Did USFL hint at teams relocating with new trademarks?

All of the team nicknames are callbacks to the original league, which played from 1983 to 1985. That shouldn't come as a surprise — the branding and team names from that league are owned by the joint venture between league founder Brian Woods and lead broadcaster Fox Sports. 

Gerben's tweet shows that three active teams — the Philadelphia Stars, Birmingham Stallions and New Orleans Breakers — could be rebranded to Baltimore, Dallas and Portland (Oregon), respectively. 

All eight teams in the current USFL play in four "hub cities" — Detroit; Canton, Ohio; Memphis; and Birmingham, Ala. — instead of the actual cities they are named for. The potential new trademarks feature cities west of Houston, a possible indication the league has plans for playing beyond the hub cities.

In the first three weeks of the season, the USFL has gone up against stiff competition on TV, including the NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs, NFL Draft, and another rebooted, lower-profile league, the XFL. 

The potential renaming and relocation of teams could be signs of Fox Sports' faith in the football league, as live sports of any kind will pull in more viewers (especially bettors) than reruns and most other programming.