NBC to broadcast 21 of 43 USFL games in the 2022 season

Posted by Mike Florio on December 15, 2021, 11:48 AM EST
Birmingham Stallons v New Jersey Generals
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USFL 2.0 arrives in 2022. And two networks will be broadcasting the games.

NBC will formally announce on Wednesday that an agreement has been reached to televise regular-season and postseason games presented by the USFL.

Fox, which owns the resurrected USFL, will partner with NBC to televise the 43 games to be played by the league. NBC will handle 21, and Fox will televise the other 22.

The 21 NBC games will be televised across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock.

The league, which first debuted in 1983, will return with eight teams playing in one location. The teams will carry the names of the original franchises: Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits.

Spring football leagues routinely have failed. The new dynamic this time around is legalized gambling. Bettors will need things on which to bet, and the 43 USFL games will help satisfy that desire as it relates to football after football season has ended.

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6 responses to “NBC to broadcast 21 of 43 USFL games in the 2022 season”

  1. I was a huge Philadelphia Stars fan, mostly because two of their players went to my High School, and I was good friends with one of their brothers. Stars games at the Vet were well attended and a lot of fun.

    Then they moved to Baltimore, and played their home games at the University of Maryland, which is closer to DC than Baltimore. It was symptomatic of terrible decisions by franchises chasing money. I believe the Breakers played in a different city every season.

    Anyway, thanks for letting me reminisce. Good luck to the new league.

  2. I still think the only way for spring league football to be successful is to make it a direct farm system of the NFL. If I’m a Saints fan and the Saints had some kind of exclusive rights to sign players on the Breakers, I’d be a lot more interested in watching those games. It would be like the 4th quarter of a pre-season game- bad, but mildly interesting.

  4. From what I understand this is basically the Spring League again. All the teams will play in one location all year long like TSL did. So why even have cities designated to these teams if they aren’t even playing in a home stadium?

  5. I think it’s a smart move to greatly reduce travel and facility costs and it’s at least worth a try. Spring football can work, they just need to build it slowly and not try to be as big as the NFL.

    And I totally agree with what has already been said – the NFL needs a developmental league. They can afford it and it will help them develop players, which is especially relevant considering COVID.

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