The USFL Has Returned. What to Know as Games Kick Off.

The nicknames are familiar to those with long memories: the New Jersey Generals, the Philadelphia Stars, the Tampa Bay Bandits. So is the league name: the U.S.F.L.

But its new leadership says that despite the nostalgic team and league names, this iteration of the U.S.F.L., which starts play on Saturday, wants to distinguish itself from the league that operated for three seasons in the mid-1980s. That predecessor launched the professional football careers of Heisman Trophy winners like Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie, and future Hall of Famers like Reggie White, Jim Kelly and Steve Young. Its colorful history culminated with a hollow court victory over the N.F.L. before the league folded in 1986.

In its new incarnation, the U.S.F.L. will play a 10-week, 40-game regular season that will run from April 16 through June 19, getting a head start on the XFL, another N.F.L. alternative league that plans to relaunch in February 2023.

Where are U.S.F.L. games being played?

Despite the eight teams’ city-specific monikers, all regular season games will be played in one location — Birmingham, Ala. The regular season will be followed by semifinals and finals on June 25 and July 3 in Canton, Ohio, site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/sports/football/usfl-faq.html