One of the fastest growing online activities of the past decade has been fantasy sports, and football has led the way as the most popular fantasy sport. A fantasy football online league is almost commonplace amongst every group of sports-loving friends, and even a common occurrence in offices too. In fact, last year, approximately 22% of all males online managed a fantasy sports team. 71% of these teams were football teams.

As the most popular sport in the field, it’s important to make sure you’re fully equipped with the best knowledge about all available options when choosing a fantasy football online league. Here we’ll take a quick look at the three most popular football league websites, along with an exciting newcomer on the scene.

1. CBS Sports: Many like the CBS Sports (cbssportsline.com) fantasy leagues for their long standing history and reliability. Customizable league rules, unlimited live scoring, the ability to post stories, and more, draw millions of Americans to CBS Sports’ NFL fantasy product every year. The biggest drawback to a CBS Sports fantasy football online league is the fact that it comes at a cost. Each league costs $149.95 as of the 2009 NFL season. The bigger the league, the cheaper the cost per member, but this may always be a limiting factor.

2. Yahoo! Sports: Like CBS, every Yahoo! fantasy football online league is very customizable, with a number of different formats available. Yahoo’s live draft tool, its StatTracker, and its free league features make these leagues as easy as any to use. The major drawback at Yahoo is the fact that its live stats product (StatTracker) comes at a cost of $10.00. While the benefits of live stats are great, the drawbacks of no live stats on a full Sunday of football can be extremely annoying. Many believe that Yahoo’s interface is the easiest to navigate, and it may be worth the $10.00 spent if usability carries weight.

3. ESPN: Until recently, ESPN’s fantasy football online league platform was known to be clunky, slow, and often filled with bugs. Despite the damaged reputation, ESPN has made great strides over the past two years to improve its product and make it a much more enjoyable one. ESPN leagues are free to join, and so is ESPN’s Fantasy Cast live scoring app. There are, however, teams that can be purchased in leagues where prizes are rewarded (usually things like t-shirts). The major drawback to an ESPN fantasy football online league is an interface that’s still somewhat less pleasant to navigate than those CBS Sports and Yahoo! Sports.

There you have it. If you’ve never played in a fantasy football online league, joining a beginner league at any of the sites above will be a thrilling experience. There’s a reason that 91% of fantasy players in 2008 said they’d be likely to play again. It’s addicting!

For more fantasy football news,
sports trivia and an exciting, new option for your fantasy football online league, have a look at RootZoo.

In North America, football is a game where the male players are wearing helmets and pads and the field has goal posts on opposite ends. The official or regulation dimensions of a football field may vary depending on the levels of play.

Here are the dimensions of football field in different levels:

National Football League (NFL) or Professional

Outside Dimension:
Length – 120 yards or 360′
Width – 53 and 1/3 yards or 160′

End Zone:
End zones are ten yards deep.

End line:
The end line border is 6′and it marks the end zone’s back.

Team Benches:
Team benches are set next to the restraining line which is between the 30 yard markers.

Field Numbers:
NFL field numbers are about 6′ in length and 4′ in width.

Restraining Line:
All NFL fields have a 6′ restraining line next to the side lines. These lines mark the closest area non-players can be to the football field.

Hash Marks:
The hash marks of NFL are the thinnest among all of the levels of football game. It measure about 70′ and 9″ from the side lines and are about 18′ and 6″ in width.

Goal Posts:
The goal post of NFL is about 10′ in length and 18′ and 6″ in width.

NCAA or College

Outside Dimension:
Length – 120 yards or 360′
Width – 53 and 1/3 yards or 160′

End Zone:
An NCAA end zone is ten yards deep.

End line:
The end line border is 6′.

Team Benches:
Team benches are also set next to the restraining line which is between the 30 yard markers.

Field Numbers:
The field numbers of NCAA are about 6′ in length and 4′ in width.

Restraining Line:
All college fields have a 6′ restraining line next to the side lines.

Hash Marks:
The hash marks of NCAA measure about 60′ from the side lines and are about 40′ wide. These are wider than the NFL’s hash marks.

Goal Posts:
College or NCAA goal post is about 10′ in length and 18′ and 6″ in width which is the same as NFL.

High School

Outside Dimension:
Length – 120 yards or 360′
Width – 53 and 1/3 yards or 160′

End Zone:
End zones are ten yards deep.

End line:
The end line border is 6′ and it marks the end zone’s back.

Team Benches:
Team benches are set next to the restraining line which is between the 30 yard markers.

Field Numbers:
The side line field numbers are about 6′ in length and 4′ in width which marks the ten yard line mark.

Restraining Line:
All high school football fields have a 6′ restraining line next to the side lines.

Hash Marks:
The hash marks of high school are the widest among all of the levels of football game. It measure about 53′ and 4″ wide and the distance is the same from the border of the side lines.

Goal Posts:
The goal posts of high school measure about 10′ in length and 23′ and 4″ in width. These are wider compare to the NFL and college level.

Canadian Football League (CFL) Football

Outside Dimension:
Length – 150 yards or 450′
Width – 65 yards or 195′

End Zone:
End zones are 20 yards deep.

Dead Line:
The end zone’s back marks the dead line.

Field Numbers:
The field numbers of CFL are about 6′ in length and 4′ in width.

Hash Marks:
The hash marks of CFL is designated 24 yards from the sidelines of the playing field, thus, its width is 17 yards or 51′.

Goal Posts:
The goal post of CFL is about 10′ in length and 18′ and 6″ in width.

All fields have the same outside dimensions except for CFL. The hash marks are different for all levels. Also, the goal posts for high school are different from the other levels.

Click these links of you want to know more about football field dimensions or sizes and dimensions in general.

It’s that time again when all the so called experts in the media give their predictions for the forthcoming football season. As usual they will get the majority hopelessly wrong, but claim credit for the few blatantly obvious one’s they get right. Our newsletter service ‘Tipped at the Post!’ has for the past 2 season’s joined in the fun and has actually done reasonably well. So not to be left out I’m publishing below my thoughts for how all 92 clubs will fair over the next 9 months.

In the Premiership it doesn’t take a genius to work out the usual suspects, but which order? I quite like the look of the 8/1 being quoted for Liverpool. They have improved each year and the signing of Craig Bellamy could be inspired. They just get my vote in what could be the closest finish for years. Naturally Chelsea and Man U will push them close, but by the end I actually believe Arsenal might be their nearest rivals. Either way I think there will only be single figure points between all 4. Spurs will be desperately disappointed to have missed out at the death last time and their squad seems to get bigger every year. They should figure prominently again, but only as the best of the next little group which will include West Ham, Newcastle, Man City and once all the dust has settled Aston Villa. Plus hanging onto their tails I believe Reading will have a cracking first season in the top flight. They play the game the right way and will surprise many.

After that we’re in to the bottom half and that’s where I see Blackburn and Portsmouth finishing without ever getting sucked into the dog fight below them. The remaining 8 clubs will I believe all flirt with relegation, with the likes of Bolton, Middlesbrough, Wigan and Charlton all having much worse seasons than previous. I don’t see any of them dropping out, but they may well have a few scary moments and I wouldn’t expect them to be comfortable until the final few weeks. Of the other 4, Fulham always seem to do just enough, so that leaves promoted Watford who, whilst having a lot of pace in their side, look very suspect defensively; Sheff Utd who I think will struggle from start to finish – reminiscent of Sunderland last year and controversially Everton. I doubt if anybody else will be tipping the Merseysiders for the drop, but even with the signing of Andy Johnson I just don’t like the look of them. Still even if I’m miles off the mark, you can’t beat a bit of controversy.

In the Championship, every year the division seems stronger on paper, but the reality often shows so called “big clubs” living off their name and the truth is that any club who can put together a consistent run of results will be in with a great chance – i.e Watford last term! Birmingham look to have signed the right type of player for this league and their early favouritism would seem justified. The 3 losing play off clubs: Leeds, Palace and Preston, should all be there or thereabouts and I expect much better seasons from a trio of midlands clubs: Coventry, Derby and Leicester.

They all could feature heavily from the turn of the year and I’d expect at least 2 of them to be in the top 6 come the finish. Southampton too should make a strong challenge, but I can see Wolves having a bad time of it. I see their big rivals West Brom just missing out, unless they get off to a flyer. Plymouth, Hull and Cardiff seem solid enough, which is as good a description as I can give to Norwich, which won’t be enough to allow them a sustained challenge. I’m not sure what’s going on at Sunderland, but they look nothing more than a mid-table outfit to me. Ipswich have always been well fancied but I can see a difficult season ahead for them, likewise Burnley and Luton.

Sheff Weds should have a slightly easier time of it and of the 3 promoted clubs I think Southend look the most likely to adapt. Barnsley and Colchester may well be scrapping with each other come the end with the other 2 relegation spots being filled by QPR – who looked poor last year and maybe surprisingly Stoke, who pulled out some cracking results last time, but appeared to me to flatter to deceive!

In League One, Forest are everybody’s favourites – everybody’s except me that is! Granted they had a terrific run at the end and only just missed out, but I still have my doubts. The other team who came with a storming run late on get my vote and that’s Bristol City. I’ve tipped them 2 or 3 times over the past 5 or 6 years and they always managed to mess it up somehow, but I think this could actually be the year they get it right. Joining them I like the look of Doncaster, who have some progressive ideas and a smashing young Manager. Huddersfield and Swansea ought to feature strongly, plus Tranmere and relegated Crewe. The 5 B’s: Bradford, Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton, and Blackpool are all capable of top half finishes. Of the promoted clubs I fancy Leyton Orient to do the best closely followed by Carlisle. The other 2: Cheltenham and Northampton may well go on a return journey. Gillingham, Chesterfield, Millwall, Oldham and Yeovil have a lower mid-table look about them, which leaves Port Vale, Scunthorpe and Rotherham who need a minor miracle as they have to start 10 points adrift.

Like any other season League 2 is the most difficult to call. So many times in recent years top 6 and bottom 6 are only separated by single figure points for the vast majority of the season, so picking the successful one’s is a thankless task. I’m going for Hartlepool who were a little unlucky to go down, to bounce straight back. MK Dons will have a good go at joining them and Wycombe will be kicking themselves at missing out after their fabulous start and will want to put it right this time. Lincoln seem destined to finish in the play-offs every season but fail each time and a repeat can’t be ruled out. I like the chances of Wrexham and Chester, plus maybe a little surprisingly Notts County. Grimsby, Darlington and Peterborough were all up there last season and should be there again this, along with Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers. There is no reason why newly promoted Accrington and Hereford can’t force their way in, they certainly needn’t fear anybody. Swindon under Dennis Wise will be an interesting proposition and he could just galvanise them, but I have my reservations. The rest I see a long hard battle, with ultimately Barnet and Bury crashing into the abyss that is the Conference!

Mick Burrows writes for [http://www.fixed-odds-in-focus.com]Don’t be at odds with yourself by missing out on the best prices check here for all you need to know! [http://www.fixed-odds-in-focus.com]

English football (soccer) leagues season is considered the most coveted and most participated event in English Sports. It is participate by 140 leagues with more than 480 divisions. With quite a number of participants it is so confusing to understand how a single team in a certain division is able to rise to the Premiership as what they have called it.

The English football leagues are governed by a certain system that determines the movement of each team in a division into different levels in a league. It is best to fully understand the system that runs the entire leagues of the English Football in the United Kingdom, its framework and how it determines the promotion of a certain team. This system is called English Football League System (English Football Pyramid).

How does the system works?

There are variations in the promotion of the teams between leagues or division. Meeting the criteria set by the higher league, especially having the appropriate facilities and finances, is the main basis of the promotion. Each top five levels must contain one division. Under the top five levels are levels that progressively have more parallel leagues. In some areas there are as many as twenty levels. However, the existence of leagues becomes sporadic at the lower levels.

The amateur version of the game commonly called by English locale as Sunday League Football is not part of the English league system because these leagues are independent sectors without promotion or relegation involved in the football pyramid. However, if the club already has its appropriate playing standard and suitable facilities, it can still apply to join the English Football League that comprises the football pyramid and is still subject for further evaluation and assessment by the EFL System committee.

How does the leagues being structured?

The League has four divisions with 92 clubs as its playing members. These 92 clubs are considered as the full-time professional clubs and they are commonly referred to as the “League” clubs. The “non-League” clubs are football teams that are already outside the bracket of the “League” clubs, although they have played most of their football in the league competition.

The segregation of the professional clubs from the non-league clubs helps us to easily determine which club is included in the top levels.

The participating clubs is based on the structure of the system league of football which composed of the top most division which is the FA Premier League and is known as the level one of the league pyramid. It is then being followed by Football League that is being divided into three divisions namely The Championship (Level 2), League One and League Two (level 3 & 4 respectively).

The American Football League (AFL) is best known as a professional football league that operated from 1960-1969. However, the AFL was in existence prior to 1960, during the years of 1926, 1936-1937, and 1940-1941. From 1960-1969, the AFL enjoyed the bulk of its success and found itself in direct competition with the National Football League (NFL), with which it would merge in 1970. Even though the NFL and the AFL were rivals before the merger, the NFL considers the records set by AFL teams and players their own. American Football League records for the 1960-1969 seasons prior to the merger include statistics for yards passing, yards rushing, points scored, and Most Valuable Player awards. These records include single games, seasons, and careers. The records break down as follows:

The AFL’s records for most passing yards include:

o George Blanda – Blanda holds the most passing yards in a single game with 464 yards on October 29, 1961 with the Houston Oilers. Blanda was the AFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1961.

o Joe Namath – Namath recorded the most passing yards in the 1967 season with the New York Jets with a total of 4,007 yards. In the 1968 and 1969 seasons, Namath was named the AFL’s Most Valuable Player.

o Jack Kemp – Kemp is credited with the most career passing yards with a total of 21, 130. His career spanned from 1960-1969 with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Buffalo Bills. Kemp was named the AFL’s most valuable player in 1965.

The American Football League records for yard rushing include:

o Cookie Gilchrist – Credited with the most yards rushing in a single game, Gilchrist rushed for 243 yards on December 8, 1963 while with the Buffalo Bills. He was named the AFL’s most valuable player in 1962.

o Jim Nance – Nance recorded the most yards rushing in a season with a total of 1,458 yards in 1966 with the Boston Patriots. He was the 1966 AFL Most Valuable Player.

o Clem Daniels – With the most career yards rushing, Daniels rushed for 5,101 yards from 1960-1967 while with the Dallas Texans and the Oakland Raiders. He was named the AFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1963.

AFL records for most points scored are as follows:

o Gino Cappelletti – Cappelletti holds the record for the most points scored in a season and the most career point scored. Cappelletti scored 155 points in 1964 season, and was the AFL’s most valuable player in 1964. During his career with the Boston Patriots, from 1960-1960, Cappelletti scored a total of 1,100 points.

American League Football records reflect the history and evolution of the game of football. While AFL greats may not be widely remembered or known, their records speak for themselves.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about american football league records [http://sportsrecordsonline.info/american-football-league-records-legends-of-the-game], please visit Sports Records Online [http://sportsrecordsonline.info] for current articles and discussions.

The English Premiership football league has just commenced a new season and already football fans from all over the world have been treated to a feast of exciting games. There really is no comparison in the quality of this division compared to other leagues from around the world, the premiership truly is the best.

Just looking at the Italian premier is a good example, this country boasts some of the top footballers from around the world but the games are just so boring to watch. Channel four from the UK used to air a match every week on a Sunday from this league but it has now been taken off our screens due to a lack of viewers, that says it all.

Just last season, on the final game of the Italian league, one particular team were having to win their last home game to avoid being relegated. The problem they had was the fact that they were playing the champions, Inter Milan. This would normally be a virtually guaranteed away win but for some reason the bookmakers were offering nine to one on a Milan victory. These odds looked very generous but very few people put money on Milan to win. It was no surprise to hear that Milan had lost the game by two goals to nil, that is the Italian league for you!

Boring is something you could not describe the majority of games from the English premier league, a better description would be fast and furious. Even the most ardent of Liverpool supporters would agree that you can not beat watching Manchester United when they are in full flight, players like Giggs, Ronaldo and Rooney are just exceptional talents.

I actually support Birmingham City, this is a team that will be happy to avoid relegation this season as they have just been promoted from the championship.

I would advise any football supporter from around the world to regularly watch the matches from the English premiership as you will not be disappointed.

Steve Hill runs The How To Stop Stammering Centre, he has a number of websites including:stutteringsymptoms of dementiafree dating tips service

Most people who’ve played fantasy football are familiar with the idea of a head-to-head league:?your team of players goes head-to-head against another league team that week; your squad gets a win, loss, or a tie, and then you move on to the next week.?The best record at the end of the regular season in each division makes playoffs, and so on.?But you may not be aware that there’s another interesting option out there:?Rotisserie leagues.

Here’s how Rotisserie leagues work.?Each week your players accumulate stats in a variety of different statistical categories, and those stats are added to your category totals moving forward throughout the year.?Highest scorer in a 12-team league at the end of the year in each category, such as Rushing Yards, gets 12 points and the second-highest scorer gets 11 points, and so on.?Then, in Receiving Yards, the highest scorer gets 12 points, just like with Rushing Yards.?The categories (Rushing Yards, Receiving Yards, Passing Touchdowns, and many more) are determined by the League Commissioner at the beginning of the year, and the winner of the league is the team owner who’s accumulated the most final category points at the end of the year.

Rotisserie Leagues vs. Head-to-Head Leagues Does this scoring system seem odd??Rotisserie leagues are definitely a different way of thinking about fantasy football, but some analysis of the differences may give you a real interest in this alternative.?There are several points worth considering.

1.?Basement owners still have a chance to win.?In a head-to-head league, if you’ve ever been the team whose team loses its first 3 or 4 games of the season, you know it can be tough to stay motivated throughout the year.?This situation is much less of a problem in a Rotisserie league.

2.?Players get traded more often.?In a head-to-head league, certain players WILL NOT GET TRADED throughout the year.?The owner simply counts on that player too much for points, and wants to ride that player the whole year.?Good luck trying to get Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss, or Jason Witten away from their respective owners in a head-to-head league.?However, in a Rotisserie league, owners will sometimes be ahead enough in one category (say Rushing Yards), but down enough in another (say Catches) to want to trade their best players for good players in other categories.

3.?Tough divisions don’t kill average teams.?If you’re the average team in a head-to-head league division with 2 stud squads, you’re not likely to make the playoffs.?You have to play the stud squads twice, and you’re likely going to be too far down in the win department to catch a wild card slot.?However, in a Rotisserie league, this simply isn’t a problem:?you’re playing for Rotisserie in various categories throughout the year, not head-to-head victories and there are no Divisions.

4. Late-season flukes are less of a problem.?If you know Peyton Manning is only going to play 2 quarters in the season finale because the Colts have their playoff spot locked up, you might have to worry in your head-to-head playoff game.?This is not quite as much a problem in Rotisserie leagues, where again you’re looking for Rotisserie from your categories.?You might have most of Peyton’s categories already locked up yourself by the time the season finale rolls around.

5.?Everyone plays the whole year.?Instead of head-to-head leagues where the post-season starts in week 15 or week 16, most Rotisserie leagues give all owners the opportunity to play all of the weeks of the season, and it can get tense trying to build up those final points categories in the late weeks.

Strategy Rotisserie leagues are very different on a week-to-week basis than traditional Head-to-Head fantasy football.?You’re not playing against a certain opponent, and you’re not going to have as much reason for trash-talking. ?But that doesn’t mean there isn’t quite a bit of strategy to observe.?Here are some key strategy points.

- Get used to trading players more often.?You’ll find yourself down in certain categories and up in others, and you’ll need to play out these imbalances throughout the season by trading for the categories in which you’re weak.

- Balance, grasshopper.?Instead of grabbing several stud running backs and hoping the rest of your head-to-head team can manage, you’ll need more balance in a Rotisserie league.?It may not be as important to grab the second uber-back in an early draft round when you can balance your team out with a top-tier TE or WR.?Team balance is critical in Rotisserie leagues.

- Overloading and unloading.?Just as we get done talking about balance, if you drafted to dominate a category, and now you’re dominant in that category by week 4, you’ll get the chance to sell high and unload those studs and rebalance your squad.

These are just a few tips, but many more strategies and tips exist for Rotisserie league owners.?If your league agrees to head down the Rotisserie path, spend some serious time getting to know the categories and researching which players are going to dominate in each.?And then take advantage of the owners who haven’t picked up on the variety of strategies available in Rotisserie leagues.

Bill Parsons is the owner of Maximum Fantasy Sports and a rabid fantasy sports participant. He began creating his own football and baseball fantasy leagues at the ripe old age of seven; tracking stats and standings on paper. Bill decided to create a real-time fantasy football league website that includes all of the best features, some of which have never been attempted at any other website. Maximum Fantasy Sports offers Free pools and fairly priced Private Fantasy Football leagues as well as Public Leagues with cash payouts.

“What the heck is going on out there???” the Great Man would say if he were here today commenting on the numerous incidents of National Football League players getting arrested–for all sort of crimes, from DUI, to physical violence to weapons charges. It’s really depressing when you look at the National Football League headlines on Web sites like ESPN.com and most of what you find involves reports of players getting in trouble with the law. Sports are supposed to be a pleasant diversion from the ugliness we see in the international news headlines, or the forecasts for the real estate market.

The bright new NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, obviously wants to solve this problem, and he seems to be trying to get the message across that thug-like behavior won’t be tolerated. But the question is, are the players listening? Clearly, he has a tough task ahead.

Several sportswriters have observed that in reality, all that matters in professional sports is winning, and if you are a talented enough player to help your team win, it doesn’t matter what kind of citizen you are. The teams are willing to give the players any number of second, third or fourth chances, much more than an employee of a company in the “real world” would be allowed. Many corporations, in fact, don’t allow second chances whatsoever.

Maybe Mr. Goodell needs a catchy slogan that could be run in advertisements, to remind the owners and coaches (and fans) that integrity in professional sports should be as important as winning. How about:

SAY NO TO THUGS!

One big city newspaper took a look at the incidence of NFL players being arrested and compared it to that of the general population–and found the numbers very similar, almost as though the problem has been blown out of proportion. This is fuzzy logic at best, because National Football League players are not part of the “general population.” The correct peer group to compare them to would be:

–Pampered millionaire celebrities who only have to work a few months per year.

And among this group, football players have had a higher incidence of running afoul of the law in the last several years, even if we count every single encounter Paris Hilton has had with the police, and give Mel Gibson double penalty points because of the foul-mouthed things he said to the police officer who arrested him in Malibu.

It’s time the fans let the league know that they want them to get rid of the players who can’t behave like decent citizens.

SAY NO TO THUGS!

Are you an NFL fan? Then you’ll love the novel Over Time Money, Love, and Football: All the important things in life. Find out more about Brian Hill, the author, at his Capital Connection

Here are the players picked to be fantasy football sleepers for the upcoming 2010 NFL season.

Jeremy Maclin-
Part of the Dynamic Duo in Philadelphia with running mate Desean Jackson, expect Maclin to take his game to the next level. With Kevin Kolb being touted as the next Aaron Rodgers, Maclin will be able to showcase why the Eagles drafted him in the first round last year.

Brandon Jacobs-
Brandon Jacobs is only a year removed from a 1100 yard, 15 TD season. The Giants know they need to get Jacobs involved early and often to soften up opposing defenses. After all, this was the strategy that made them Super Bowl champs. Look for them to get back to what works.

Malcom Floyd-
With Vincent Jackson out of the picture, another receiver will emerge and that receiver is most likely Malcolm Floyd. At 6’5″, he’s built like VJax, so expect him to fill those shoes quite nicely. With the decline and eventual release of LaDanian Tomlinson, the San Diego Chargers have become more pass oriented. I expect Floyd to have many opportunities to make big plays.

LaDainian Tomlinson-
With QB Mark Sanchez still in the developmental stage of his career, look for LT to be involved early and often. Shonn Green failed to catch a single pass during the regular season last year, so expect Tomlinson to be in there on virtually all 3rd downs.

Tim Hightower
Wells is clearly the more gifted rusher of the two, but with QB Matt Leinart behind center, Hightower is the best fit for the offense. Hightower will be used on the majority of passing downs because he is the superior receiver and pass blocker. Now with “Captain Checkdown” running the show in Arizona, look for Hightower to improve on the 63 receptions he had last year.

Sebastian Cruz is co-founder and is on the “Expert” panel on [http://elitefantasyinfo.com/]. Check out the latest fantasy football rankings and analysis and feel free to post your fantasy sports related questions in the forum.

Leave it to Mark Cuban to take on the mighty NFL. I, for one, am all for it. I love football. I willingly give up one full day each week to watch the pros. I even register in online chat rooms to discuss ways to improve the NFL and to make this proposed new league successful. Further, if I had the means, I would gladly join Mr. Cuban in this endeavor he looks to pursue.

But, a word of caution, from my perspective as the customer, about the direction of this league. Mr. Cuban had stated that demand for football exceeds supply, creating this market he envisions. But, the true demand of which he speaks is for NFL quality football. If fans wanted lesser quality football, there is NCAA, high school, and Pee Wee or Pop Warner. Of course, I am not even mentioning the CFL, Arena Football, and NFL Europe. For my dollar and time, none of the others come close to the NFL. Why? The NFL has the best players, bar none. It’s not even close. Mr. Cuban has likely considered this reality. Does he really want to create another laughingstock pro football league that is in direct competition with the NFL? Well, here are a few ideas that I believe will give the UFL a fighting chance against the big monopoly on the block.

First, as Dirty Harry Callahan once said, “a man’s got to know his limitations.” Know yours, UFL. The NFL draws the best players. They always have, and they always will. Young kids dream of playing in the Super Bowl for their favorite NFL team. This mindset represents a hurdle that is just too high to overcome, even by paying new draft choices a few more dollars. I say the UFL should accept this and market themselves not as an alternative, but rather as a subordinate. Make it AAA football. Looking at the other major sports, one can see success with this plan. The NBA has the CBA, MLB has its farm system. Both are subordinate leagues that play at the same time of year, and both have championship games before the World Series and NBA Playoffs so as not to get smeared in a ratings war by more important games.

Second, do not have major rule changes. The XFL should come to mind here. Here is where I beg the owners to not turn the UFL into some hybrid nonsense. If there are to be rule changes, the UFL should be subtle. No Rouges, no unlimited offensive backfield motion, no changing overtime rules so that each team gets a possession. We fans have these options in other leagues. Fan ownership is a good idea, albeit one stolen from the Green Bay Packers. Good start, but major changes will offend the purists among football fans.

Finally, if you can’t beat them, join them. I would advocate partnering with the NFL. The UFL should be marketed as the NFL’s main non-collegiate developmental league. It would be played in the U.S. as opposed to Europe where NFL Europe currently functions as the de facto developmental league. But, since the UFL would be played during the football season, there would be no conflict with NFL Europe. Plus, the UFL would be giving jobs to all the players who are drafted by the NFL and cut. The new league could be used for development and NFL scouting purposes, much like AAA baseball. At least in this instance the UFL would likely find a TV network (NFL Network comes to mind) with which the league could find the wider market it needs. I seriously doubt that any of the major networks would devote time to the UFL, at least not to the extent that they devote to the NFL, and this alone will reduce the UFL to second class status. If Mr. Cuban refuses this idea believing that the UFL can be an equal, the NFL is likely to counter simply by expansion of four to eight additional teams into the cities which have a UFL team. Then, they will have achieved exactly what Mr. Cuban has set out to do, without taking on the risk. And whereas the UFL may or may not succeed, we all have to believe the NFL will succeed. So, since the UFL can’t beat them, at least the UFL might have a way to join them.

Success over the long haul, like the American Football League, was done because of television and gathering the best players. The NFL has a pretty tight grip on each of these, based on history. The UFL has a big hill to climb, but I wish the best of luck to Mr. Cuban and to all his partners out there who have the means and the guts to pursue this dream.

Kevin Francis is an author and sports fan. He has published the novel “Autograph”, and his books on sports can be found by visiting http://www.ithinkimgoingbald.com