How did Donald Trump play a role in the USFL's untimely demise?

Younger fans watching the new iteration of the USFL may have no idea that Donald Trump was linked to the original version. "Linked" may not be the right word either, as he was a key reason why the league failed in the first place.

This fact may shock those who have followed Trump's journey from reality television star to President of the United States. But yes, he was a key reason why the NFL's top competitor in the 1980s failed. That adds a unique wrinkle to the history of not just the NFL but professional football in the United States.

So what did he do to kill a once-promising operation after only a few years?

The sad story of Donald Trump dooming the USFL

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The USFL began in the 1983 season as a spring league, the same way it operates now. As with any new league, having enough money was a key concern. That means enough to make profits, pay players, and avoid significant debt.

Trump inserted himself into the narrative as the owner of the New Jersey Generals. As the story goes, he came up with a grand plan to move the league's schedule to fall to directly compete with the NFL. His ultimate goal was to force a merger with the NFL, thus becoming a league owner himself.

This led to an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, led by Trump and the USFL. In a shocking turn of events, the USFL came out victorious. The problem is that the reward was $1, which became $3 due to how antitrust penalties work. So Trump took the NFL to court and won but walked away with a bankrupt football league.

So Trump showed up as an owner and immediately had sights set on competing with and ultimately joining the NFL. While the USFL did experience rapid growth and star players, this was not the wisest financial plan. Trump appears to have believed a considerable settlement from the NFL would either prop up the league or force the NFL into a merger to avoid massive settlement money potentially.

That led to the league going under and the NFL getting even more prominent as a powerhouse professional sports league. The USFL is now back as a much smaller version of its former self, with eight teams competing in the inaugural 2022 season.

Trump's hands are nowhere near this new league, which is a good sign considering how things went the first time around. His sole attempt to buy an NFL team may have prevented the downfall in the first place. Perhaps that would have meant a proper spring football league could have thrived for decades. Instead, it collapsed in a courtroom.