May 6, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Michigan Panthers offensive lineman Sean Pollard (76) looks on after a missed field goal on the final play of the game cost the Panthers a win at Protective Stadium. Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

USFL changes rules to avoid tanking, winner of Panthers-Maulers gets top pick

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Jason Burgos | Last updated 6/18/22

In an attempt to avoid tanking and add some interest to their Sunday slate of games, the USFL has changed its rules to give the league’s two worst teams something extra to play for in the final game of the season.

Tanking has been an unspoken strategy in sports for decades. With a winning season well out of reach, organizations will make strategic adjustments in the hopes of actually losing games at the end to land the top draft pick in the upcoming draft. It’s a move that leagues have tried to counter for just as long. It is why the NBA has a draft lottery as opposed to awarding the team with the worst record the No. 1 pick in their draft.

Well, instead of a lottery, the USFL has decided to adjust its rules in the final week of its return season. On Sunday at 4 p.m. EST, the Michigan Panthers will face the Pittsburgh Maulers. But instead, the league will now award the winner of this game with the No. 1 selection in the 2023 draft, and more.

In a statement, the league’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Daryl Johnston, explained the rule change and what is up for grabs in the Panthers vs Maulers season finale.

“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,” Johnston said. “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. [We’re] making sure there’s no shenanigans going on.”

The move will surely get the attention of fans around the sports spectrum, and that is the goal.

The league can certainly use it as their games have often pulled in ratings well below a million average viewers over the first nine weeks of the season.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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