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The USFL took flight in 2022 as a new American Football League. The league gives fans a chance to enjoy professional American football before the start of the NFL season.
One of the great things about the league is that some of the rules can be amended at any time, and that is what is happening now. This week, the league imposed a new rule to prohibit teams from tanking, or losing on purpose, in order to get the top pick in next year's draft.
The team with the worst record will not be able to receiver the first pick in the draft next year. That honor will go to the winner of the game between the Michigan Panthers and the Pittsburgh Maulers, who are both tied for the worst record in the league at 1-8.
Here's what former Dallas Cowboys legend and USFL executive vice president of football operations Daryl Johnston had to say about the new changes:
“We’ve got an unusual situation in our final week of the regular season in the USFL. The 1-8 Michigan Panthers are playing the 1-8 Pittsburgh Maulers. Under normal circumstances, the loser of this game would be awarded the first draft pick in the upcoming draft. But we’re going to change the rules right here, so this weekend whoever wins the game actually gets not only the first pick in the 2023 draft, but the first pick in every round of the 2023 draft,” Johnston said. “Making sure there’s no shenanigans going on.”
In addition to the winning team getting the top pick, they will also get the top selection at the top of every round. With so much at stake, the league is ensuring that there will be no incentive for teams to tank.
Is the USFL sustainable for the forseeable future?
The USFL originally started back in 1983 with 12 inaugural teams. The league expanded to 14 but did not last long as it was disbanded after the 1985 season, its third.
The league's ratings have fluctuated a bit but have maintained enough of a fanbase that the league will, once again, take place next season. In its debut game of New Jersey vs. Birmingham, the ratings averaged a combined total of a 1.8 ratings and 3.07 million viewers.
These numbers were across FOX and NBC platforms, each televising games for the league.
Many believed that the league was in jest or a mockery of the NFL, but its staying power has proven people incorrect.
The rules differ slightly from the NFL, giving the USFL its own staple and identity. For example, three-point conversions are allowed along with offenses being allowed to throw two forward passes behind the line of scrimmage, adding a unique twist to the league.
Stay tuned to the league to find out which team will have the top pick for next year's draft.
