Talk:World Football League

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"Singular nicknames"[edit]

I have removed a paragraph claiming that the WFL's use of singular nicknames was among the first. The assumption that they borrowed the idea from the NASL's Tornado isn't verified, and is perhaps not verifiable.

This is a very partial list of some quite ancient singular nicknames: Providence Steam Roller (NFL, founded in 1916); Tonawanda Kardex, (NFL, 1921); Alabama Crimson Tide (1892); Tulane Green Wave (1920, but known 1893-1920 as "Olive and Blue").--Son of Somebody 03:49, 28 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

  • Don't forget the Harvard University Crimson, which has been the school color and the name of its sports teams since ca. 1875. Wahkeenah 03:57, 28 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Original Content[edit]

I might be imagining it, but this entire article sounds familiar. I think somebody might've cut and pasted the whole thing from a WFL tribute site. Anyone else agree?Khan_singh (talk) 01:22, 11 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You may be right. It certainly reads very amateurishly.174.115.19.138 (talk) 02:29, 11 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I do agree. It's a crime how someone will steal someone else's work and make it there own. Also...the Birmingham Vulcans were NOT declared as the 1975 league champions. The WFL folded and NO team was named champions. The WFL Web site clearly states this and the Birmingham Americans/Vulcans Web site does not even mention the Vulcans were named champions, yet the writer keeps claiming this false statement.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.220.233.38 (talk) 14:52, 15 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Several reliable news sources, both contemporary and modern, make this assertion. (I can't speak for what a WFL fan site might claim.) Most are behind paywalls bit this recent article from the Wall Street Journal states, "Despite these dire financial straits, the WFL tried to make another run at the NFL's throne in 1975, but its owners ran out of money midseason. The league folded, and the Birmingham Vulcans, owners of a 9-3 record, won the championship by default." - Dravecky (talk) 22:37, 15 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Well they're wrong. If having the best win-loss record at the time the league folded makes you the league champion, so be it. As far as the World Football League office naming a league champion it didn't happen. Trust me! You've named one source and when did the Wall Street Journal become a expert on sports or dead football leagues. Where did they get there information. It has never, ever been printed in the Birmingham News. If the Birmingham News didn't report then it didn't happen. Why would the Times make this claim and the Birmingham paper didn't. It's all an "Urban Legend." The Birmingham Americans/Vulcans Tribute page said it didn't happen either and they only claim that the Vulcans had the best win-loss record at the time the league folded in October of 1975... which means nothing. How many times has an NFL team had the best win-loss record and not won the Super Bowl? You cannot claim a championship simply by best record. That's insane! The 1975 WFL did not hold their World Bowl Championship game, so no team can claim the title of WFL league champions in 1975. While the league was discussing shutting down a suggestion was made by an owner to hold a playoff game between the Southern California Sun and the Memphis Southmen with the winner playing the Vulcans in a World Bowl game, but that was shot down and league folded unfortunately without a 1975 league champion, MVP winner, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, etc. It simply died on October 22, 1975 with little press coverage as the Cincinnatti Reds won the World Series later that evening. The league couldn't even die and receive front page coverage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.220.233.38 (talk) 16:16, 21 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The Reborn WFL?[edit]

It sounds like the revived World Football League is actually an entirely new entity with the same name as the old league. If the new WFL actually exists and if it is notable, then perhaps it should have an entry in its own right. The current section is entirely uncited and it raises a question which it then doesn't answer. It says the owner of the new league purchased the WFL in 2007. Who in the world could have he purchased the league from? The article doesn't say. It might also be nice to find out in what form the WFL existed for the preceding three decades. Timothy Horrigan (talk) 13:41, 2 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I've referenced that section as best I can. That is a good question about who the held the rights to the WFL trademarks and how they were acquired, one to which I do not yet have an answer. I agree that this league should have its own article with only a link from this article plus a brief explanatory paragraph, but I do not yet have sufficient material to create much more than a stub. I'm sort of circling around to it, creating the team articles (starting with the Oklahoma Thunder) and hoping to gather enough facts that way to build a complete World Football League (2008) article. - Dravecky (talk) 20:21, 2 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comment on how 1975 seemed like a new league compared to 1974[edit]

Legally, this was the case. The old league folded into bankruptcy after the 1974 season. It was later continued as "Football Creditors Payment Plan, Inc.", a name which proved to be highly optomistic, to say the least. One of its assets was the intellectual property -- team nickname, logos, uniform colors, etc., which were sold out of the bankruptcy estate to a new legal entity, New League, Inc., d/b/a World Football League. This was the legal foundation for the abortive second season. (Think that all of this was in a Sports Illustrated I no longer have and can't reference.) When this entity folded as well, the intellectual properties apparently became public domain so I don't see how anyone could "buy them". The league which just folded into the Alliance Football League seemingly claimed to have done just that, though I just don't see how. 75.201.240.128 (talk) 03:26, 1 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Franchise changes from Jan 1974 draft to 1974 season opener in July[edit]

(by draft order)

  • 1. Memphis-> Houston Texans
  • 2. Boston Bulls-> New York Stars
  • 3. Florida-> Jacksonville Sharks
  • 4. Toronto Northmen-> Memphis Southmen
  • 5. Birmingham
  • 6. New York-> Portland Storm
  • 7. Southern California
  • 8. Philadelphia
  • 9. Honolulu
  • 10. Chicago
  • 11. Washington Ambassadors-> Florida Blazers (Orlando)
  • 12. Detroit — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.59.94.118 (talk) 19:59, 8 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]