Found 21 days ago on Biz of Football: Yardbarker Blogger Network
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The UFL’s tag-line is “Where Future Stars Come to Play!” Interesting considering that four out of the top five passers in the four team league are NFLers of the past. But, despite quarterbacks Brooks Bollinger, JP Losman, Quinn Gray and Mike McMahon’s NFL names, the UFL is failing to sell seats. The average attendance for a UFL game this year is just under 12,000 per game. The California Redwoods, playing at San Francisco’s AT&T Park drew just 6,341 for their Oct. 17 game. Florida Tuskers coach, former New Orleans Saints head coach, Jim Haslett says the league didn’t market well enough. Owners say they are trying, even booking pre-game concerts by top-notch artists, but so far, it’s not working. Commissioner Michael Huyhgue said playing on different nights could be a reason for the lack of tangible success. But, Huyhgue says the poor attendance won’t affect the league just yet. The UFL plans to expand to two more teams next season. The UFL does benefit from having a TV contract through 2010 with a network, Versus, who does not expect high ratings. According to examiner.com writer Josh Lobdell, the contract is worth $35 million. The Versus network has only reported its Oct. 8 opening night TV numbers, which was an estimated 220,000 viewers. Compare the to the XFL, which drew almost 14 million for its opening night. But, even if the league does expand, there are problems which appear insurmountable at this point: first, the league’s season matches up against MLB playoffs, the NFL, the NBA and NHL, so media coverage has been non-existent. Branding is another difficulty. As Maury Brown outlined in his piece about the UFL before the season, the color scheme, team names and logos are poorly designed. Name recognition is the foundation for a league’s success, the UFL appears to not have succeeded in this category. Yet, UFL general manager Rick Mueller says in 2010 the league will expand to six teams and play a 10-game season. OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK (THE BIZ OF BASEBALL) Game 4 of World Series Seen by 22.8 Million Viewers An Interview with MLB Network's Victor Rojas LWIB: How Has MLB Weathered The Recession? World Series Viewership Remains Strong, Up 57% From '08 Inside the World Series Multi-Year Contracts Cast Members from "Glee" to Sing World Series Game 3 National Anthem Dodgers' Andre Ethier Named "2009 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year" (THE BIZ OF HOCKEY) BANKRUPTCY JUDGE APPROVES SALE OF COYOTES TO NHL Panel Installs Mike Ouellet As Acting Executive Director of NHLPA Ian Penny Steps Down as Interim Exec. Director of NHLPA NBCU & VERSUS: An Alternative to ESPN? Caps, Flyers Game Pushes VERSUS Ratings to Highest Point Since '05 Moyes Agrees to Sell Bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes to NHL (THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL) NBA.TV Adds Brent Barry to On-Air Talent Roster NBA Opening Night on TNT Sees Highest Viewed Regular Season Double-Header Since '96 Timberwolves Unveil Two New Seating Areas At Target Center Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter Follow The Biz of Football on Twitter Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook

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