UFL 2025 Playoffs Preview + UFL 2025 Season Review!!!

We are going LIVE to recap the 2025 UFL regular season and preview the UFL 2025 playoffs on Monday, June 2nd!! Join John Lewis Sports and me for your weekly UFL 2025 recap show with results from the weekend's United Football League games, including our reactions and analysis!!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Well here we are back here, happy Monday here heading
into the UFL playoffs. Appreciate abnormal time today, John, you've
blown up so much because of the podcast. I'm competing
against XFL Jim to get you on to put on
the show.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Listen.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
I have not blown up yet. I'm still trying. Look,
I haven't even called I'm not called up to you
and subscribers. I have not called up to you and content.
You've been at this for a very long time.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
I love it. I love it, John. So you're doing
the video though with XFL GYM coming up. I mean,
you do a lot, and I know you've done it
all day anyway, But yeah, so John, I said, I
wasn't sure if we can do it they or not.
And then but I do love them. I had my
meetings today, so that's why we had to do it
for this literally like two minutes after I post like
we're doing the show four hey read So we're doing

(01:24):
it in ten minutes like your afternoons anyway. But we're
here UFL heading into the playoffs, week ten in the books.
Lots to talk about today. You know, I didn't catch
a lot of the games over the weekend. I was
covering a wedding attending, John, did we have all UFL
team to talk about snubs? We have TV ratings, attendance,
a dual put together a big chart for all the

(01:46):
cities and the percentage changes and all that we'll get
into and then we cook ahead. We'll look ahead to
the playoffs and the championship game and everything else. John,
how are you doing.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
I'm good man.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
I'm really excited about the postseason. It feels like we
just started this, you know, It's like it we were
talking like we can't wait for this. I wonder what's
gonna happen with this? What's gonna do this? Abdulla's too nice?
And yeah, and then here we are. It's it's conference
championship time. And I think, to me, these were the
four teams we thought would be to me anyway, would
be in the conference championships.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
It's hard, does it? And this, I mean this is
the entire issue with the CFL as well, But does it?
Does it bother you? In an eighteen league that, like
you know, there's not a ton of movement in terms
of like playoff or the CFL. You get six of nine?
But does that does that hurt anything or I mean,
obviously the best teams you want there, but does that
diminish anything with like half megan into the playoffs?

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Uh, I mean I understand where you're coming from there.
I think what really happened was kind of the worst
nightmare of the UFL was like it was decided in
what after week seven or week eight, So you had
two weeks where there really wasn't a lot on the line,
so it would have been maybe a little bit more exciting.
But listen, I mean we had some We ended up

(03:00):
having some pretty good games in week ten, uh, even
though there again nothing on the line, And I think
we really saw like how strong Birmingham is coming out
and we're in I liked what Saint Louis did, uh
putting Max Duggin in there for a little bit in
Uh that game, I mean it was just like I

(03:21):
was gonna say it was a wash, but that would
be a complete pun.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Like it was.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
I'd never seen rain like that in a game in
the water on the field, although it did finally start
to drain.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
But you saw some coaches like trying to knock a
little bit of rust, you know, keep keep the guys fresh. Yeah,
I mean I thought it was uh, you know, I
thought it was nice. I just wonder again, not to
go negative already because I know we will, but it's like,
you do wonder if that was the last we saw
off Memphis and or Houston.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, David here, this isn't until that said the live
audience matches the show. But yeah, we're all you know
it was. I was because that was in DC, right
the rain Yeah, I was. I was watching because I
saw the clips online and I'm like, yeah, I was
showing Doordy. I was like, this is wild. Like you've
seen like baseball rainouts where they've like swam in the
dugouts and stuff. I mean, it almost felt like you

(04:11):
had that much accumulation over that much of a thing. Uh,
just wild there. But yeah, it certainly didn't help. And
then moving the games all around everything else that way,
but we got through it. Oh and then we do
have Oliver or was it no Cardinals comments today? Not
oliverlock about kind of the venues and Red Bord and
all that stuff. So lots to talk about. Look at
the where do we want to start here? John, World's

(04:33):
your oyster? Well, what do you want to do? Do you
want to do All UFL. Do you want to do
a ten TV? What do you want to do?

Speaker 2 (04:39):
Well?

Speaker 3 (04:39):
I think that's one of the things to look at.
I think the All UFL team that was kind of
a I would hope that maybe next year that they
have a second team because I feel like there were
a lot more deserving players who did not get their
name mentioned in this thing.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
And we'll talk about that perfect.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
So let's do that. So we have the All UFL
team announce here. UFL put it out today, Anthony Miller
how to write up? I share this well on Twitter.
I saw all that stuff. We don't need to do
a full like position by position breakdown here it say
some notable snubs in this. I even had an article
up with a Pro football newsroom or not that pro
football toxic car I always do that talking about you know,

(05:15):
even like they're talking about All UFL snubs. That was
kind of surprised. But what's sit out to you here?

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Well, listen, I love Bryce Perkins, don't get me wrong,
but for him to be the he was the All
UFL quarterback first of all, Jordan Tamu, to me, like
that was a no brainer. I mean, the guy's the
MVP of the league. Also, Luis Perez led the league
in PA almost through for three thousand yards and Bryce

(05:43):
Perkins hasn't played in what in like two or three weeks.
I just thought that was it was interesting.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Now.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
I understand the All UFL team is voted on by
the front office, by players, and by coaches, so you know,
they see up close, you know, the talent, there's no question,
but that this one the quarterback, just surprised me very much.
And again, I love Bryce Perkins. I think he is
the most dynamic quarterback in the league. But saying that,

(06:12):
it's like, how how is he the first team All UFL?
It didn't make sense to me.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
Well, not that you can base anything off, but you know,
like we've talked, if pres is on this way at
the door, maybe if Tayamu, like maybe you kind of
hey Luis and here you go and move on and
kind of something that way. Yeah, I just it seemed
weird to me that even like this even made to
Pro Football News talk that you know, put former Rams quarterback. Obviously,
you know, with the NFL connection, you know, named the
All UFL teams fite missing three of the ten games

(06:39):
and they proceeded to pull the can I get, like, Mike,
there we go. But you know, I mean they're pulling stats,
and I'm sure they're just pulling this from Mike or
whatever other people are tweeting about you, not that Fourio
is like, you know, covering this league with everybody. I
just thought that was weird that even they're like, hey,
let's talk about all ufl snuffs. I mean, slow day
here on a Monday, but.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
Rogers still hasn't signed, so let's talk about Bryce Perkins.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah. I just thought that was weird. Has it permeated
a lot more than this? I mean I saw that.
Does that surprised you anymore? I know that Pat's working
to put together for for all football digests as well,
But anyway, that was kind of the biggest talking point
I saw that. So you would have had you would
have had excuse.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
I'd had Tom move. I mean to me, like, you know, again,
nothing against Bryce Perkins. I'm not trying to, you know,
denigrate what he did this year, but he didn't do
a lot of it. And as David points out in
the chat, don't forget Bryce was in a senseless time,
Like we kept saying, Remember at the beginning of the
season and three, it's like, what does he have to
do to be the starter?

Speaker 2 (07:40):
And he handled I thought he handled.

Speaker 3 (07:42):
It very well, at least publicly where uh you know,
Danny Antling went in and they were interviewing Bryce Perkins
and on the sideline and goes, well, what do you
think about this?

Speaker 2 (07:51):
He goes and he had the right answer.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
He's just kind of like, well, you know, this is
this is the decision, and we're we're just gonna go
with this and whatever. And then he gets in there
and just makes his incredible like a highlight real play.
So it's true. I mean I did not figure out.
I could not figure out what Mike Nolan was was
doing there.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
Yeah, I chop Gun Sasserio Jaman needs to be marketed
as a face. I mean I go back and forth
with that. I mean I certainly, you know, stand with
him and all of history and all of that, but yeah,
I balance in my head, do you do the Matt
Corral route from you know where Okay it's like just
a former NFL guy and coming here and kind of
doing that, or do you do the journey man? I

(08:29):
saw that, you know, we were a hot spotlight and
press earlier in the season. Here was that leading end
of the year because of the stuff last year whatever.
You just always see a lot of people like why
is that the face of don't I don't know who
you make to be no one, You're never gonna get
like a Johnny Manzila or whoever you want to be
the face of the league. So I don't know who
he designate that way.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
I just think if Matt Corral had been healthier that
you know, when healthy that that that might have been
a different story.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Jordan Tamu is just I mean he's I mean, the
guy is incredible, there's no question. Yeah there and there
were some other ones on there. I mean I thought
Gunner Oaks being the tight end, I mean, he's really good.
But it's like it seems to me like Cole Hicckattini
as the other tight end made more plays than he did.
And then you start looking at the stats, like gunner

(09:13):
Oaks was not top ten I don't think in anything
in any kind of category, So that one was a
little surprising. Again, not to take anything away from these players,
but it just seems like a lot of these to me,
if you had had a second team would have more
likely been second team than first team.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
And then I had a book mark Do I have
that on here?

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (09:32):
Yes, I do have that. I wanted to make sure
I said that, not that this is breaking news avy
on here, I show boats not getting all ufl nod
as well. You know you would think like can we
spread the lover on that we well, I thought that
was kind of interesting.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
Well when I saw it was like when I saw
some of the players on there, I thought, is this
kind of a Pro Bowl situation where you're gonna have
you know, you've got.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
To be who was it?

Speaker 3 (09:53):
Like Tyler Huntley one year was a Pro Bowler because
Lamar was out and he had more interceptions and touchdowns.
But then I started looking, you're right, nobody, and you know,
I get it to a point like but yeah, I
mean they had like Memphis had some good players. They
had good players on defense, you know, their quarterback situation

(10:13):
it was you know, it was kind of a revolving door.
But yeah, I just thought elitd there. I mean, you're
telling me that there wasn't one player on Memphis that
should have been first team.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
That's hard to believe.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
We just got a comment here yea, King said, and
that's just you'ggering anyone else, But what the hell happened
to you this straight? Well, I saw I saw a
tweet about that over the weekend when they had like
the final injury report come out, and you know that
he wasn't on there, and that was never addressed or
talked about or you know, and all this time and
everything that we lived through the Donald daily like and

(10:45):
I think I would hope they would learn that like
that does not work, you know, getting the internet celebrity
or getting any of that in for the most part,
I mean, like you get the weird Like the logan
Paul Wwe thing has really worked out, just bringing in
that you're you're so kind of electric personality wise, but yeah,
destroying I can't play football. And then you know, you're

(11:07):
a special teams guy, so you're super limited, Like you're
not pulling up Donald to do sideline interviews every week,
you know, So then you're kind of like, well, how
do we market I don't know, special teams players are
hard to markets. Yeah, but this guy your yet he
quit on the league. I kind of feels that way.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
So yeah, I don't know if he got hurt again
or what happened there? I didn't, You know, I don't
really pour over the injury reports for you know that much.
I will look at him sometimes, but I don't. I
don't remember him being on injury report.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
Maybe he was. I'm not saying he wasn't well.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
As my mom he always says, is you know, if
you fall down, like the only thing that he heard
was his pride. So maybe you just heard his pride
and he had to go home in that list. You know,
if you have the injury report, is Donald you know, bruised,
bruised the ego. I think that wouldn't been anything else
all UFL team here. I mean, I think this is
great with Oh I'm gonna show this back there. I
probably hit the button anything else on this? You know,

(11:59):
I like Paraffino is a big like this and he'll
do it for the All Football Digest and all that.
I mean, he's a big like player award, celebrated kind
of guy like you said this voted on through coaches
and whatever. Could we do a player's award? I right,
didn't they have like the best sportsman I saw from
every team?

Speaker 3 (12:17):
Every team got a like a nominee for for like
Sportsman of the Year. I think they caught something like that,
and and.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
That was really cool that let me who was it here?
There there were a few on there.

Speaker 3 (12:30):
You know, and and I don't even know what all
went into that, but but to see like Houston's Leon O'Neill,
you know, he was a he was all all safety.

Speaker 1 (12:42):
Yeah, it was just kind of weird how they did.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
It was and leon O'Neill and Leon O'Neill to be
Sportsman of the Year after like some of the things
that had happened with him, like when he played arena
ball he went into the stands on some people got
kicked out.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
But like he has totally turned it around.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
And not only that, like he kind of acknowledges like yeah,
because I you know, there were some things in my
past and and it was you know, it was pretty tough,
but like for him to turn it around and he
as he said, I think it was after the Memphis game,
he said, you know, I've had some ups and downs,
and uh, I know this was not what you know,
the season didn't really play play out like he wanted to.

(13:19):
But he was such a good player and had like
a few pick sixes and he's just he's just a
really interesting guy and interesting story.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
Well, and I mean to be fair like that is
one good part part excuse me if I could speed
up these spring leagues. I mean you've seen the Church.
You know, we all know the turping story, and he
had stuff right coming out of college, was it? And
he had to you know, he had to do the
LF thing, and he did the FCF thing and he
did the US like uh because that was the same
thing as well. I mean, no team would touch him.
And I mean obviously you can see the skill. And

(13:47):
I hate him because he plays for the Cowboys, so
like I'm always I will always hate him, but I
mean it's awesome for him, and that was some of that. Yeah,
totally rehab your image. I think that's a great way
for that. I was gonna say, speaking in Memphis and
maybe we can transition into this. I do. I have
a Marx article up here as well with the cardinal comments,
but these attendance figures and then I have this dual

(14:10):
thing and all that. But you know, the the Memphis
of it. You have to know all UFL team, do
you buy anything into that? Like, well, there's not trying
to dry any more. Attention to Memphis now, like we're
going to move on from that, But I mean looking
at this, like any thoughts on that and then just
kind of rounding out the week ten here and then
I have a Dualis chart, but I dreadful attendance as
well for Memphis and just kind of part for the

(14:30):
chorus everywhere else.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
Yeah, I just I don't. That's just not sustainable to me.
And I've had so many people tell me that there's
some Fred Smith FedEx connection and I've yet to see.
I can't find anything reportable about that. And I'm going
to reach out here pretty soon if we don't get
some news and try to find out, you know, to
some media and people there on the ground in Memphis
to try to find out what the deal is. But no,

(14:53):
I don't go into that conspiracy theory of that they're
going to fold up so they're not gonna put anybody
on the Oh.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
I like that. I thought that was a good.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
I can't have him on there because then when the
record books show like who wasn't.

Speaker 3 (15:07):
Yeah, yeah, you know what, someone called me out on
Battlehawk's going five and five. Let me let me let
me say this, Let me say this, I was ahead
of the curve on Saint Louis. I mean on San
Antonio last year. I said they were going to win
one game and they went to the XFL Championship. I
was just a year ahead. So you know, so probably
next year, what's gonna happen Saint Louis probably cann go.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
Five to five.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
Uh yeah, we'll talk to you and I want to
talk through this. We'll talk through the champianship games kind
of all that stuff here as well. Any any updated
thoughts on any of the Brady news and trademarks anything.
I know, James Larsen had his articles, so now we branded,
and everyone seems to be taking this more like more seriously,

(15:50):
even though it's all based on Like to me, having
concurrent or you know, repeating reports based on the same
source document doesn't help blidicify you know the source document.
Do you have any other updated thoughts on that?

Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know? I don't.

Speaker 3 (16:02):
It's one of those I'll believe it when I see it,
but I mean I understand like it. It's it is
a talking point right now, and you start to hear like,
oh well, maybe somebody else is going to be involve
somebody else is going to be involved. Uh, it's great
for us to talk about here, but until I until
I see something like, you know, like it's kind of
like expansion. UFL said, oh, we're going to start the

(16:24):
expansion process, and that's literally the last thing that we
have heard about it. And I, you know, I'm not
heard one thing that has come out from anywhere about
the UFL talking to cities and maybe they've got it
on the down low when they really are doing it,
I can't imagine that they're not, uh, but it but
it's again, it's one of those things like when I
see it, when I get the official report, then I'll

(16:45):
believe it.

Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, it's uh. And I was just I'm not doing
this to make fun of you, but this is probably
the first time your internet's glitched and probably ever that
we've like literally in like the three years we've ever talked.
It's fine. I mean my I was getting notifications earlier
on my end. So maybe the you know that gods
are mad at us today because we're talking about Memphis,
But I just meant that as a as a you know,
and I love like Jason Hussey, I love, but our

(17:07):
CSO shows like every week there were like it just
people living different. I mean, there's that's why I number
judged anymore.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
But my wife is upstairs watching some Netflix thing. I'm
gonna blame it on her, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
She said to me. I just my two thoughts about
it was the rumor now that it's a part of
like his Fox contract, which is to me, is is
really just tough to It's really tough to like live
in a world where and I'm not judged, like but
I'm just like to put yourself and that we care

(17:39):
so much about like the future of the USFL that
we're like gonna bake that into like a back door
clause in the Brady's contract like when he retires and
then you know, I just I don't I don't see
that that being the thing. I did think it was
interesting that no one else is bothered to look up
any of the trademarks. So even Randon in the video
was like, well, James didn't talk about it, and uh,

(18:00):
you know, so we don't really know about that, So
no one's looked at any of that. I saw another
story today, like sources say there's been four new trademarks
file you know, last week for the Invaders and all
this stuff, and I said, that's again, it's just not accurate.
I just think it's it's it's just interesting to me.
But I was I was hopeful more news will come
out today obviously with all this breaking before the USFL

(18:21):
UFL Championship game. But uh yeah, just kind of weird
with that.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
No, Well, like you said, it was it was kind
of a one source thing, and you know, it was
a a rumor from a source, you know, and first
of all, that's not reportable, and I mean I guess
it is now, you know. I mean, journalism is dying.
But it's like, but have you heard one other thing
about it? Has anyone has? You know, you would think like, okay,

(18:45):
if this is true, and and someone from Fox would say, okay,
well if we report this, man, we might get a
we might get some buzz here. Maybe it'll happen this
week as they get ready to go into the into
the conference championship. Maybe they're going to you know, break
out something. Hey, Tom Brady's going to be involved. Also,
by the way, conference championships are happening, I mean, you know,
you can piggyback off that. But again, it's like when

(19:08):
I believe it, when I see it.

Speaker 1 (19:09):
Yeah, it's really easy to you can like you can
like connect two dots like of any kind of anything,
Like I just said right there, like what what if
they didn't have any all UFL Memphis players, Like it's
just so easy to do that. And so I just
you know, like anyway, if you missed the video last week,
I would recommend go back. But none of the trademarks
have actually been updated as far as I can tell,

(19:31):
and no one told me I'm wrong, But they filed
some updates for international filings for board games and stickers,
So until anyone else has anything with that, yeah, they
also have here in recently remove seems to walk back
the expansion talk, but doesn't the anti trust agreement require
them to expand. I had trouble. I've always had trouble

(19:53):
with that because I've heard that since back when the
merger came about. But there was so much kind of
I guess, competing information because we had Neil with inside
the league and all that. Have you heard any other
reports that it's because of when they shrunk the teams
down they would have to do that.

Speaker 3 (20:11):
You know, there was that talk, uh, and then there
was a report again I don't know how but that
they had given them a year, like there was going
to be you had to do this, but then they
had said, well, you don't have to expand you know
this year you can wait. I mean there were about
there were a thousand different you know reports on that,
but I did I do remember reading that there was

(20:33):
they had gotten some kind of special dispensation where they
could actually wait a year before the expansion. So yeah,
but but I think DeMarcus has a point there. That
was one of the first things that you know, was
talked about in the merger and like you said, read
it was supposed to be okay, all these different moving
parts and to get this merger happened, and then there
had to be something from the government where they had

(20:54):
to make these promises that you know, people have lost
their jobs now, but there would be opportunities down the road.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
My like I am, I always have a hard time
with that as well of like any and I don't know,
and I with the government and everything, but just like well,
you know, they were trying to like push through this
merger on like this isn't like a congressional bill here,
We're like we're all trying to piggyback and get our
you know, things in and slide it through the deadline,

(21:22):
like you know, and remember like when the Rock was
at the thing last year and everyone's like, oh my god,
the Rock is there and this is about the merger
and it was about his military and him being the
spots whip. But like the UFL is a lot bigger
deal to you and I than it is to like
the federal government. So I don't know if if like
that would well, we don't know about that, Like we

(21:42):
can't approve any of this stuff and tell any of that.
And then that leon here and the four trainmarks were suspended.
They they were not. None of this is that was expended.
They were a live I have everything here, and everything
was filed so you can you can check out that
was the May six, that was one away or one
one fifty eight pm. Uh So it's pretty easy to

(22:02):
tell I kind of exactly what Again, like I said,
if anyone like, I'm I'm welcome to have anyone fact
check my homework, but no one, uh no one has
seemed to do that. But yeah, anything else with that.
It is just kind of hard to think that the
government's like waiting with bated breath to hope that the
UFL like ADS two more.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
Right, Yeah, I feel like they're They're probably dealing with
a lot of other things right now, but yeah, it's
you know, I do again, I do wonder, you know,
with the whole Brady thing like that, was that that
report made it through mainstream you know, like pro football
talk and those kinds of things, and we have not
heard one other thing yet, so that that makes me

(22:42):
more You remember, there was the big deal they said, oh,
halftime at the Saint Louis game, they're going to make
this announcement, and everybody said, oh, it's going to be expansion,
it's going to be this, it's going to be that,
and it was. It was the announcement that we all
knew was going to happen anyway, the XFL Championship or
the UFL Championship is going to be played in Saint Louis.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
Yeah, No, Florio did not. Florio did not. Very no
one has verified anything except quoting Marx article except for me.
So I would be happy to have that discussion with
anyone going into this Mark excuse me, John, does it
make you feel well, Let's see TV super quick TV
rating and then I have a question. Yeah, the playoffs

(23:20):
six hundred and seventy thousand, biggest boosts that we've had
that I've seen on that, and then it was certainly
a high water mark to finish the season.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
That way on that no pun intended.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
Yeah, but so what what is going like what do
you attribute that to with the delays and things like
I wasn't living through real time Friday night.

Speaker 3 (23:41):
Yeah, I would think that I would think that some
of it would be because I mean they did. She
have to think it was about a forty five minute delay,
So you do have to wonder if there was if
some of this and I'm sure Mike probably knows, like
you know, the peaks and when these things happen, but
you have to wonder how much of this was word
of maut it when they started the game back up

(24:02):
and people calling other people, texting other people, it's like
you have to turn on Fox right now and see
what's going on, because it was an absolute spectacle there
in the you know, when they resume play, I mean,
it was just it was unbelievable there for a while.
But you know that again, it's you know, it's a
it's a soccer stadium and even good football stadiums too.
Eventually it started to you know, it started to drain.

(24:24):
But there for for a while, I mean it was
just it was I wasn't even planning to watch the
whole thing, and I ended up watching like almost like
almost in the entire game. I did finish it the
next morning because I was like, I got to just
see how this ended.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
Well, it's something you know, you get these NFL snow
games as well, like that we're really just a spectacle
and like you know, you're channel flipping and it's like
this bright white whatever and you're like, holy hell, what
is going on? And like I said, I saw that
the sideline interview as anyways, I wanted to laugh because
I don't bug him as much right now, but I
do plug brock Huer in quite a bit, and like

(24:59):
I just just like in my own just mostly about
the Mariners and bugget because he's the morning show here.
But I wanted to text him like are you glad
your wife like you going back to start doing like
another season in the UFL here for you to be
standing and what would that have been the sideline like
locker or bench it pitch? Yeah, Like what is what

(25:20):
do you what do you call that in the soccer?

Speaker 3 (25:23):
Yeah, that's a good question. Yeah, he was interviewing Anthony Beck.
It looked like they were down some stairs and then
some kind of tunnel and he but I will say
like it was I thought they would, you know, do
like what A lot of times they'll go like play
a replay of another game or something. They just kept
it going there, So it was that was pretty interesting,
like what they did there to try to keep it
and the UFL did a really smart thing. They played

(25:43):
with the running clock right for for the most part,
so that was smart and they got the game in
all it was like almost I mean it was close
to being on time.

Speaker 1 (25:53):
That's crazy that they could do that.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Yeah, yeah, they just because I mean you think about it,
You've had a forty five.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Minute delay and this is a game where there's nothing
really on the line.

Speaker 3 (26:03):
So I thought that was that was smart. They didn't
try to be like, well, this is football, we can't
do that. They you know what, We're gonna play with
the running clock. And I mean, man, that game, that
game rolled.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
They have it. So we had a comment here, Uh
where I lost it? Did I have.

Speaker 2 (26:19):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
I totally lost the thing on that the right, Yeah,
I totally lost the running club. So did that? Oh
one of them they had a comment here, Oh this
is what it was. Credit credit good jock keeping this
entertained during the delay shows that they could do a
pregame show if they wanted to. Did you like that?
So this inside the NBA thing is bigger than any

(26:41):
NBA game I've ever seen in my level, Like what
is happening? And I don't watch basketball, like saying, whatever
is happening with that show is bigger than Janice and Luca,
Like what is happening? And then so it was was it?
Barkley was on one of the shows today and he
was saying how tn T was trying to experiment with
them doing a show without the rights of the NBA footage,

(27:05):
so it would still be the show but just them there.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
I mean those guys could do it.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Well yeah, but he said they tad the pilot and
it was awful. But I did like that idea of
them doing that. But yeah, I mean, you know, it's
experiment around with this Fox like Lee, I'm sure they're like, crap,
well you know we gotta do this now.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Well it's something that we talked about before the season, Uh,
that if Fox could really make this a thing like
Friday Night, like make it a spotlight thing. And I
really thought that's what they were gonna do. But you know,
they just really didn't. But as as that you know,
comment said, it's like they showed that they could do this.
There's like it just it's like ABC and ESPN's broadcasts

(27:43):
have been so much better than than the Fox ones
to me. Now, you know, as far as like Kevin Coogler,
I think is he is awesome, Like he's great.

Speaker 2 (27:51):
I think he should be.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
He should be like the number one UFL guy, and
he does great job on you know, I think they
bury him on the in the NFL kill it. But
you know, as someone who's who's watched some really bad
Seahawks teams over the years, sometimes you just like, oh, well, good,
at least I'll get Kevin Googler.

Speaker 2 (28:07):
On this or whatever.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
But but yeah, I just thought they I thought if
they really addressed this, dressed it up and made it
a thing, that it would have been a lot better.
But uh, you know, maybe they learned something from that,
because it was it was it was actually kind of entertaining.

Speaker 1 (28:21):
Uh, this is John. We're really the same person, because
like I many a time will message Kevin on Sundays
and be like, I hope you enjoyed Seatley here today,
because yeah, they always bury him on like the West
Coast or right, no one's watching this and he should
definitely be on the main idea. But yeah, but I
love Kevin and because he does the work, because you
have to do it, and I don't know, like logistically,

(28:45):
not all these guys or girls like have the time
all week to do the prep for that. I mean,
it is just a ton of work. And and I've
said this a million times, but Kevin did a great
interview years ago on here talking about the research he
does every week because he's like, you can't say Patrick
Mahomes and everyone knows who you're talking about. Yeah, so
I agree, But he he takes great pride in his

(29:05):
work and I have a good lot of compliments for him.

Speaker 3 (29:08):
He's one of my favorite he also and also when
I hear his voice, it reminds me back of back
in the days when sometimes you know, we'd have to
like like on our way to a road trip or something.
When I was covering NC Double A tournament. We would
be on the road and we would turn on like
Westwood one and be like, Kevin Coogler the NC double
That's how we that. That was you know, the pre
that's when we had flip phones. We didn't have the smartphone,

(29:30):
so that's how we got caught up on some of
the NC Double A games while we were on the road.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
It's so funny just having Mariners or Blest with a
really good broadcast team, and it's uh, whenever I'm watching
stuff online or like we've had a lot of national
games lately because we're like doing well, and yeah, you're like, God,
these national guys suck, like, you know, because they can't
do the work. They can't. I understand it. But you
will always get better coverage from you know, someone local

(29:56):
or like Kevin taking the time than any of that.
Quit real quick. I had a couple other news notes.
We will talk the football, I promise, but this, you know,
renovations at the Dome here, pro football, talking about all that,
just anything. I just think that's kind of an interesting
Greg Parks and the reason why I follow this. Greg
Parks had an excellent editorial last week on the side

(30:18):
and just trying to put my dates together about you know,
basically like the league over abusing Saint Louis and we've
had the extra game here this year and then the
championship and like is that you diminishing returns or whatever?
And it actually did really good like comments, and you know,
I was just really like it got a lot of
people talking. But then you see this about like well

(30:39):
they're gonna have to put all this money and obviously
this isn't happening like tomorrow, but you know, it kind
of puts you in this like, well, we're not always
going to be here. I just curious your thoughts on this.

Speaker 3 (30:48):
Yeah, you know what I read about this and it
you know, it says right there that you know, the
state has started to pull some of the funding and
like it's it's not given given enough back and there
aren't a lot of events scheduled there.

Speaker 2 (31:01):
You know when we were there, you know what.

Speaker 3 (31:04):
Was it week seven or week week six, week seven,
whenever it was, it was the Saint Louis Birmingham game there.
You know, great crowd, it's such a good venue and
it's such a good area that they have there to
you know for these games. Uh, but you started to
look at like why, you know, you know, what else
is going on here? Because it seems like it'd be
a good place, and they had some concerts lined up,

(31:25):
but it seems like those weren't for a for a
long time. I didn't really like take time to look
at the whole thing.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
Now.

Speaker 3 (31:30):
I know we had talked before the season, you know,
before the season started, like why would Saint Louis start
at Houston on a Friday night to kick off the season?
Seems like that should have been the other way around.
And I I tried to find anything that where there
was something going on at the convention Center. I know
there was one week there was some like pavement convention
or something. I was like, is this a pavement concert? No,

(31:53):
it's a pavement convention.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
So but but.

Speaker 3 (31:57):
Yeah, it's like so that that's you know, that that's
that would be tough for the UFL, for Saint Louis
because can you imagine like what would happen, you know,
if the UFL continues and Saint Louis continues the way
it trends, and then they end up not having a home.

Speaker 1 (32:12):
Oh yeah, I mean like when I when we went
to that Championship game. I'm like, because I had never
been to Saint Louis and we went last year for
the game, and I was like, yeah, I don't know
what you do it. I don't know what Purbans Stadium
exists for except for like a yearly monster truck event
or like, I just it's tough. It's really tough.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
Yeah, right, and you I don't know if there are
other places that that host you know, big events there
or if you know there's there's I've only been to
the stadium part of it for people who don't know,
it's a whole convention center. So there's so much stuff.
It takes up block. It takes up blocks, literal brought
blocks of Saint Louis there. So yeah, you have to wonder, like,

(32:56):
you know, what's going on that they don't have that
many events happen there.

Speaker 1 (33:01):
Just one thing we'll get out of there. I just
thought this was funny. Nothing's even reliable on the UFOL app.
It was supposed to be through it back weekend for
the show flotes and they didn't do.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
It, Like oh wow, I did not know that.

Speaker 1 (33:11):
Of course the other thing on here and so anything
else on that are we good. Just I think it'll
be interesting because I just think they have such a
cat Like I'm not concerned about your ten of the
Battleogs film with it. I mean, I'm concerned about six months. Yeah,
but I mean but it's you know, it's like it
just you put that in your back pocket, something to

(33:32):
keep in mind. Jo just checking in. Welcome to that anyway.
But Mark had this article up, and you know, so
of course, like my gosh, darn it, there we go. Okay,
Cardnell was on something talking and you know, Mark does
this thing where kind of breaks down all these sound
bites or whatever. He was on the CNBC Sports podcast.

(33:52):
So anyway, there's a lot of stuff on here about
you know, the UFL's relationship with the NFL. We know
all that stuff, player standards.

Speaker 3 (33:59):
But I thought this, I mean, what kind of gas
lighting is this?

Speaker 2 (34:03):
Right?

Speaker 1 (34:03):
Yeah, So we got a couple of different things. So,
and this is part of why I was like, let's
do kind of a season review today. I mean, not
I got to title the episode something so like it
is what it is on league performance and ratings, just
my public perception and statistical facts and struggles. Cardinal shared
specific ratings data that positions the UFL favorably against other
professional sports leagues in NFL at MLS. The ratings are

(34:27):
not down. We actually have you look at the distribution
we have with ESPN and Fox, were outperform MLS for
the one from a ratings standpoint, we outperform hockey to
the one. So give you your thoughts first, I'll bust there.

Speaker 3 (34:42):
Well, my first thought is, okay, you're correct in it.
It did seem like I haven't looked at all the
ratings Mike, Mike Mitchell probably has, but from what I
have seen, it does the UFL, does you know, outrate
MLS and and hockey. But the first sin that's saying
the ratings are not down, like what kind of spin

(35:05):
are you putting on this?

Speaker 2 (35:06):
Like how can you how.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
Can you say that with a straight face, Like the
ratings aren't down, the ratings aren't down, and what like
are you saying? There's demographics to be a clarification there,
right right? The ratings are not down if you look
at like our targeted key demo that we if you
look at men eighteen to thirty four, the ratings are
not down. I don't know, but I don't know what
it is.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
Yeah, but yes, but you would definitely yes. I also,
like I have told you this before, I hate this
MLS and hockey. I will buy the argument more of
a playoff hockey game drawing a little bit more national
attention and the a little bit more apples to apples
with the UFL. But you know, the Carolina Hurricanes playing

(35:51):
the New York Islanders on a Thursday in April is
not equivalent to a UFL game on sundawn Fox on
you know, or Friday night on Fox or say ABC
at three o'clock. I mean, it's just it's just not so.
I I hate that. I hate the evaluation and kind
of how they well, you see, we're doing good compared
to these other I just I don't buy that. And

(36:11):
I'm not the expert, but that's just my no.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
I agree, I would let you.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
But but you can't say the ratings aren't are not
down if you look at you know, ratings as a whole,
because we had we had the numbers from last year.
I mean there's still I mean, they're still pretty good.
But but to say that they're not down, I mean
that's just that's disingenuous.

Speaker 1 (36:30):
Well, and then and then we'll move on to this
because I want to talk and then I have a
dual to try toil. We're gonna we're getting throw all this.
These numbers provide concrete evidence of the ufls television and appeal.
Like I just I just want to like hit myself
on the head, Like you know, Mark, if you wrote
this like shame, and if Chad GBT wrote that, then shame.

(36:53):
But that doesn't and I I just can't have commentary
like that of the leading UFL website like well, I see,
there you go, it's concrete. Y don't need to worry
about it. I hate that. I hate that you're But
then you want to like bitch him up. I'm sorry,
am I going on a rap? Mark wants to bitch
about the show boats? But then it's like, well see
here you go. It's not concrete evidence. It's it's it's it's.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
Live well and then you see in that it says, yes,
the numbers are down for past years. I mean, so
you can't have your cake and eat it too, Listen.
I'm okay. There were some of the Fox ratings were
not sustainable, like if it continued that with the four
and five hundred thousand it's not sustainable. But when you
when you get a little you know, what you had

(37:35):
on Friday for a game that didn't really matter. But
to the masses, they don't know that, you know, just
like you said, we watch all this. They can turn
on Saint Louis and DC in Week ten, they can
turn on whoever, and the majority of the people watching
broadcast network Football UFL, they are not gonna They wouldn't

(37:56):
know that these teams are not in the playoffs unless
they're listening closely to them saying that. But but yeah, so,
but you're right. I mean, I do agree that the
UFL it says, like in a good position for the
long term. Yeah, but you got to you got to
keep building and you can't take a step back. I
felt like maybe the ratings took a little bit of
a step back this year.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
Yeah, it's just the whole like just accepting like fact
for what it is and not I don't know, Like
that's what goes me back to the whole thing about
the trademarks, Like I've been told for a decade or
have a decade now since twenty twenty, and we all
know what happens, Like do you you know, do your research,
don't accept like you know, make sure you kind of
ed you on whatever you want to do anything in
the world. Educate yourself. I'm like, well here, I'm going

(38:38):
to go educate. And it's like, well, no, like you're
wrong or like this, like we'll see there. I just
I just don't like being presented like something like that.
That's that's not clearly a fact. And it's like, well,
see there you go, like, don't worry about it.

Speaker 3 (38:49):
Well, and I will say Daryl Johnson had a interview
and I may have mentioned it last week. I think
it was an athlon or something, and he and he
said like, you know, this is this his only year
two and talked about how there were improvements and how
they're learning from what they're doing. So to me, that's
a good sign. It's not like he's not gonna gas
light and say everything's perfect, the ratings are up, every

(39:12):
venue is full. He's not doing that. He's like, there
are things we need to work on, and he's pointed
that out. And he he's been a guy who's been
boots on the ground, who's trying to, you know, get
in there. He's been to Memphis a few times and
he's like trying to figure it. He's trying to figure
that situation out.

Speaker 1 (39:27):
I'll just never forget when. And I guess I can
say this now because no one's ever with none of
these like anyway I can say this right now. But
it was really funny to me when Darrow was on
the show and something you know he was talking about
were because it was the kickoff thing and all of that,
because I totally I kind of bought him as I
thought he like he said kind of no bs or

(39:49):
he's a little bit more forthright, but I he kind
of skirted around that, and then there was there was
a light of debate about that. And then after that
episode came out like I was tweeting something, oh because
it was like issues about the injury, and I'm like, oh,
we'll see, like you know, like Darryl's champion for more
transparency and like clearly that the teams aren't doing that.
And I received a phone call and they were like,
Darryl does not appreciate your criticisms of what he is

(40:12):
saying about this, and I was like, huh, that's good
to know. Good right, So you know, I think Darryl
is more forth right, but yes, yeah, also you need
to be a little bit more careful run. But we
did have the thing here, so uh, Chopp says, uh,
ratings aren't the problem attendancies And so I want to

(40:33):
do Abdual's chart here before we talk football. Is there
anything else on this because I want to make sure
we touch on that.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
Yeah, I mean I would say those can go hand
in hand.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (40:42):
I think attendance.

Speaker 3 (40:44):
Attendance is a problem, and but but the ratings, it
goes hand in hand. Because again, this is a TV product.
We've talked about it before. The finances are not based
on ticket sales. But if you know, Joe sixpack is
turning on TV and and watch his football in the
empty stadium, the optics aren't good.

Speaker 2 (41:02):
And you know why, why is that?

Speaker 3 (41:04):
Why would Joe sixpack or whoever come back and watch
it again?

Speaker 1 (41:08):
Is it Joe six pack because he's drinking the six
packer has a six pack, probably drinking the six pack round.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
I'm gonna go with drinking a six pack.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
In fact, I remember the first time I started like
heavily drinking in college. I was like, wow, I have
gained so much weight, Like this is horrible.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
Like I was a freshman fifteen catch up pretty quick.

Speaker 1 (41:26):
That makes sense to me, But just real quick here,
so dull put this together. And for anyone that doesn't,
I mean, Abduel is on mic stuff all the time
right now and this is great. Yeah, Abduel is great,
but just uh yeah, it doesn't seem I just want
to use all up. But this was just injury and
we are not going to spend an hour on this.
But you know, just your over year and just seeing
kind of where we did.

Speaker 2 (41:47):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (41:47):
And of course it's too small. You can't see there.
Can I see the bottom? No? Of course, well the
bottom is say the Saint Louis like you're over year
with the extra game. But you get my point here.
I thought it was funny. I'm tool tweeted out that
he even with one less home game, San Antonio still
average more attendance in the Birmingham Stallion instead.

Speaker 3 (42:07):
That I mean, you know that that. Now here's what
I'll say about Birmingham. They got hosed by scheduling, there's
no question about that. But I think it was Abdul.
I don't want to put words in his mouth, but
someone had made the great joke about you know, they
can't get there because of church, but Saint Louis can
show up after a tornado.

Speaker 2 (42:27):
But it's true.

Speaker 3 (42:28):
And it's like what now, local marketing in Birmingham I'm
hearing is like non existent when I was down there
the last few years, well especially last year. If you
didn't know the Birmingham Stallions played there, you you drive
by the stadium, you would not know that, like if
you didn't know.

Speaker 1 (42:44):
So.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
But you know, And yeah with San Antonio, I mean,
you know they're scheduling and then what you mentioned before
the season, what happens when you're halfway through the season.
You got your first home game and they're not very good,
And that's exactly what happened. I will say, Like Michigan Panthers, like,
you know, assuming that they didn't pay for the crowd,
and I'm not saying they are Like I thought Michigan
like that that I didn't know that was salvageable. And

(43:10):
then what they have done this year, I thought that
was that's pretty incredible. And it's just a shame to
see what's happened. You know, with Houston and Memphis. I
thought everyone said, you know, the Houston was going to
get a big boost because they were going back to
their old place and it just didn't happen.

Speaker 1 (43:23):
It's just yeah, I just I'm reading through the comments here,
David has gone, I hate to blame Birmingham's I just
don't want to put it up over this say he
hate the blame Birmingham's lack of pr but bruh. Three championships.
They do well and you had you had, you know,
you had Corey that was with the Orlando team right
with the XFL and then moved to the Stallions last

(43:44):
year and then he's not believed with the league anymore.
I mean, so then you're losing even the people that
were kind of uh maybe even their boots invested in that. Uh.
The takeaway for me a couple of them just real quick,
you know, like Renni Gade's that's just kind of the
number they're always going to have there, Like Rennegates always
kind of have about eight to ten thousand. You know.

(44:04):
The showboats drop forty two percent, Michigan gained forty three percent.
Like you said, that is the one and they need
to I mean, any dollar they have one, they're like
how did that or like why did that work? Or
are we just distributing more tickets there? Or do we
have more businesses working with us there? They need to

(44:24):
figure that out. Saint Louis, is that what three percent
up with the extra home game At the bottom here,
he says, last year this was the average. I understand.
I understand all of this. Yeah, so last year Saint
Louis won seventy one. This year one seventy seven. So
that's with the extra home game. They still were down
three point one four percent. No, they they were, they

(44:45):
was they were with an extra game, they were up, right,
but it took an extra game to get them up.

Speaker 3 (44:50):
Yeah, that's a good point. You're right, And it was
certainly more than six thousand people there.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
It was read like I have to immediately think of like,
where's my bad takes. I'm like, oh see they went
I only let us three percent. But but I think,
you know, uh, this is I to me, this is
fascinating to look at. I appreciate it. I doing this
and I'm this actually tweeted this, but tweeted out. We'll
share all that. But just just it's just it's just
helpful to see a million factors go into this. But

(45:16):
I think trends in eight cities over a ten week
season I think it's enough to be like we have
something we could actually look at.

Speaker 3 (45:23):
Yeah, and I mean frankly, Arlington could get the Memphis
UH numbers and they're still gonna be the Arlington Renegades
because that's where the headquarters is. I don't think they
want that, but you're right, it is what it's gonna be.
Just it's a big it's a you know, big area,
and they're gonna draw some some uh you know fans
in there. It's I just wonder like in that in

(45:44):
and I've talked to some people who like work in
television in Dallas there. You know it it's not that
they don't pay attention. It's like a minor it's to them.
I think in a lot of fans there it's minor league.
So you're gonna get people who just want to go
and you know, drink some beers and oh there's a
ball game happening.

Speaker 1 (46:02):
One. This is just lasting here. We'll move to the
standings down five percent over last year overall in attendants. Yes,
certainly not what you want to see. I think you
have this Memphis collapse. Do you attribute anything else to
that than like just them being garbage?

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Well, I just you know, well, first, yeah, being down
five percent is obviously skewed because of them. I mean,
you know what, if you took Memphis out of there,
I'd be interested to see like kind.

Speaker 2 (46:27):
Of what that would be.

Speaker 3 (46:30):
But you know, there, I think scheduling is a thing.
And this is you know, you made the point a
long time ago when you play spring football, there's always
going to be something. There's always going to be something
that's going to go on. You're gonna have graduations and
spring breaks and and you know, holidays. But it so
to me, it feels like they've got to figure out

(46:50):
the scheduling. They've got to be a little kinder to
some of these home markets with the scheduling. And you know, frankly,
to me, i'd like to see them. I would like
to say the week one be uh Pro Bowl weekend,
like NFL Pro Bowl weekend. Now, that's gonna be tough
and in you know places like in you know, d
C and and and some other places you know where

(47:11):
you're playing outdoors and it's a little cool, but still
I just think to put and put get those players
in the NFL cycle, to me, that that would be
the way to do it. But you've got to look
at scheduling, and like Daryl Johnson said, it's only year two.
They got it off the ground, you know, in year one.
After that merger learned from there, moved it to year two.

(47:33):
Still things to learn. We'll see what year three of
the UFL is going to look like.

Speaker 1 (47:38):
I just it just one comment and then I have
two comments and we're moving on this whole, like you know,
the like I hate this so like really the start
that been town, I don't know, I mean, it's like
your fox, like come on, I mean, I like, I
understand sproom football is very hard, like believe me. But oh,
you know, like you got more money than you could do.

(48:00):
You know, you you guys are doing that quick couple
of things. Uh. And I did figure out how to
show the bottom of that, so you see the average there.
Because he had a comment that the chart was missing,
we've addressed, like the chart includes an extra Saint Louis
Gamp but you see the averages there at the bottom
because of that. But uh, David said he heard Michigan
hired two minor league pr guys to help with the

(48:21):
trend out of this season. That would not surprise me.
At all, Like there you go. I mean right, I mean, like.

Speaker 3 (48:28):
Give away some more Jake Bakes bobbleheads. You're gonna like
do it every game. You'll get sixteen thousand there. I
mean that was that was encrep over that many people
to show up, and it was cool he was there.
I mean, like, what a great idea like that. That's easy,
that's that's not hard.

Speaker 1 (48:42):
I thought it was cool because, like I mean, we
talked last week. That was the first one of those
ever that I know, and at least.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
That I know of.

Speaker 1 (48:48):
Yeah, they do, like did they do eighties?

Speaker 2 (48:50):
U s fell.

Speaker 1 (48:51):
I mean, like football is not really a bobblehead.

Speaker 2 (48:53):
Thing, but it's Jake Bake. So that's that's what I mean.

Speaker 1 (48:57):
That's why I like it. No, that's why, like that's
a good thing. Yeah, I don't mean that, like I'm
not trying to be negative, like we'll football. Of course
you would think like we'll football. Ye, last couple of
things here. So Jim has two comments. I agree, they're
kind of they go back and forth. The USFL bubble
in Birmingham proved that league can't succeed with ALTU, you know,
with not a sole in the seats. I would disagree

(49:17):
because they're no longer just in the bubble in Birmingham,
So that shows that that would not like in and
of itself, is not a forever issue. But then he
also says that Birmingham's issues. UFL was launched with getting
everyone free tickets. Now they're being asked by that in
conjunction all together. I mean, I just you can never
get well, I'll never would have thought that that would

(49:38):
have been such an issue five years, but I get
it now.

Speaker 3 (49:40):
I mean yeah, I mean, you know because when I
went to I was there, and you might have gone
down there like in twenty twenty two when they launched,
and you know, forty dollars got you four games over
two days and you can pretty much sit where you wanted,
And that's not the case anymore. And ticket prices have
gone up in some of these venues, so that's you
know that that's also an issue too, because you're right,

(50:03):
you can't say, like, hey, I know, these tickets were
twenty dollars last year, but we're gonna ask you to
come back have the same experience and see the same team,
but it's gonna cost you maybe twice as much and
you know, concessions are so good. I mean, you just
there are a lot of people who won't do that.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
Well yeah, Eric, like can you could you yeah packaging
this year or shirt or something.

Speaker 2 (50:24):
Or a giveaway.

Speaker 3 (50:26):
Well it's just like I mean, but no kidding, you're right,
like like, how about some kind of giveaway of I
mean I went to to the Stallion's fan day last year,
and like it was, it wasn't any good. I didn't
walk away with a bunch of merchandise. You could stand
in line for a to get a shark dog T

(50:46):
shirt and he was air signing autographs, which was cool,
but like the rest of it was just a bunch
of stuff trying to collect your information so they could spam,
email you and call you. And it wasn't even like
it was like windows and vacations and stuff like who
want Nobody wants it.

Speaker 1 (51:00):
There's a lot of sign up stuff, a lot of wheels,
a lot of did that right? I wish it was
more than two cows and bah blah. Well I agreed
with that when I saw that, but see they got it.
You can't have more like like most Mariorn or bableheads
are like ten thousand a day for.

Speaker 2 (51:17):
The three day weekend.

Speaker 1 (51:18):
Yeah, the first thirty thousand, I understand, like they can't
have ten thousand and then you gotta men like I
get that, But it was fine. I thought that was
very good. And I would have anybody involved in the
Michigan Panthers franchise. I would have a zoom call with
every single person involved in that to figure that out.
And all that? Does it bother you, John, now that

(51:41):
we're at football, that all this hubbub with the games
didn't matter, right, Saint Louis is hosting and Birmingham's hosting, right,
and this all.

Speaker 3 (51:48):
Didn't Yeah, I didn't like that, and you know, Shannon
Harris handled it well. He just like you know, he
said he hated it for his you know, for his guys.
But yeah, when that's kind of already decided, just that
has a minor league feel to it, just because But
but you know what happened last year, although you know,
Birmingham ended up beating Michigan and earning that home field

(52:09):
advantage in Saint Louis really did the same, but did
but did they really? Like I don't want to take
anything away from, you know, from a win, but it's
still like you know, you knew what was going to happen,
win or lose, so you know, good for good for
everybody for earning what they were going to get.

Speaker 1 (52:25):
Anyway, I like you, this is Funnyory has a comment
Sabeus in Times sixty Rain this Saturday, blah blah, there
you go, there you go.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
Well, I mean, yeah, well we'll see.

Speaker 3 (52:41):
But I did I think the Stallions were doing a
thing where you got a ticket, you had a package
where you got a ticket for you got a ticket
for the finale and a ticket for the champion USFL
Championship something like that. There was seems like there was
a package where it was it was a two for
deal and and it included I think a ticket for
the champion.

Speaker 2 (53:00):
Gregory would know, but it was like a ticket for
the championship.

Speaker 1 (53:02):
Well, they know they're going to be there, so they're
like here, just come on, like just come by, you know,
you just get the plane take minorly just to get
to it, because we didn't. We've just been going all
over the place today. But I hope that's okay. We're
scaling out here. The other comment, just about the stadium stuff,
was this other Jerry Cardnell thing the live event. We're
still figuring out the venues, so the live venue is

(53:23):
still challenged. We really need to play in If the
paradigm is to take a national quality product and put
it in these local markets to compete against what else
is there, like MLS, then we've got to get the
venues right. And we haven't been able to get the
venues right. It's like, well, you're like you're so low
on the pecking order here like this whole like, well,
the venues aren't working with us. I just thought I
just wanted to make sure we talked about that. But

(53:45):
I just thought that was kind of weird that it's like, well, o,
this is on like the you know, we we need
the right I mean, obviously they need the right venues,
but it just I would have liked a little bit
more self reflection of why they're not positioned in that
right now.

Speaker 2 (53:58):
Well, you know, is it venues? Is it?

Speaker 3 (54:02):
Because I mean, I don't know if you've been to
the Liberty Bowl or Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium or what,
I know, a lot of people say, well they don't
like the neighborhood or whatever, it is a great venue
to watch football, Like so it's like, but you have
to have some kind of game day experience for these things.
It's a lot, you know, we've been to these you
have to give people. It's it's like any other, you know,

(54:23):
sport outside of the NFL. There's no comparison to the NFL,
but it's you know, you have to have some kind
of game day experience that's something extra, you know, other
than the game. So to me, it's like, I don't
think the venues are the issue, unless he's talking about
the contracts that they're working with or whatever. But to me,
it's also the game day experience for everyone who's not

(54:44):
just there to go, you know, just watch a game.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
Yeah, Chob says, it's not the venues, it's the markets.
It just kills me. Is I'm like, Jerry, like, didn't
you draw like draw like twenty six hundred people to
Memphis last week or whatever? That was like what was
like the Memphis number last week? Like sub four It
was the lowest.

Speaker 2 (55:04):
I believe, and that was announced Yeah yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:07):
And I'm like so then Jerry said, well, you know,
the venues don't really give it. I'm like, really, like
you really, like you got six thousand people in Houston. Well,
you know, the venues are really making it hard for us.

Speaker 3 (55:18):
Like but yeah, I would love to have a longer
conversation about that with him, just like tell give us
like some specifics on what you mean by this because
it's you know, again, those venues are good places to watch,
but like why why aren't What's the disconnect now?

Speaker 2 (55:37):
To me?

Speaker 3 (55:37):
I think a lot of it in Memphis is you
go back to you know, the mid seventies with with
the World Football League. They've had every every at football
that you can think of, uh in Memphis, and they
got burnt every time. So after a while, you know,
some of those fans are just going to be like,
especially if the team's not that good, they're going to
be like, okay.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
Enough, yeah, I oh I had something else here, but
I forgot. Let's get to this, didn't I have Yeah
that's okay, Uh yeah, David's had that twenty five five.
Yeah it justles I had something else really good, but whatever,
So let's get into this. So you know we're here right,

(56:19):
so samely, I mean big weekend here, right, both Sunday games.
That's exciting, right, you're reading this all right? I'm glad
that that because I got it work Saturday, so that
is great for me. Which one you want to talk about?

Speaker 2 (56:31):
First?

Speaker 1 (56:31):
We were not going to you know, we'll do five
minutes side east. We'll get out there.

Speaker 3 (56:33):
Sure, I'm start with the Stallions, like I'm I think
if they if they get a good crowd there like this,
this is gonna be a tough one.

Speaker 2 (56:41):
I want.

Speaker 3 (56:42):
I'm interested to see. If you know this, Bryce Perkins
still have some rust on him, and it really feels
like jay Mar Smith is going to be their starting
quarterback because he's done everything they took you know, uh,
Skip Holtz took him out in the second half, put
in Andrew Peasley. So it feels like all that is
just work and so well together. I mean, yeah, so

(57:03):
that's what I'm looking forward to. It's like it would
be awesome to see a great crowd there for this
USFL Championship against two really, really good teams.

Speaker 1 (57:11):
It really feels to me like this Jmar thing has
happened really at the perfect time for him coming in
what was it week seven or eight? Didn't look you know,
it was a lot more running and kind of everything.
But now you know enough, so now we sit him
in the second half like it really like of course
with the Stallions, like here's this perfect like, oh, we've
had all these injuries, but then oh, our one court,

(57:33):
like he's back. You know, we signed them off the
street and he's been. I mean, it's it's a really
good story. I just hate that it's for the Stallions,
but I do think it's like he is, like he's
ready to go game speed right now for next Sunday,
and I just think that's good for the stallience.

Speaker 3 (57:47):
He just looks so good, and you know, Joel Klatt
was kind of going after skip Holtz in the broadcast.
It's like, you know, skip Holtz kept like instead of
calling a play, just kept kind of kind of going
after and criticizing JMR and saying these things and then
would call to play. But it's like, you know, those
two have been together for so long that I think
that that that doesn't matter, Like it's whatever mojo those

(58:10):
two have going. I mean, you think it's been he
was he's been with the team for about a month.
And to do what he was doing.

Speaker 2 (58:17):
He threw like three hundred yards.

Speaker 3 (58:19):
Uh you know the game before comes in there and
you know, just blows up again. It's like you're You're right,
it's such it's such a wonderful story. Uh, you know,
and and listen, they're gonna pound it home. You're gonna
hear Duncan donuts a lot in the.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
USFL Championship game. Uh. But it's a great story. Like
you said, I think it's coming at the right time.

Speaker 1 (58:38):
I I don't know if I I know I texted
you this, and I think this was the week that
we took off. I don't think I told this story
on the podcast, but it was the week that JMR
had to come in, right, so they had signed him
and he's a backup quarterback. And yeah, have I told
this story on the podcast. I know I voiced memo
this to you.

Speaker 3 (58:55):
I know we talked about it, but I don't know
if he saw the podcast.

Speaker 1 (58:58):
Yeah, if you don't realize John and actually this gets
his own like half of them marcast just.

Speaker 2 (59:03):
All the time. I get my personal podcast.

Speaker 1 (59:05):
Yeah, he gets his first podcast. But I it was
just because not like I hate this out so I
have to kind of like make laughs here. But I
didn't really enjoy this. But like, yeah, so they got Jmuri,
Like all right, we're gonna do our interview with jmar Smith,
like you know, backup court, you know, because they want
him to look at the iPad. Okay, what are you
what are you hearing in? And what do they call
in and doing this? Oh okay, they're hearing whatever here

(59:25):
and they're like, oh, jmar Io he's been with he's
known skip Hole for seven years and like they know
each other like the back of their hand, and like
he knows his playbook. Like this is so great. And
then when the injury happened that jmr has to go
in and then I mean it wasn't eight minutes later,
and they're like, what is JMR Smith gonna do? Like
he hasn't played football in a year. I'm like, you

(59:45):
were just interviewing the man seven minutes ago about like
his his like deep dive knowledge of everything Skip Holtz
and like he knows the play like he sleeps with
the playbook and this billow And they're like, anyway, I
think I spent on my laugh. I think Jammer will
be fine.

Speaker 3 (01:00:03):
Yes, I mean, if if past results are any indication,
I mean it just seems like it just that I
just clicked. It just clicked with him. Now, you know,
if your skip Holtz. Would you rather have Alex Magoo
or Matt Carrall. I mean maybe, but right now you
have to look at it and say, Jbar is doing
a lot of good work here. I mean, and he

(01:00:23):
is looking like a guy who was in training camp
with him, and it's just hard to believe it's been
a month.

Speaker 1 (01:00:29):
I take the Stallions here.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
Do you disagree? No? I agree. I take the Stallions.

Speaker 1 (01:00:34):
This defenders Batlehawk's thing. I feel d C. I don't
know where. I'm curious your long form thoughts. We'll give
our picks, but I'm just kind of thinking through this year.
I just Saint Louis has been so I know that
they've got a great record, it just feels like, I
don't know, I feel like DC's got.

Speaker 3 (01:00:51):
What you tell me, you know, if you go back
to I think it was week three or so when
DC came to Saint Louis and won that game. But
they picked off many Wilkins three times in that game.
This These are two different things. And I was on
the call the the call today with Anthony Becks, and
I asked him, like, you know, do you what you

(01:01:12):
you know? Do you take anything away from like the
last maybe not the last game, but that that game too,
and it's like, yeah, you know there there are You
do take some things because you saw what Jordan Tamu
and that offense can do, but also you cannot argue
with results in Max Duggan, who's you know as he
as I asked, I asked him about like you know

(01:01:34):
Max Duggan, Like you can't argue with what's going on
with him, but like it it is there pressure on him.
Does he like step into the spotlight? And he said, John,
they're undefeated. You know he's undefeated. It's like you're right
and the spot and he and he mentions like this
guy played for a national championship. I don't think he's
gonna be too worried about this, you know XFL championship
here at home.

Speaker 2 (01:01:53):
Like, well, that's a good point.

Speaker 3 (01:01:55):
But you know there's been a lot of like some
criticism I guess of like you know, Duggin's win motion,
which he does look sometimes like a baseball pitcher. But
the guy is such a dual threat that to me,
it's like I think this could be a complete shootout.
Like I don't take anything away. They can run on DC.
You know DC's I think Rush defense was like fifth

(01:02:16):
in the league, so they're they're vulnerable, there's no question.
But will they have to score forty points to to
beat Saint Louis. They might, but they're quite capable of it.
But also I think the BattleHawks right now might be
capable scoring forty one.

Speaker 1 (01:02:33):
A couple of comments here Gregory just made me allow.
This is from the previous No Day's ever really loves
his suns seeing Birmingham the same Alabama. I'm actually looking
for a vacation home here ye chops here says Dougan's
throwing Terry tier all around paper the defenders, you know.
And Leon and I were jabbing about these trademarks and

(01:02:55):
leon' I still stand by my but he does stay here.
And I agree. No teams more pressure than say Lewis
to win and get a championship game a lot. I mean,
this is cock Co will be dead forever. If you know,
I will tweet Monday or Sunday evening, but like, I mean,
this is it. I'm tired of the battle Hawks.

Speaker 3 (01:03:15):
Otherwise, John Well, it's it was kind of heartbreaking. I
just remember they had to score it wasn't I think
it was last year where they played Orland or No
the two years ago.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
Whenever we had to get the points, they had to
get the points.

Speaker 3 (01:03:31):
I was at that game and I was like, I
was like, they started off kind of slow and like,
there's no way they'll do it. They had to score
like forty two or something crazy, and they ended up
doing it and the game was insane.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
Uh that, yeah, that was XFL deal.

Speaker 1 (01:03:42):
Yeah. Then the Sea Dragons won and then we won
it the yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
Then the NEUCI put it away. Yeah. So so it's
that was kind of heartbreaking and then you know, then
you you don't I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:03:56):
I mean I understand, uh because Saint Louis gets the
headlines because they're the premier franchise. And but you know,
I think Anthony Beck would even tell you as much.
I think some of those players will tell you as much.
They haven't won anything yet, but when they do, if
they do, it's like it's gonna be big. And if
they get to play a UFL championship at home, I

(01:04:19):
mean that's just I think that does nothing. I know
there people don't want to see it. They don't want
to see Birmingham. I mean, they think it's bad for
the league. If they want another championship, I don't see
it that way to me in this league and to
have those kinds of names, and if it is Birmingham
and Saint Louis again in the championship at Saint Louis,
I think that would be awesome for this league.

Speaker 1 (01:04:40):
They need, like we all need Saint Louis that home,
like we all need, we need the Stallions there, and
that would be exciting. I don't know, I'll pick DC,
I'll go DC. I'll go DC Birmingham because I don't want,
I want, I mean, I kind of want whatever, but.

Speaker 2 (01:04:56):
I I just I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:04:58):
I just to me, Saint Louis is the little fool's
goal a little bit. It's just always it's just every
year and then there's always something. You know, it's drag
to me. Maybe it's just a personal issue.

Speaker 2 (01:05:09):
That's right.

Speaker 3 (01:05:09):
Well, and listen to me is if they do either way,
you got to talk about Shannon Harris being like right
in the race there for you know, for Coach of
the Year. I kept saying Skip Holtz because he's done
it with fifteen different quarterbacks. But what Shannon Harris did
and then you know, and then Blake Williams having to
step up as defensive coordinator. When Greg Williams goes to
Tennessee State, you know, with Reggie Barlow. I just thought like,

(01:05:31):
I mean, you know what a story that would be too.
So yeah, either way it's I think that's be fun.
But if it is, you know, if it does end
up being you know, Saint Louis at home against you know,
either Michigan or Birmingham, I just think either way with
Saint Louis being in a championship would be good for
the league.

Speaker 1 (01:05:49):
Last thing for me here, I think we're good. I
remember the other show I was going to tell when
we were talking about be like ticket sales attendants and
kind of all that stuff, and uh, I think this
was back when they was still just the XFL. But
but there was a call I had a listener to
the show to talk to people in the league and
they were like, there's a perception. And this was years ago,

(01:06:09):
but I think it's permeated. Is my point that like
the people that are selling tickets, they they perceived them
as like selling tickets to like a top four or
five professional sports league right where you know, the UFL.
I would argue this position much lower than you know,
like however you want to do it right like NFL, NBA, whatever,
and then as wow, like that's it's always kind of

(01:06:34):
shaped a lot of my perceptions of that of like
I don't basically like I think that maybe they don't
like they have to work as hard, Like does that
the right way to say that? Like, I don't want
to be rude about that, but I just think there's
a different perception of like, you know, the hotness maybe
of like a UFL or xfl or USFL. Anyway, I
just wanted to make sure I pointed that out because
it's kind of past the point now, but I just

(01:06:55):
always kind of color my perceptions of that, and I
just wanted to make sure I said that.

Speaker 3 (01:06:59):
Yeah, no, I get it. I mean, you know, on
the national scale, it absolutely is lower. You know, I'd
love to see like, you know, get a few more
headlines here and there. But that's because I'm a fan.
You know, we're fans of the league, so you know,
that's what we want to see. But when you again,
I've told this, I've told you several times on here.
I've got people that I work with who are in
sports broadcasting, and.

Speaker 2 (01:07:20):
They still don't. Is it the XFL? Is it the USFL?
Like what is it?

Speaker 3 (01:07:24):
And it's like and some of these people work at
the local Fox station where I worked for twenty years,
and they and it's on your ear. I'm like, it's
on every Friday night. It's the UFL. But it's like
that brand has just not gotten there yet.

Speaker 2 (01:07:36):
I will it. I think it very well could, but
you know, we'll see last.

Speaker 1 (01:07:42):
Just a couple of things here. David If Harris leaves
to be a quarterback coach in college, and every Fox
pour it on UFO coaching, I agree, I mean, I yeah,
but I think he's gone. But I mean that's why
I I just didn't like earlier this season when like
just every coach was leaving for anything, like, oh, I
got my brother in law needs me to help him move,
Like I have to go. Yeah, I'm not trying to.

(01:08:02):
Like we had health concerns as well, but then it
felt like somebodys were like I just kind of want to. Yeah,
I'll duel here at magic numbers ninety four thousand and
forty eight for the playoffs in championship game, and we're
gonna be there. We go year over year there we go.
We're gonna leave it on the positive like and subscribe
thumbs up the video JLS on Royal Retro get your

(01:08:25):
ten percent off support Dustin. Oh here's a cool So John,
you'll no one. We're at the end of the podcast here,
So Dustin, because I had my guide do my jersey
right yeah, which is really yeah. So so the guy
did the jersey and so then I was talking with
Dustin showing them the photos and he's like, man, that's awesome,
and he's like, hey, I actually he actually needed help

(01:08:49):
for his actual business from that guy to help him
stitch stuff for one of his minor league teams. And
I was like, well, I don't, like, I have no idea,
you know. So I'm like, well, here's his information. I
don't know what anyone needs or anything. Uh. It sounded
like it went well. So Dustin was like, thanks for
the infost So I felt like I passed it along

(01:09:09):
and there you go. But I just thought that was
cool that, like it's all connected here, John, We're we're
making connections.

Speaker 2 (01:09:15):
We're community.

Speaker 1 (01:09:16):
There you go, like, subscribe, we'll figure it out next
week and we'll do all that stuff by that. Thanks John, okay,