Its really too bad about the.AAF, they had a decent product and a lot of excitement in San Diego, Birmingham, Orlando and edpecially in San Antonio. But they had poor investment, and what little they had came from bad people
@@zciliyafilms5508 There were no two point conversions in the WFL. Touchdowns were worth seven points, and instead of an extra point kick, there was the "action Point", which was either a run or a pass play from two and a half yards out.
My great uncle was one of the starting Wide Recievers for the Birmingham Americans. Whenever he came to family gatherings that we have once a year, he would tells us stories about his time on the team.
My grandfather was the head coach of the Birmingham Americans. Fact is they actually did get their rings after their win, with 32 diamonds and world champions engraved in it.
The Honolulu Hawaiians in the WFL were the first top level team in the 2 big outdoor sports of baseball and american football to establish their home base outside the contiguous 48 united states, and are currently the only one to have done so. The Hawaii Chiefs of the second ABL in the early 1960's were the first for the indoor sports of Basketball and Ice Hockey to do so.
@@nickhill8612 She was at the World Bowl and NFL Films said she was a "Designing Woman" even then. Birmingham beat Florida for the title, but the real MVP's were the IRS agents who seized both teams property.
@@davester1970 That would be another reason. The sad part, if they wanted another year or so maybe they would have gotten Showtime to broadcast. Did they reach out to HBO?
As long as you agree to tell Tennessee fans to stop kissing their sisters long enough to take down that 1967 national championship banner that they claim after losing TWICE
LaDonna Gauchat Not butt hurt. If this guy doesn’t want Bama claiming national championships that he doesn’t feel they deserve, even tho some publications (with writers way more competent than this guy) DID feel they deserved, then we should agree to let Tennessee know that they’re claiming a universally known lie of a championship. Tennessee is claiming a national championship that literally NO publication awarded them after LOOSING their bowl game that year. These are just facts. Pathetic facts...but still facts. Lol
The Dickerod was actually a far better idea, but I think that they should do away with the rod AND the chain system in the NFL and they should simply go for a simple laser level type device that determines how far away that the ball is, or at least a special, yet powerful, light system that gives off a similar effect that everyone can see.
Great video. I never knew about this league. I appreciate you uploading this. There's many football leagues you can talk about. I played in a Semi Pro Football League for a couple years. If you want information let, just let me know.
I remember this league when it came out. My Giants were awful back then I gave a try to root for the New York Stars who had a couple retreads like George Saur of the SB III champion New York Jets. They played their home games at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island. It did not last too long because they moved to Charlotte.
Downing stadium pretty sure that's where Pele played his first game for the ny cosmos . Where there was dead spots in the grass, t hey spray painted the dirt green
I focused on how the acronym is similar to WWF (the pro wrestling organization was WWWF at that time; the wildlife organization had the name since 1961)
WFL didn't do their due diligence, about 90% of those team owners had no business running a team. USFL did their due diligence for the most part (San Antonio was a mistake) but owners weren't sticking to the poorly enforced spending rules and it seemed many team owners weren't as truly committed as it seemed. Plus their TV contract and the situation in L.A. forced them to inherit an expensive to run team. AAF rushed their planning and had trouble getting investors, one pulled out after the first game and was later indicted for money laundering. The last run of the XFL....much of it could be blamed on the pandemic. So yes lack of funding is a common problem, but so is poor due diligence. Also you need a TV contract and since the 4 major leagues dominate much of TV. That's a challenge.
As someone who has lived near Philadelphia my entire life, I heard quite a bit about Vince Papale, and actually got to meet him at a high school student council event. When I told him, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Papale," he replied (and I quote), "Please, call me Vince."
I have a great story about the WFL. My dad was driving down to Tampa, and stopped by in Gainesville, and he watched the Jacksonville Sharks on TV. When he got to Tampa the next day, the Sharks had folded. There is a great book about the WFL called "WIFFLE: The Wild, Zany and Sometimes Hilariously True Story of the World Football League," it's a must read.
The issue on the Hornets' playoff game wasn't that the Hornets couldn't sell more than 1,000 advance tickets -- they were going to be the road team anyway -- it was that the home-team Florida Blazers couldn't sell more than 1,000, and the visitors' take on that would not have paid the travel expenses for the Hornets, who were flat busted. So the league subbed in the more solvent Philadelphia Bell for the game, since they had the capital to play for the plane, hotel etc.
Another thing the WFL did that was different: A touchdown was worth 7 points, not 6. The extra-point kick was eliminated entirely; instead, teams could get 1 point for running or passing the ball into the end zone after the TD. The league called this an "action point."
the 2nd season was actually run much better, But the final nail in the coffin was the Chicago Winds overhyped that they were trying to sign Joe Namath. when they failed to reach a deal, TVS (their main TV carrier) dropped them. So they were pretty much only being aired on local TV stations and didn't get much exposure.
Yes. This was common throughout the entire league. This is why there is very little footage of Larry Czonka and Jim Kiick actually playing in Memphis uniforms.
This clip mentioned that Larry Csonka was payed $3.5 million over two years. I think it was actually a three year contract. Also I think the $3.5 million figure was actually the combined total that Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield were being paid over three years. I think Larry Csonka's individual total for those three years was $1.4 million.
That did sound very high. $3.5 million is something like $20 million today (2022). Maybe the league could afford that if they truly believed it was going to be a huge success, but they weren't even close. From millions of dollars promised to the players, to being given McDonald's gift certificates so they could feed themselves. That's quite a drop.
I went to a WFL game, Chicago Fire vs Detroit Wheels at the Pontiac Silverdome. Should have known that something wasn’t right when I got 2 tickets at mid field for 20 dollars. Loved the “Dickerod” and the sideline cameras were on the back of Chevy LUV trucks
The WFL was actually initially scheduled to begin play in 1975, but Gary Davidson decided to launch a year earlier, anticipating that the NFL Players Association was likely to strike the NFL when their then-current collective bargaining agreement expired. Davidson later said it was the first - and greatest - mistake he made. In my opinion, Davidson's awarding franchises to people who didn't have two dimes to rub together was a bigger factor. The on-field product of the WFL, however, was actually good considering how quickly the league was thrown together.
Greatest athlete of all time. Olympic Gold Medal winner and an all star in football and baseball. But I wouldn't rule out Bo Jackson completely from being an Olympic star if he had put his mind to it.
Another fact of interest: The World Football League had singular team monikers (The Philadelphia Bell, The Southern California Sun, The Portland Storm) instead of the traditional plural team monikers. The Philadelphia Bell makes me of think of the phone company. Two current NBA franchises had WFL roots (Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets) and there is a current NFL franchise that is the name of a former WFL team (Houston Texans).
Today my experience on YT was video after bloviated video. Until I saw this. Seen your content before, huhe DC and NFL fan. Nice, concise, and a perfect ending. Too often people don't know how to edit themselves but you do so marvelously. My prayers for your success!
I really hope you do a video of the best QB to never play in the NFL: Anthony Calvillo.... he owns the record for most passing yards ever by a QB & played in the CFL for many years.
BTW, Payton Manning is not even #2 all time. He's #3 in passing yards all time (NFL & CFL)... #2 is Damon Allen, who had 72, 381 passing yards in his career. You might know him better as Marcus Allen's little brother. Seriously.... the CFL is a interesting & historic league. We play with a 110 yard field, we have 3 downs instead of four & it's 12 a side instead of 11. But it's honestly some great football and it's no wonder we've seen CFL players have great NFL careers. Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia.... and if you care for a recent NFLer, how about the Dolphins DE Cameron Wake? And for all you Americans wanting that football fix... you guys get the CFL games on ESPN3 & we start our season in June... and it's 18 games long. I think that alone would help satisfy that craving.
Cody smith I live in the American northeast and I love watching cfl games on espn. I don't get espn 3 but have considered getting a season pass. It is a nice change of pace to watch players and teams without having to care about who wins. Plus it is good for the days of the summer when baseball or mls is not on tv . Anyways the cfl is underrated in the states
Comparing cfl and NFL stats are a bit unfair, the cfl is extremely pass oriented while the nfl you have an extra down to run the ball and it's a more ground and pound league
That is true..... but the story about Calvillo is fascinating in itself as is the CFL in general. As much as people don't want to realize it, this gives KTO the ability to dig up stories & find more content for us to watch.
I remember this fiasco so well. My first bad impression was the names they gave the teams. It was doomed to fail before it ever started. The only thing it did was disrupt teams in the NFL when key players jumped to the WFL.
My Dad played for the Hawaiians. He loved it. Haha they gave him one of those fancy remote clicker TVs every time he got player of the game. He was like the only NFL player on the defense.. so we had like 6 or 7 otf those things.. they lasted forever.
The only pro football game I've ever been to was the Birmingham Americans. You would think the football capital of the South would have managed to get an NFL franchise. The Stallions of the USFL was one of the few to actually make money. And they even had a CFL franchise for a year or two
I still recall the WFL, especially the Birmingham Americans, fondly. There were some great players, and some GREAT games. (Birmingham 41, Chicago 40 in a driving rainstorm is still one of the most exciting games I ever attended.) And though it didn't get mentioned, the best of the WFL "oddities" was the Action Point. Basically, touchdowns were worth 7 points, and teams could run or pass for an 8th action point. It made for some odd-looking scores (8-7, 22-21) but it was far superior to the conventional Extra Point, which even back then was almost automatic. And as for the "unusual" (according to the video) team names, those mentioned weren't that odd at all. Back then Detroit was the auto capital of the world, so "Wheels" made perfect sense. And the Liberty Bell is still in Philadelphia. (But when was the last time anyone saw a Bear in Chicago? Or a jaguar in Jacksonville?) On the field, the product was great, with a few unconventional ideas that were ahead of their time. Unfortunately, no one involved seemed to have any business sense, and they often made up for that shortcoming by being duplicitous.
The long defunct TVS Television Network carried WFL games on Wednesday nights, with Merle Harmon covering the play-by-play and former Baltimore Colts star Alex Hawkins (1959-65,1967-68) doing the color (Hawkins had been fired from CBS when he used a slur during a broadcast). The ratings were poor, and TVS did not renew the contract to do games in season two. The teams made deals with local stations to air games. One night the Philadelphia Bell played a wild game with the Southern California Sun in Anaheim Stadium which went more three hours before the Sun won, 58-39. WTAF (now WTXF) beamed the game back to the Philadelphia audience, but the fans received a shock at 1:30 AM, with 10 minutes left to play, Channel 29 played the national anthem and signed off the air. Actually, when the Chicago Winds refused to sign Joe Namath away from the New York Jets, the team caught a lot of flak and TVS dropped the television contract with the league.
At least the WFL lasted a half of season more than the XFL. Maybe do a video on the AFL (Arena Football League). I know Kurt Warner won a championship in that league as well as a Super Bowl. Got his start in the AFL.
Dude,good stuff. I legitimately don’t give a shit about football but I enjoy your presentation and narration with you videos. I’ve been binging your videos for the past couple of days
Fall-out-kid25 watch the CFL, its extremely entertaining, a more fast paced game. It's hard to get to know some rules just by watching but it's pretty similar to the nfl
Look around and you'll probably find leagues near you -- men's, women's, and children's. Plus of course intercollegiate and interscholastic (varsity, JV, frosh, club), lightweight (now Sprint Football), touch, flag, short sides, even unpadded tackle (American Sevens, formerly Town Beef). Provided you're willing to go to the games, not just watch TV. Of course you could get a friend to video them and bring them back to you if TV football is what you want.
They did put a franchise in Canada -- the Toronto Northmen -- but they became the Memphis Southmen (known locally as the Grizzlies) before the season started. The league that played in 1974 & 1975 was to become the domestic division, a foreign division supposedly coming later. The WFL's problem was that of a lot of similar enterprises: trying to be too big, too fast. They shoul'dve started as a minor league and slowly built up as they could afford it. But they did scare the NFL into making all those playing rule changes of 1974: moving the goals to the end lines, regular season overtime, gunners on coverage teams, missed FGs coming back to the previous spot, more limitation of bump & run -- most not exactly the same as the WFL implemented, but for the same purposes. Plus they got NFL teams to convert 2 games of their exhibition season into regular season games, also a move partway toward what the WFL was doing.
The Toronto Northmen were forced to leave Canada because the Canadian Football League (CFL) did not want another franchise from another league competing for fan attention. So before a game was played, the team moved to Memphis Southmen. The World Football League (WFL) actually discussed bringing teams to Mexico City and Tokyo, but nothing really came of it.
WFL was just poorly planned, they didn't do any due diligence on the owners, virtually all of the first season owners should have been rejected. If they waited until 1976 and taken the time to properly plan things out, might have gone better.
Sports Illustrated referred to the World Bowl as the first and possibly only World Bowl. It turned out they were correct on their prediction. There have been claims that the Birmingham Vulcans (yes Birmingham had a different team in 1975) were declared the 1975 WFL Champions since they had the best record when the league folded. There is a historical WFL website that claims that the rumors are false, and there was no champion for 1975.
Ironically, out of the three most notable startup football leagues of recent times, the WFL had the least financial backing... the XFL had the deep pockets of both NBC and Vince McMahon, and the USFL had many owners who weren't afraid to open their wallets (coughDonaldTrumpcough) So basically, the WFL was doomed to fail right from the start.
Chicago interestingly had two team monikers having to do with the city: Season 1: Fire-Named for the 1871 blaze that reportedly got started when Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over a lantern. Season 2: Winds-Chicago has always been known as "The Windy City".
I never knew about this league. I do remember the World League Football in the early 90's.The Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons, Sacramento Surge, Orlando Thunder and others. Pro Set even produced football cards of some the players like quarterback Scott Mitchell. Who went on to play for the Detroit Lions.
Washington was supposed to have a team called the Ambassadors, that would have played at RFK Stadium. The Redskins shut them out, and they tried to move to Annapolis like the Baltimore-Washington Ambassadors, but they couldn't get lights installed, they later tried to move the Hampton Roads as the Virginia Ambassadors, and they finally settled in Orlando as the Florida Blazers.
Oh the stories about this league! Boston was supposed to have a team but couldn't find anywhere there to play, they merged with the new York stars who ironically had the same problem. There was going to be a team in Toronto but the owner changed his mind cause he figured the Canadian government would try to block it (to protect the CFL) so he moved the team to Memphis. The Portland Storm considered moving to London, Ontario Canada and offered the Detroit Wheels $30,000 to move their upcoming game there to test it out. It flopped! and because it flopped the wheels never got their $30,000. Houston was slated to move to Shreveport beginning week 11. However, there was a promotion scheduled with Hormel foods for week 11, they successfully got a federal injunction that forced the team to play in Houston 1 more week. Last one I can think of John Matusak signed with the Houston Texans even though he was still under NFL contract. He and the team were served with a cease and desist after Matusak played 1 down (marshalls got stuck on traffic hence why they didn't get there before game time). Courts later ruled in favor of the NFL.
What they tried to do here seems to me like a good idea, the mistake as far as I can see is trying to be bigger and better than the NFL. It's always struck me as odd that a country as big and rich as the USA only has one division for most pro sports. Surely a 'division 2' as it were of the NFL would have been a better idea and may have worked. Half the size perhaps with half the salaries and half the attendance but surely that would still be a viable business?
I agree. And in recent years I'm told minor league baseball has become a serious money maker. For a number of years most minor league baseball clubs lived off subsidies of the majors as their farm teams, but now they're on their own and prospering.
I will do a video on the XFL soon don't you worry
KTO What about the Cfl failure expansion in the USA?
KTO Please do a video about what if Drew Brees signed with the Miami Dolphins
yeah that's inevitable. Best part about that league was hearing McMahon say "This IS THE XFLLLLLLL!!"
KTO awesome I was just about to comment that
KTO yeah the XETREME Football League 😂
WLF, USFL & XFL all had one thing that the AAF couldn't manage - they all at least completed one full season.
Rockit Gamer As did the UFL, the AAFC and the AFL.
@@tarasvdovyuk2148 and it's gone
The WLAF (NFL Europe) at least lasted from 1991-2007, expect being in an off year in 1993 and 1994.
@@brandonmorris92 i remember the NFL Europe football cards in 91.😂
Its really too bad about the.AAF, they had a decent product and a lot of excitement in San Diego, Birmingham, Orlando and edpecially in San Antonio. But they had poor investment, and what little they had came from bad people
The dickerod will remain in our hearts forever 1974-1975
Actually only 1974. The WFL didn't use it in 1975.
To some people not just their hearts.
Nick Wrong body part.
I got a two and a half yard Dickerod. Chicks dig it.
This needs to return
World Bowl 1: Birmingham Americans 22 Florida Blazers 21- I WAS THERE. It was my 13th birthday.
Awesome. I hope you kept the ticket stub!
What was the quality of football like. Just asking.
Thats so awesome.
Does that score mean that they had the two point conversion in their rules? That would be interesting.
@@zciliyafilms5508 There were no two point conversions in the WFL. Touchdowns were worth seven points, and instead of an extra point kick, there was the "action Point", which was either a run or a pass play from two and a half yards out.
I got a two and a half yard Dickerod. Chicks dig it.
Matt Boggs I was gonna like the comment, but I’ll just leave it on 69😂
LMAO
😅😂🤣😅😂🤣😅😂🤣
😂😂😂😁🤣😅
😂
The Jacksonville Sharks are the name of Jacksonville's indoor arena football team now!
Christopher Hollis And the Chicago Fire is the name of the local MLS franchise.
And technically the Grizzlies who were the logo for the Southmen are Memphis's NBA team.
Chris Hollis Of all the WFL teams, I remember how cool I thought their helmet logo looked.
Not anymore
Well the afl doesn't exist anymore. #ripafl
For some reason I feel lucky to have found this channel.
me to
Hes somethin special aint he? KTO
My great uncle was one of the starting Wide Recievers for the Birmingham Americans. Whenever he came to family gatherings that we have once a year, he would tells us stories about his time on the team.
The sad part is he doesnt even have a jersey to prove it.
That’s pretty cool. How many years did he end up playing?
@@yankees29 probably the one season the league was around
You should talk to the comment above you lol
My grandfather was the head coach of the Birmingham Americans. Fact is they actually did get their rings after their win, with 32 diamonds and world champions engraved in it.
Is your grandfather's ring still in your family's possession?
Tim Mackie I got pounded
Babumby Coming soon to Pawn stars.
Your grandfather was Jack Gotta? Very cool. I still have a lot of Birmingham Americans memorabilia... but not a World Bowl ring!
7777777777777779th
AAF watched this vid and said "hold my beer".
HA!
Actually. It seems like the AAF still ended up better then this league
@@BigMattXXL I find that hard to believe, when it didn't even contest the Playoffs in it's only season.
@@AntoRetroGamer Yes, but its teams and players seemed to have fared better long term
Long-term? They only folded this year! LOL!
The Honolulu Hawaiians in the WFL were the first top level team in the 2 big outdoor sports of baseball and american football to establish their home base outside the contiguous 48 united states, and are currently the only one to have done so. The Hawaii Chiefs of the second ABL in the early 1960's were the first for the indoor sports of Basketball and Ice Hockey to do so.
No. The Montreal Expos were.
ESPN NEEDS 2 MAKE A 30 FOR 30 ON THIS
NFL FIlms did a Lost Treasure on this. I learned that Delta Burke was once Miss Florida.
@@rockvilleraven
Oh wow.
@@nickhill8612 She was at the World Bowl and NFL Films said she was a "Designing Woman" even then. Birmingham beat Florida for the title, but the real MVP's were the IRS agents who seized both teams property.
@@rockvilleraven
Oh I know who she is now thanks
@@rockvilleraven this is where most of the footage in this video is from.
The IRS always wins especially when it comes to child support.
Blackman21 hit them with the dickerod
Blackman21 Unless it's going against Scientology
Blackman , always close the cover on matches before striking
@Chandler Russell aha. Yeah. They want their money b4 you sorry fucks. Fk the govt
They are the real Bills Mafia
this is legit sad
Your command of the english language is legiter...sadder.
@@kennedymcgovern5413 *English.
@@kennedymcgovern5413 Says the one who said "legiter" and "sadder" get real noob.
@@JoeyJordison97 He was obviously being ironic dont be stupid
@Re Up What? Nigga all i was saying was that he was being ironic. The person who responded to him didnt get that
Wow. So the business model would have worked if people actually attended. It heart breaking because you can tell the player truly loved football.
Adam Spencer That's basically every failed sports league lol. Nobody buys tickets, no money, league goes under.
What?????? What player might that be? What's wrong with you?
Another reason why the WFL failed is because they didn't have a TV contract.
Adam Spencer no shit...
@@davester1970 That would be another reason. The sad part, if they wanted another year or so maybe they would have gotten Showtime to broadcast. Did they reach out to HBO?
Don't tell Bama fans that Birmingham won the one and only world bowl, they'll count it as another national championship.
As long as you agree to tell Tennessee fans to stop kissing their sisters long enough to take down that 1967 national championship banner that they claim after losing TWICE
Butthurt bama fan above me
LaDonna Gauchat Not butt hurt. If this guy doesn’t want Bama claiming national championships that he doesn’t feel they deserve, even tho some publications (with writers way more competent than this guy) DID feel they deserved, then we should agree to let Tennessee know that they’re claiming a universally known lie of a championship. Tennessee is claiming a national championship that literally NO publication awarded them after LOOSING their bowl game that year. These are just facts. Pathetic facts...but still facts. Lol
@olemissfan91 Again, Yall are being funny cause you hate Bama. Im only speaking facts.
@olemissfan91 of course you do. Why wouldnt you?
This league would've handled deflategate better than the nfl
"Why are you playing with deflated footballs?"
"We can't afford to air them up."
Brakos Jacob I almost pissed my pants laughing from that comment
OG Bobby yea. It wouldn't of existed cause it was b.s.
OG Bobby They would've said the Patriots didn't do anything.
Yeah for real. Go hawks
I'm happy that I was not the only one who thought and hoped he was going to talk about the XFL.
Technically more successful than this. At least the players got paid.
Troodon I thought for sure he was going to talk about the xfl
Ken Muhlbeier played for the Portland team in 1974-75. He was later one of my high school teachers.
The Dickerod was actually a far better idea, but I think that they should do away with the rod AND the chain system in the NFL and they should simply go for a simple laser level type device that determines how far away that the ball is, or at least a special, yet powerful, light system that gives off a similar effect that everyone can see.
Great video. I never knew about this league. I appreciate you uploading this. There's many football leagues you can talk about. I played in a Semi Pro Football League for a couple years. If you want information let, just let me know.
this made me laugh 😂😂😂. straight after they won they got their jerseys reposed 😂😂
Same
Repossessed
I remember this league when it came out. My Giants were awful back then I gave a try to root for the New York Stars who had a couple retreads like George Saur of the SB III champion New York Jets. They played their home games at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island. It did not last too long because they moved to Charlotte.
Cool never knew a team played on Randall’s island. I went to Lollapoolooza there one year in the 90’s.
Downing stadium pretty sure that's where Pele played his first game for the ny cosmos . Where there was dead spots in the grass, t hey spray painted the dirt green
Huge football fan. So much great content to watch here. Love finding a great channel, you know you’re not gonna be bored any time soon lol
Is it just me or does WFL sound like women's football league
ARG Adrian Ryan Gaming it probably is
It also sounds like Wyoming Football League
I focused on how the acronym is similar to WWF (the pro wrestling organization was WWWF at that time; the wildlife organization had the name since 1961)
ARG Wombo football league
Polo Garcia I wish, (I live in Wyoming)
lack of funding is what always kills these leagues
Admittedly, the USFL and XFL both had funding. The WFL did not.
Isn't that what kills every business lol
lack of ability to draw top talent. The NFL has a stranglehold on it
WFL didn't do their due diligence, about 90% of those team owners had no business running a team. USFL did their due diligence for the most part (San Antonio was a mistake) but owners weren't sticking to the poorly enforced spending rules and it seemed many team owners weren't as truly committed as it seemed. Plus their TV contract and the situation in L.A. forced them to inherit an expensive to run team. AAF rushed their planning and had trouble getting investors, one pulled out after the first game and was later indicted for money laundering.
The last run of the XFL....much of it could be blamed on the pandemic. So yes lack of funding is a common problem, but so is poor due diligence. Also you need a TV contract and since the 4 major leagues dominate much of TV. That's a challenge.
As someone who has lived near Philadelphia my entire life, I heard quite a bit about Vince Papale, and actually got to meet him at a high school student council event. When I told him, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Papale," he replied (and I quote), "Please, call me Vince."
Love the quality of your videos, especially the stats and editing. Great wrok
I have a great story about the WFL. My dad was driving down to Tampa, and stopped by in Gainesville, and he watched the Jacksonville Sharks on TV. When he got to Tampa the next day, the Sharks had folded. There is a great book about the WFL called "WIFFLE: The Wild, Zany and Sometimes Hilariously True Story of the World Football League," it's a must read.
That’s pretty funny. They were gone by the time he reached home. Lol
This channel is so well produced, doesn’t drag on and gives the most important part of the story. 10/10!
Great video KTO always enjoy watching your videos
The issue on the Hornets' playoff game wasn't that the Hornets couldn't sell more than 1,000 advance tickets -- they were going to be the road team anyway -- it was that the home-team Florida Blazers couldn't sell more than 1,000, and the visitors' take on that would not have paid the travel expenses for the Hornets, who were flat busted. So the league subbed in the more solvent Philadelphia Bell for the game, since they had the capital to play for the plane, hotel etc.
Another thing the WFL did that was different: A touchdown was worth 7 points, not 6. The extra-point kick was eliminated entirely; instead, teams could get 1 point for running or passing the ball into the end zone after the TD. The league called this an "action point."
Correct. I was about to make the same statement.
I think I would prefer this. Less kicking in the game would be a good thing imo. Too many games decided by 1 player on the team, the kicker.
@@swirvinbirds1971 hahaha how’s the play offs for you right now 🤣
@@nathanbaca7004 ikr... 👍
@@swirvinbirds1971 No good! Wide right!
the 2nd season was actually run much better, But the final nail in the coffin was the Chicago Winds overhyped that they were trying to sign Joe Namath. when they failed to reach a deal, TVS (their main TV carrier) dropped them. So they were pretty much only being aired on local TV stations and didn't get much exposure.
Yes. This was common throughout the entire league. This is why there is very little footage of Larry Czonka and Jim Kiick actually playing in Memphis uniforms.
This clip mentioned that Larry Csonka was payed $3.5 million over two years. I think it was actually a three year contract. Also I think the $3.5 million figure was actually the combined total that Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield were being paid over three years. I think Larry Csonka's individual total for those three years was $1.4 million.
veggieoilerfan you are correct.......there were a lot of errors in this video
That did sound very high. $3.5 million is something like $20 million today (2022). Maybe the league could afford that if they truly believed it was going to be a huge success, but they weren't even close. From millions of dollars promised to the players, to being given McDonald's gift certificates so they could feed themselves. That's quite a drop.
You are without a doubt my favorite UA-cam channel, please never stop making videos.
Can do a story on the XFL?
"Here comes the dickerod"😂
Make a video about the xfl
LA Xtreme, first and only XFL Champs baby. Also home to the only good future NFL QB Tommy Maddox!
Obscure football stories like this or your video on the '77 Falcons are why I subscribed. Keep it up!
Please do a video on the Xfl please
I went to a WFL game, Chicago Fire vs Detroit Wheels at the Pontiac Silverdome. Should have known that something wasn’t right when I got 2 tickets at mid field for 20 dollars. Loved the “Dickerod” and the sideline cameras were on the back of Chevy LUV trucks
The WFL was actually initially scheduled to begin play in 1975, but Gary Davidson decided to launch a year earlier, anticipating that the NFL Players Association was likely to strike the NFL when their then-current collective bargaining agreement expired. Davidson later said it was the first - and greatest - mistake he made. In my opinion, Davidson's awarding franchises to people who didn't have two dimes to rub together was a bigger factor. The on-field product of the WFL, however, was actually good considering how quickly the league was thrown together.
It should have been a massive red flag, if you cant pay the franchise fee, how you can possibly afford to run the team?
@@marcpower4167 Yes. Look up the story on how Detroit raised the cash for their team. It's sad, really.
How do you only have 35k subs. These videos are so chill and interesting
Do a video about the XFL
Erik_Seahawks_4_Life yeah because it’s back
I remember when you had 100 subscribers! You've done so well!
Could you do a video on JIm Thorpe?
Theres a town like an hour away from me named after him
avengerpat that would be good
Perhaps during the 2019 season as the NFL celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
@@mellamoalfonzo9967 Jim Thorpe PA? I live 30 minutes from there lol
Greatest athlete of all time. Olympic Gold Medal winner and an all star in football and baseball. But I wouldn't rule out Bo Jackson completely from being an Olympic star if he had put his mind to it.
Another fact of interest: The World Football League had singular team monikers (The Philadelphia Bell, The Southern California Sun,
The Portland Storm) instead of the traditional plural team monikers.
The Philadelphia Bell makes me of think of the phone company.
Two current NBA franchises had WFL roots (Memphis Grizzlies,
Charlotte Hornets) and there is a current NFL franchise that is
the name of a former WFL team (Houston Texans).
Portland Storm and Southern California Sun are common weather forecasts too!
Chicago Fire is a popular TV series on NBC these days.
There was supposed to be a Korean team called the Seoul Brother, but it never got off the ground.
@@ricknibert6417 And an MLS team.
Ken Stabler did not play in the WFL. He did play in the Continental Football League in 1968.
He was signed to a "futures contract" with Birmingham to begin in 1976. It was voided when team folded. There were many mistakes in this video.
Today my experience on YT was video after bloviated video. Until I saw this. Seen your content before, huhe DC and NFL fan. Nice, concise, and a perfect ending. Too often people don't know how to edit themselves but you do so marvelously. My prayers for your success!
“Coach we don’t have athletic tape so we can’t play” wtf
Bro, thanks for the credits to that sick outro! Keep up the good work!
Hell yeah, finally Birmingham, AL can be proud of something! Well... sort of.
Honestly this league had some good ideas. Like the pants based off of your position and the overtime...
What they did keep in 1974, maybe 1975, was helmets coded to identify eligible receivers.
Color of pants based on position is a moronic idea.
@@sparkysjoint1616 ditto
I really hope you do a video of the best QB to never play in the NFL: Anthony Calvillo.... he owns the record for most passing yards ever by a QB & played in the CFL for many years.
Calvillo had 79,816 passing yards in his career to go along with 455 TD's. Payton Manning had only 71,940 yards but more TD's with 539.
BTW, Payton Manning is not even #2 all time. He's #3 in passing yards all time (NFL & CFL)... #2 is Damon Allen, who had 72, 381 passing yards in his career. You might know him better as Marcus Allen's little brother.
Seriously.... the CFL is a interesting & historic league. We play with a 110 yard field, we have 3 downs instead of four & it's 12 a side instead of 11. But it's honestly some great football and it's no wonder we've seen CFL players have great NFL careers. Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia.... and if you care for a recent NFLer, how about the Dolphins DE Cameron Wake? And for all you Americans wanting that football fix... you guys get the CFL games on ESPN3 & we start our season in June... and it's 18 games long. I think that alone would help satisfy that craving.
Cody smith I live in the American northeast and I love watching cfl games on espn. I don't get espn 3 but have considered getting a season pass. It is a nice change of pace to watch players and teams without having to care about who wins. Plus it is good for the days of the summer when baseball or mls is not on tv . Anyways the cfl is underrated in the states
Comparing cfl and NFL stats are a bit unfair, the cfl is extremely pass oriented while the nfl you have an extra down to run the ball and it's a more ground and pound league
That is true..... but the story about Calvillo is fascinating in itself as is the CFL in general. As much as people don't want to realize it, this gives KTO the ability to dig up stories & find more content for us to watch.
I remember this fiasco so well. My first bad impression was the names they gave the teams. It was doomed to fail before it ever started. The only thing it did was disrupt teams in the NFL when key players jumped to the WFL.
I know you ain’t hatin on my Detroit Wheels bro 😆
There have been lots and lots of failed professional football leagues. I wished one more would catch on.
XFL
My Dad played for the Hawaiians. He loved it. Haha they gave him one of those fancy remote clicker TVs every time he got player of the game. He was like the only NFL player on the defense.. so we had like 6 or 7 otf those things.. they lasted forever.
afl 3.0: hold my bear
Your videos are so well made and interesting. Keep up the good work! Best sports docs on UA-cam.
The only pro football game I've ever been to was the Birmingham Americans. You would think the football capital of the South would have managed to get an NFL franchise. The Stallions of the USFL was one of the few to actually make money. And they even had a CFL franchise for a year or two
Trey Black cfl doesn't like America anymore 😂😂😂
Alabama is too pro-college football (and anti-NFL as of 2017) to get a pro franchise
Nahhh bro, the football capital of the south is Louisiana. FACTS!
Wow! I'd never heard of this league before. I absolutely loved the old USFL though from 1983 through 1985!
The USFL awesome as I recall, I loved it!
@tiger gary gary Oakland Invaders
New Jersey Generals two of my favorite teams. I liked Orlando too
@tiger gary gary oh yeah, I cheered for the Panthers and QB Bobby Herbert!!
Good times🏈⭐🏈😎
LA Express!
@@dondajulah4168 with Steve Young of 49er fame...LA Express!!!
Good one
Birmingham Steamboats (?)
@@cordellivy3597 Steve young was a running back and he was good.
I still recall the WFL, especially the Birmingham Americans, fondly. There were some great players, and some GREAT games. (Birmingham 41, Chicago 40 in a driving rainstorm is still one of the most exciting games I ever attended.)
And though it didn't get mentioned, the best of the WFL "oddities" was the Action Point. Basically, touchdowns were worth 7 points, and teams could run or pass for an 8th action point. It made for some odd-looking scores (8-7, 22-21) but it was far superior to the conventional Extra Point, which even back then was almost automatic.
And as for the "unusual" (according to the video) team names, those mentioned weren't that odd at all. Back then Detroit was the auto capital of the world, so "Wheels" made perfect sense. And the Liberty Bell is still in Philadelphia. (But when was the last time anyone saw a Bear in Chicago? Or a jaguar in Jacksonville?)
On the field, the product was great, with a few unconventional ideas that were ahead of their time. Unfortunately, no one involved seemed to have any business sense, and they often made up for that shortcoming by being duplicitous.
That bag of cash as a prize is the greatest thing I've ever seen.
The long defunct TVS Television Network carried WFL games on Wednesday nights, with Merle Harmon covering the play-by-play and former Baltimore Colts star Alex Hawkins (1959-65,1967-68) doing the color (Hawkins had been fired from CBS when he used a slur during a
broadcast). The ratings were poor, and TVS did not renew the contract
to do games in season two. The teams made deals with local stations
to air games. One night the Philadelphia Bell played a wild game with
the Southern California Sun in Anaheim Stadium which went more three
hours before the Sun won, 58-39. WTAF (now WTXF) beamed the game
back to the Philadelphia audience, but the fans received a shock at 1:30
AM, with 10 minutes left to play, Channel 29 played the national anthem
and signed off the air. Actually, when the Chicago Winds refused to sign Joe Namath away from the New York Jets, the team caught a lot of flak
and TVS dropped the television contract with the league.
You should do a story on Derrick Thomas
Or how the Chiefs almost traded him to San Francisco for Steve Young
I love the ending music to your videos. Reminds me of like an old school Ice cube with Nate dog hit.
At least the WFL lasted a half of season more than the XFL.
Maybe do a video on the AFL (Arena Football League). I know Kurt Warner won a championship in that league as well as a Super Bowl. Got his start in the AFL.
kevin sullivan actually the xfl lasted the full season. It was the only season but.....
Kevin Sullivan Kurt Warner started with the Green Bay Packers THEN went to the Arena League
Dude,good stuff. I legitimately don’t give a shit about football but I enjoy your presentation and narration with you videos. I’ve been binging your videos for the past couple of days
Bring back different football leagues more leagues means more football to watch which is awesome and more football games 🏈
Fall-out-kid25 watch the CFL, its extremely entertaining, a more fast paced game. It's hard to get to know some rules just by watching but it's pretty similar to the nfl
I agree. Then, the champions of all the leagues, could do some Champions tournament or something, and have a Super Mega Extreme Bowl.
Check out the IFL and CIF. Indoor football is nuts.
Look around and you'll probably find leagues near you -- men's, women's, and children's. Plus of course intercollegiate and interscholastic (varsity, JV, frosh, club), lightweight (now Sprint Football), touch, flag, short sides, even unpadded tackle (American Sevens, formerly Town Beef). Provided you're willing to go to the games, not just watch TV. Of course you could get a friend to video them and bring them back to you if TV football is what you want.
krem1able it's not that different. 3 downs instead of 4, bigger field and an extra man on the field. For sure makes for a faster paced game.
They did put a franchise in Canada -- the Toronto Northmen -- but they became the Memphis Southmen (known locally as the Grizzlies) before the season started. The league that played in 1974 & 1975 was to become the domestic division, a foreign division supposedly coming later.
The WFL's problem was that of a lot of similar enterprises: trying to be too big, too fast. They shoul'dve started as a minor league and slowly built up as they could afford it. But they did scare the NFL into making all those playing rule changes of 1974: moving the goals to the end lines, regular season overtime, gunners on coverage teams, missed FGs coming back to the previous spot, more limitation of bump & run -- most not exactly the same as the WFL implemented, but for the same purposes. Plus they got NFL teams to convert 2 games of their exhibition season into regular season games, also a move partway toward what the WFL was doing.
The Toronto Northmen were forced to leave Canada because the Canadian Football League (CFL) did not want another franchise from another league competing for fan attention. So before a game was
played, the team moved to Memphis Southmen. The World Football
League (WFL) actually discussed bringing teams to Mexico City
and Tokyo, but nothing really came of it.
WFL was just poorly planned, they didn't do any due diligence on the owners, virtually all of the first season owners should have been rejected. If they waited until 1976 and taken the time to properly plan things out, might have gone better.
Did you notice former Redskins star running back Charlie Harraway (1969-73) carrying the ball for the Detroit Wheels?
The americans
Kto, I love watching your videos. They are so informational but very interesting to watch!
The color coded pants would be great for trickplays
"Why is the wide receiver wearing white pants?"
"Penalty. Offense. Number 32. Illegal pants. 5 yard penalty. Still first down".
This shows up in my recommended six days before the XFL (version 2) starts.
thanks kto a suggestion would be high school players who went straight to the NFL please that would be great thanks!! and happy 4 th!!
Dempsy Gilbert only one player from high school strait to the nfl
Ezra James Games OK didn't know it would be cool to see a vid about that person tho
Not even allowed. The players have to be out of high school for a few years (4 I think).
That and underclassmen weren't even allowed until 1990
It's only not allowed by the NFL. There's no law against it, and there are adult leagues that have college-age players.
KTO I love your endings with the music and stuff
It's hard to remember all the freakin 🏈leagues that have tried to compete with the NFL. Long live the CFL🇨🇦
Your videos are really good and you deserve alot more views, likes and subscribers, keep it up!
if you haven't done a video about USFL do one
Sports Illustrated referred to the World Bowl as the first and possibly only World Bowl. It turned out they were correct on their prediction. There have been claims that the Birmingham Vulcans (yes Birmingham had a different team in 1975) were declared the 1975 WFL Champions since they had the best record when the league folded. There is a historical WFL website that claims that the rumors are false, and there was no champion for 1975.
The most disastrous league ever.
Vince McMahon: Hold my beer!
Great video! I graduated from high school in '74.
The moral of the story: never start up a new football league, or team if you don't have the money to or any financial backing to stay afloat.
Ironically, out of the three most notable startup football leagues of recent times, the WFL had the least financial backing... the XFL had the deep pockets of both NBC and Vince McMahon, and the USFL had many owners who weren't afraid to open their wallets (coughDonaldTrumpcough)
So basically, the WFL was doomed to fail right from the start.
Ha, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Fire, Houston Texans... Dude had some naming talent, seeing how they're real team names now.
i loved this!! do the World Hockey League next!
Do the xfl plz
PatriotFan #1 GO EAGLES!!!!!
Chicago fire!!!? that's hilarious. I remember realizing watching a game that this was not going anywhere even as a kid
Chicago interestingly had two team monikers having to do with the city:
Season 1: Fire-Named for the 1871 blaze that reportedly got started when Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over a lantern.
Season 2: Winds-Chicago has always been known as "The Windy City".
Overtimes were played to its FULL conclusions. All 15 minutes were played in FULL.
KTO is lowkey one of the biggest upcoming youtubers who deserves at least 250k subs by now
do xfl
Erick Duran we need a USFL video
@@familyguyfan8899
Yes we do
Nick Hill he did it
@@familyguyfan8899
Okay I will look for it.
Thanks.
I never knew about this league. I do remember the World League Football in the early 90's.The Frankfurt Galaxy, Barcelona Dragons, Sacramento Surge, Orlando Thunder and others. Pro Set even produced football cards of some the players like quarterback Scott Mitchell. Who went on to play for the Detroit Lions.
Washington was supposed to have a team called the Ambassadors, that would have played at RFK Stadium. The Redskins shut them out, and they tried to move to Annapolis like the Baltimore-Washington Ambassadors, but they couldn't get lights installed, they later tried to move the Hampton Roads as the Virginia Ambassadors, and they finally settled in Orlando as the Florida Blazers.
Oh the stories about this league!
Boston was supposed to have a team but couldn't find anywhere there to play, they merged with the new York stars who ironically had the same problem.
There was going to be a team in Toronto but the owner changed his mind cause he figured the Canadian government would try to block it (to protect the CFL) so he moved the team to Memphis.
The Portland Storm considered moving to London, Ontario Canada and offered the Detroit Wheels $30,000 to move their upcoming game there to test it out. It flopped! and because it flopped the wheels never got their $30,000.
Houston was slated to move to Shreveport beginning week 11. However, there was a promotion scheduled with Hormel foods for week 11, they successfully got a federal injunction that forced the team to play in Houston 1 more week.
Last one I can think of John Matusak signed with the Houston Texans even though he was still under NFL contract. He and the team were served with a cease and desist after Matusak played 1 down (marshalls got stuck on traffic hence why they didn't get there before game time). Courts later ruled in favor of the NFL.
Those helmet designs are so perfectly 70s.
What they tried to do here seems to me like a good idea, the mistake as far as I can see is trying to be bigger and better than the NFL. It's always struck me as odd that a country as big and rich as the USA only has one division for most pro sports. Surely a 'division 2' as it were of the NFL would have been a better idea and may have worked. Half the size perhaps with half the salaries and half the attendance but surely that would still be a viable business?
I agree. And in recent years I'm told minor league baseball has become a serious money maker. For a number of years most minor league baseball clubs lived off subsidies of the majors as their farm teams, but now they're on their own and prospering.
For football (and basketball), college sports are a de facto minor league
I remember seeing an interview on TV with a few WFL players who hadn't been paid in weeks. They were both CRYING.
Someone: what should we call it?
Someone else: something manly...
Someone: meat measurer?
Someone else: try again...
Someone: Dickerod?
Someone else: done.