Stephen Tsai: Fans crave more football, so here come spring leagues

Feb. 14—Aloha used to mean goodbye.

For nearly three decades, the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium was the last game of the NFL's season.

Aloha used to mean goodbye.

For nearly three decades, the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium was the last game of the NFL's season. It did not matter that the game's tackling was torero-ish or that some of the top stars did not show up. (In 1993, quarterback Troy Aikman started but departed Aloha Stadium in the Pro Bowl's third quarter.) The Pro Bowl was not about competition, it was about delaying the start of the offseason.

And even though recent re-arrangement means the Super Bowl is played on the final weekend of the NFL season, there no longer is a hibernation period.

The XFL, under the leadership of commissioner Dwayne "The Rock " Johnson, opens its 2023 season on Saturday.

The league has a unique concept in which all eight teams train and practice in Texas, then travel to their "home " cities for the games. In addition to familiar coaches—former Hawaii head coach June Jones is offensive coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons—the XFL has TV deals with ABC, ESPN and Fox Sports. And it has Johnson, whose cameo at last year's tryout at McKinley High drew extensive media coverage.

In April, the United States Football League, which was resurrected during the pandemic, begins its second season on April 15. Seven of the eight teams that played in the early 1980s version have been revived for the reboot, including the New Jersey Generals (owned by Donald Trump in 1984 ).

In this USFL, eight teams will share four home sites. Birmingham and New Orleans will play home games in Alabama ; Houston and Memphis in Tennessee ; Michigan and Philadelphia in Detroit ; and New Jersey and Pittsburgh on the Hall of Fame grounds in Canton, Ohio.

USFL games will air on NBC, Peacock and Fox.

Japan's X-League will have two tournaments this spring. And the European League of Football, a descendant of NFL Europe, begins play in June.

It also appears the NFL will bring back the Arena Football League next year.

"That is an exciting version of football, " said Shane Austin, a former Hawaii quarterback who played in the AFL and was Shanghai's first-round pick in the 2016 China Arena Football League. "My wife would enjoy that more than an outdoor football game just because it's so much more scoring and tighter quarters. You're closer to the action. I'm really happy to hear that's making a return. It's a different brand of football, but it's an exciting brand, for sure."

Rich Miano, a UH standout who played 11 NFL seasons, said football resonates because it is an American-created sport.

"Not only that, look at the other sports, " Miano said. "Baseball has 162 games. Basketball has a long season. Football has the shortest season with the longest offseason. People are salivating for football in the spring. The lack of football in the offseason is creating the USFL and XFL and all these other leagues because there's no football in those months."

With diminished ratings for scripted television shows, Miano said, "live sports is what keeps these networks afloat. And it's mostly live football. Look at the ratings."

Austin said a football schedule, by its nature, is exempt from over-saturation. "Baseball, you lose a game, 'Whatever, we'll get'em tomorrow, '" Austin said. "You're playing so many games. You kind of become numb to the highs and lows of drama. With football, if you lose, 'Gosh, we've got a whole week before we can redeem ourselves.' If you win, it's exciting because of that whole buildup and anticipation."

The NFL has created global interest with games played in London and Mexico. The NFL Pathway program holds football clinics in Europe, Africa, Asia and Polynesia. "The NFL is trying to reach the global markets, " said UH assistant coach Keiki Misipeka, who worked as an international scout for the NFL before joining the Warriors last year. In December, Misipeka was credited with the UH signings of a sprinter from New Zealand and a 6-9 offensive lineman from London.

"It's huge, " former UH head coach Norm Chow said of American football's growing popularity in Europe.

Chow is head coach of the Helvetic Guards of the European League of Football. "It's not as popular as soccer, but it is popular, " he added.

Chow said he attended a Super Bowl watch party in Zurich, Switzerland. "It started at 12 :30 in the morning, " he said.

Austin said the XFL and USFL fill a demand for physical entertainment.

"Football is a very violent sport, " said Austin, who conceded, depending on team loyalty, spectators wanted to see him throw TD passes or get flattened. "It's like if you see an accident on the freeway. You don't want to look, but you gotta look. ... The other aspect is it's also a chess match. Fans are getting so educated on the nuances of the game and how much strategy plays into it. You see the strategy and you also get to see the carnage, pileups and collisions. It's just a blend of beautiful poetry and chaos."