Category: Defunct leagues
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What Happened To The ABA?
The ABA’s rise began with big ambitions and ended with some of the strangest stories in basketball history. Along the way, the Spirits of St. Louis landed one of the craziest TV deals ever seen in professional sports, the Knicks passed on the chance to draft a future legend in Julius Erving, and the Kentucky…
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What Happened To The WHA?
In the early 1970’s, a new hockey league declared war on the NHL. The World Hockey Association lured Bobby Hull away with a contract worth millions, took the NHL to court and won, and somehow survived long enough to force the NHL to merge and accept four of its teams. But behind those victories was…
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What Happened To The WFL?
In 1974, a brand-new football league set out to do the impossible: challenge the NFL. The World Football League signed three Super Bowl champions to the richest contract in football history, convinced NFL stars like Ken Stabler and Daryle Lamonica to jump ship, and promised a new era of professional football. But the dream quickly…
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Why the CFL Failed in America… Except in Baltimore
The Canadian Football League’s push into the United States began with big ambitions and ended in ways few could have predicted. Along the way, one team became embroiled in a car chase over unpaid stadium debts, another accidentally drafted a player who had already died, and the league’s American experiment spiraled into chaos before collapsing…
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What Happened To NFL Europe?
NFL Europe was once the NFL’s bold attempt to grow American football overseas, launching in the early 1990’s with teams across both North America and Europe. But despite early excitement and strong fan support in places like Germany and England, the league struggled to stay afloat. So what exactly led to NFL Europe shutting down…
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What Happened To The XFL?
In 2001, Vince McMahon, the mastermind behind the WWE partnered up with NBC to create a one of a kind, unique football league that had aspirations to one day challenge the NFL’s superiority. In today’s video we’ll take a look back at the XFL’s sudden rise to prominence and its even faster demise after just…
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What Happened To The USFL?
The USFL came to prominence in the early 1980’s, hoping to challenge the growing popularity of the NFL. So what exactly led to the USFL being shut down after just three seasons? In today’s video we’ll take a look back at how a series of organizational mismanagements, and a misguided lawsuit against the NFL lead…