007 season, the NFL announced that it was closing down the league to focus its international marketing efforts in other ways, such as playing NFL regular season games in cities outside of
253:
is a primarily
Florida-based regional professional minor league that began play in 2011. Its two seasons to date, both only six weeks long, have been marked by extremely sparse attendance and little public visibility, but it has managed to send at least two players to NFL rosters.
95:
held a monopoly on professional football in the United States for most of the 1950s, a rare occurrence for a league that had at least one competing league in every year since 1934. By 1960, a group of potential professional football owners that would become known as the
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120:. It was the eighth professional football league to use the name and the fourth to be universally considered a major-league competitor to the NFL. The AFL would prove to be the NFL's most formidable challenger to date.
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169:. It moved its schedule to the fall in 1985, and tried to compete with the NFL directly, but it was unable to do so and folded, despite winning an anti-trust suit against the older league.
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with teams based in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The WLAF ran for two years, from 1991 to 1992. The league went on a two-year hiatus before reorganizing as
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and the NBC television network. It folded after one season in the face of rapidly declining fan interest and a poor reputation. However, XFL stars such as
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away from the NFL with lucrative contracts. However, most of the WFL franchises were insolvent and the league folded in 1975; the
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150:, the team that had signed Csonka and the most financially stable of the teams, unsuccessfully sued to join the NFL. The
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formed as a continuation of the WFL's legacy in 1978, albeit on a much lower pay scale. That league lasted until 1982.
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had become frustrated with their efforts to buy into the NFL (some were NFL franchise minority owners such as
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formed as a spring league, and enjoyed moderate success during its first two seasons behind such stars as
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beginning with (for the sake of simplicity, this will focus on
American football leagues post the
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List of
American and Canadian cities by number of major professional sports franchises
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existed in abundance in the 1960s and early 1970s, to varying degrees of success.
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Several other professional football leagues have been formed since the
116:, had tried but failed to buy NFL teams) and formed a new league, the
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List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
535:
Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
317:
List of defunct
American and Canadian professional football teams
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17:
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onward. The table contains the population rank based on the
138:, though none have had the success of the AFL. In 1974, the
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is a four-team fully professional league which played its
130:
History_of_the_National_Football_League § Modern_era
48:
38:
687:"Report: Veteran dealmaker starts pro football league"
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in
October–November 2009. Involved in this league are
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U.S. cities with teams from four major league sports
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but evaporated in short order after the boom ended.
172:
The NFL founded a developmental league known as the
714:. United Football League. 2008. Archived from
142:formed and was able to attract such stars as
8:
693:. Cable News Network LP, LLLP. June 3, 2007
588:. NFL Enterprises LLC. 2007. Archived from
274:containing at least one team in any of the
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203:was formed as a joint venture between the
737:"Population of census metropolitan areas"
667:Play: The New York Times Sports Magazine
552:
72:Minor professional leagues such as the
739:. Statistics Canada. February 3, 2011
7:
563:. World League Licensing LLC. 2007
258:List of teams by metropolitan area
14:
232:National Basketball Association's
174:World League of American Football
295:primary census statistical areas
246:fourth season remains in doubt.
184:Short-lived leagues such as the
22:
769:American football-related lists
764:Defunct American football teams
230:, media mogul and owner of the
74:original United Football League
276:defunct national/international
215:later saw success in the NFL.
78:Atlantic Coast Football League
1:
159:United States Football League
152:American Football Association
663:"First and Long – Very Long"
661:Nocera, Joe (June 3, 2007).
637:Salon Arts and Entertainment
520:History of American football
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262:The following list contains
639:. Salon.com. Archived from
86:Continental Football League
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205:World Wrestling Federation
192:formed in the wake of the
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306:census metropolitan areas
299:2010 United States Census
280:gridiron football leagues
186:Regional Football League
124:After the AFL-NFL merger
118:American Football League
93:National Football League
82:Seaboard Football League
631:Boehlert, Eric (2001).
582:"NFL History 1971–1980"
37:, as no other articles
264:all metropolitan areas
220:United Football League
213:Rod "He Hate Me" Smart
190:Spring Football League
611:"History of the USFL"
561:"NFL Europe homepage"
288:World Football League
278:professional outdoor
251:Stars Football League
140:World Football League
633:"XFL makes history!"
613:. Our Sports Central
460:Baltimore–Washington
718:on January 18, 2008
310:Canada 2011 Census
108:; others, such as
56:for suggestions.
46:to this page from
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325:Metropolitan area
239:William Hambrecht
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284:AFL-NFL merger
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136:AFL-NFL merger
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54:Find link tool
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31:This article
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741:. Retrieved
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716:the original
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691:CNNMoney.com
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641:the original
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594:. Retrieved
590:the original
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565:. Retrieved
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224:first season
217:
209:Tommy Maddox
198:
194:dot-com boom
183:
171:
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144:Larry Csonka
133:
106:Ralph Wilson
102:Harry Wismer
98:Foolish Club
90:
71:
58:
32:
15:
743:February 9,
423:17,877,006
413:Los Angeles
378:22,085,649
337:Population
243:Wall Street
758:Categories
722:2008-02-04
697:2007-08-20
672:2008-01-18
647:2007-06-26
617:2007-06-26
596:2007-06-26
567:2007-07-02
548:References
470:8,572,971
315:See also:
301:, and the
228:Mark Cuban
178:NFL Europe
128:See also:
110:Lamar Hunt
52:; try the
39:link to it
492:Stallions
181:the U.S.
163:Jim Kelly
114:Bud Adams
61:July 2023
42:. Please
514:See also
388:Generals
329:Country
292:table of
586:NFL.com
435:Express
356:CFL USA
308:in the
303:list of
297:in the
266:in the
452:Xtreme
405:Hitmen
286:) the
272:Canada
35:orphan
33:is an
506:Notes
480:Stars
334:rank
745:2012
351:WLAF
346:USFL
332:Pop.
270:and
249:The
237:and
218:The
211:and
188:and
165:and
112:and
104:and
91:The
84:and
428:Sun
361:XFL
341:WFL
201:XFL
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498:—
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63:)
59:(
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