UFL in Omaha?

[landon410]

red alert brought it up so i googled it

sounds like omaha or green bay


There has been a great deal of discussion at UFL Access since news broke that Omaha, Neb., will be the site of a United Football League expansion team in 2010. Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska and has a thriving business community. It is home to five Fortune 500 companies (Mutual of Omaha, Berkshire Hathaway, ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Railroad, and Kiewit Corporation), and in 2008, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine named Omaha the nation’s third-best city in the United States to live and work.
Here is a breakdown of information on Omaha as a sports market and a comparison to Green Bay:

Omaha, Neb.
Population (including greater metropolitan area): 837,925
Television Market Ranking: 75
Stadium: Rosenblatt Stadium (capacity: 25,500)
Other Major Pro Sports Team(s): none
Former Outdoor Pro Football Team(s): Omaha Mustangs (Continental Football League)

Green Bay, Wisc.
Population (including greater metropolitan area): 226,778
Television Market Ranking: 69
Stadium: Lambeau Field (capacity: 72,928)
Other Major Pro Sports Team(s): none
Former Outdoor Pro Football Team(s): none

At first glance, Omaha appears to be a very small market, and it clearly is smaller than other sports markets selected by the UFL. However, examination of the Green Bay, Wisc., market reveals that Omaha has a larger greater metropolitan population and an only slightly smaller television market ranking than the home of the Green Bay Packers. Despite the small size of Green Bay as a market, it has yielded a home to one of the most dedicated fan bases of the National Football League. The Green Bay Packers are decades ahead of the UFL and Omaha in building a history, but the raw data comparing these two markets is food for thought. Much like Green Bay, Omaha has the potential to produce a dedicated fan base.

The history of professional (or semi-pro) football in Omaha is a modest one. The only notable outdoor football team of Omaha is the Omaha Mustangs of the Continental Football League (1965-69), which was widely considered to be a “minor” league to the NFL and AFL at the time. The CFL was yet another upstart league plagued with instability and financial difficulties, so the Mustangs were a short-lived venture. Other than the Mustangs, Omaha has an immaterial history of small-time minor league and arena teams.

There are no major professional sports based in Omaha, and it is not a city that has been tainted by a long history of failed alternative football failures (such as Birmingham or Memphis). The lack of competition and predisposition facilitates an opportunity for the UFL and Omaha to embark on a “clean slate” and an opportunity for mutual growth (much like the NFL and Green Bay).

Additionally, a team in Omaha may appeal to a much broader television audience with much of the Midwest not currently represented by the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs are the closest NFL franchise, about 190 miles (3 hours) south of Omaha. The next closest NFL franchises are Minneapolis, St. Louis, Chicago, and Denver (respectively), and all are well outside of a 300 mile radius from Omaha. Omaha fits the original UFL model market having both no NFL presence and significant growth potential.


Comparison: Omaha to Green Bay | United Football League (UFL) news, opinion, and discussion - UFLAccess.com

 

[landon410]

this article is a little different, but says omaha as well

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UFLA Report: San Antonio, Omaha 2010 Expansion Teams
By Billy Kirk ⋅ February 18, 2010 ⋅ Email This Post ⋅ Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment
Filed Under expansion, Omaha, San Antonio, UFL, united football league


Sometimes all signs point in a certain direction. Or directions.

For the United Football League’s 2010 season, all roads are heading to San Antonio, Texas and Omaha, Nebraska.

Thanks to an anonymous Jan. 20th tipster and related chatter picked up at Access, we are ready to reveal the UFL’s two expansion teams as San Antonio and Omaha. These two franchises have been chosen over Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Our tipster originally provided a number of additional revelations, such as the emergence of head coaches as GMs in year two and the relocation of the California Redwoods to Sacramento – three days before the Sacramento Bee ever broke the story. This reliable batch of information combined with a preponderance of chatter and lack of denials has led UFL Access to confidently state this news as fact rather than opinion.

When contacted yesterday evening, the United Football League refused to confirm or deny the expansion news, saying only that San Antonio, Omaha, Portland, and Salt Lake City were the four cities being examined as expansion candidates. This does not dissuade UFL Access from our conviction, however.

Come the UFL’s 2010 kickoff, players will be seeing the field in both Nebraska and Texas. We’ll have more details concerning the expansion coming soon, but for now you can discuss the teams in the new San Antonio and Omaha sections of our forums.

 

[iruletheskool]

I wouldn't watch it

 

[landon410]

id go to the games, but i dont think they should play at the blatt

 

[landon410]

what would you call the team?

"illegal mexicans working in a slaugther house" thats my pick

 

[Red_Alert]

id go to the games, but i dont think they should play at the blatt

The team will likely play at the new TD Ameritrade satdium. Rosenblatt will be owned by the Henry Doorly Zoo when the Royals final season commences.

I imagine UNO would pick up the first season.

 

[Jack_John_Mark]

I can't imagine they'd have much of a fan following. I'm too much of a Husker fan to ever get into any other team in this state......and I'm pretty sure there are a lot of others that feel the same way.

 

[iruletheskool]

I could do a real pro baseball team, but a pro football team wouldn't get much love from me

 

[Red_Alert]

The team would likely have a lot of ex Huskers on it.

The problem I see with it is they will have to compete with either high school football on Friday nights or college football on Saturdays. Good luck competing with the Huskers on a Saturday.

 

[landon410]

put it on friday nights, .... its not like they would draw less people then the other teams did