Letting the Air Out : Strife Among Owners, Poor Attendance Threaten USFL’s Existence

The USFL is in trouble. Attendance and television ratings are down, and those appear to be the least of its worries.

The real threat to its survival is the emergence of the “Southern Coalition,” a group of owners who are opposed to a planned move from its present spring-summer format to a fall schedule in direct competition with the National Football League. These men, led by Tampa Bay Bandits owner John Bassett, have taken on the real power of the United States Football League--Generals owner Donald Trump--and may, in the process, destroy the young league.

Bassett, who drew a fine from league commissioner Harry Usher recently for breaking the league’s code of silence in announcing his refusal to play in the fall, has assembled a following of six or seven other owners whom he calls the “mushrooms,” because “other people have been dumping manure on us.”

A source close to Bassett said that those owners, all from teams located in the South, secretly have agreed to remain on a spring schedule, and will form their own league, if necessary. The fall move had been scheduled for 1986, but because the league has failed to get fall contracts with major television networks, that move is expected to be delayed.

While Bassett would not name the members of his coalition, he said: “There are lots of football players, lots of rich men and lots of cities in this country. There is a market for spring football, in the South and in New York. It is time to take a stand, and we will form another spring league if we have to.”

Asked why he has spoken out against a move to the fall that was spearheaded by Trump and said by the league to have unanimous support of its owners, Bassett said: “There are a lot of people out there who want to know that they are going to come to the stadium next year. We’ve got the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fall, and Florida and Florida State, and we don’t need another team playing then.”

Trump would not comment on Bassett’s remarks, but the Manhattan-based real-estate developer was said to be furious with Bassett. A source close to Trump said that the Generals’ owner is not worried about Bassett’s threat to form his own league, and that if Trump gets too upset, he may end that support and the league would be finished. “He (Trump) is a powerful man,” said the source, “and usually gets what he wants.”

Bassett, a pioneer in the defunct World Football League, said he is not afraid of anybody. “Donald Trump is a very bright young man,” said the Bandits’ owner, “but I think Donald gets an idea and most often gets his way with it. I think in this case, he sees we made a mistake. I’m worried about our people and our community.”

Trump said recently that it doesn’t matter when a move to the fall is made, as long as the league is heading in that direction. He also said that an announcement of the move was necessary although the league is playing its third spring-summer schedule, and that he does not think the announcement strained the credibility of the league.

“We have our strengths and we have our weaknesses,” said Trump, “but a bleaker picture of this league is being painted than really exists.”

One reason Trump says he feels the league will make it is because, “Our lawsuit is extremely promising.” The USFL filed a $1.3 billion antitrust suit against the NFL last October for manipulating television, stadium and player contracts to force the new league out of business. Recently, a federal judge disqualified NFL lawyers representing the older league in this lawsuit, and indicated that litigation may be long, which is not in the best interests of the USFL.

Trump also wants the league’s 13 other owners to partially reimburse him for signing Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie to a multimillion-dollar contract, a demand being looked upon as another blow to the credibility of the league. While owners have called Trump’s request ridiculous, the quarterback has attracted the biggest crowds of the season wherever he has played. The Generals, while about even in season-ticket sales, are up from last season in attendance, with an average of 46,076 for their first four home games as opposed to 37,716 in 1984.

The Generals have the highest home average in the league, followed by Tampa Bay (42,906), Jacksonville (40,997), Birmingham (34,471) and Memphis (30,064). While Birmingham has been considered a successful franchise, its owner, Marvin Warner, mired in debts not related to football, has pulled out, and team president Jerry Sklar is seeking investors to remain in operation. The Stallions are slightly down in attendance and want to play home games Saturday nights instead of Sundays, when there is a law banning the sale of alcoholic beverages. The city is expected to help.

There are stories of moderate success--such as in Tampa, where the Bandits are nearly breaking even. But there are also teams such as the Los Angeles Express, which is being supported by the league, and the San Antonio Gunslingers, who play in a high school stadium and are reviled by Trump. The Gunslingers are drawing an average of 14,672 fans, and recently settled IRS liens of $404,763 in delinquent federal payroll taxes for the last nine months of 1984, including $136,000 in wages not paid to employees.

Even worse off than San Antonio is the Denver Gold. Attendance at Mile High Stadium has dropped 53% from last year. The Gold, which made money and led the league in attendance its first season, has gone from a final 1984 home average of 33,954 to a league-low 13,969, setting successive record lows in its last three home games. After drawing 10,217 last Sunday, general manager Rich Nathan said the team “can’t go on forever” unless gate receipts improve.

Other teams having problems are the Baltimore Stars, who practice in Philadelphia, play at Byrd Stadium at the University of Maryland in College Park, and call Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium their home. The owner of baseball’s Orioles, Edward Bennett Williams, said he will not allow them to play football in his stadium in the spring, so they may move to RFK Stadium in Washington, where the Federals flopped. They’ve averaged 22,778, a considerable drop from 28,668.

In Houston, the Gamblers have qualified for assistance from the league, but so far have found the funds to get by. Despite one of the best records in the league after their first seven games (5-2), they are averaging 27,096 fans at home and losing $40,000 a game. They don’t have enough seats (43,000) available in the Astrodome to make money because baseball has taken away 7,000, and co-owner Alvin Lubetkin wants to move the franchise. Owner Jay Roulier says he is opposed and intends to buy Lubetkin out.

The Portland Breakers will lose $2 million even if they fill their 32,500 seats for each game, and Jacksonville will sell 49% of its stock at $100 a share to raise fresh funds.

Regardless of the outcome of the USFL lawsuit and the drawing power of Flutie, the league is sailing in dangerous waters. Other than the uprising in the South, overall attendance has dropped approximately 9% from last season, according to USFL figures, showing an average attendance of 25,861 for its first six games, down from 29,640 after six last season. ABC Television has not yet agreed to renew its option for next spring if the league plays at that time, as expected. The network reports a rating drop for the first six games of this season to 5.6, compared to a 7.2 after the first six in 1984.

The league, which lost approximately $100 million in its first two years of operation, will have invested about $150 million for three seasons without any profit, according to its commissioner. While not one team expects to make a profit, overall losses are expected to decrease because the league consolidated from 18 teams in 1984 to 14 this season, meaning that TV revenue from ABC and ESPN will be shared by fewer teams. Trump and other owners, who expect the league to lose money for at least another two years, would like to see further consolidation to 10 or 12 teams to cut losses even more.

Of course, if Bassett and the Southern Coalition revolt, there may not be a league to consolidate.