Crowds Off for USFL Opening Games

United States Football League attendance surpassed last year’s full-season league average in its first weekend this season, but lagged more than 3,000 people per game behind last year’s opening-day turnouts.

Reported attendance at the seven USFL games played Saturday, Sunday and Monday averaged 29,233, compared to 32,918 for nine opening games last season and slightly more than 27,000 for the full 324-game 1984 season.

The league was reduced from 18 teams in 1984 to 14 for this year, which it has planned as its last season in the spring before switching to a fall schedule in 1986.

The biggest crowd was in Jacksonville, which drew 51,045 for Sunday’s game with the league champion Baltimore Stars, who have been transplanted from Philadelphia. The smallest was in San Antonio, where just 10,983 showed up for Monday night’s game with Memphis.