As the USFL 2022 season approaches quickly, one might wonder where the league is going to find their players from. If they do plan on kicking off in April, that leaves them with about five months to put teams together (most likely eight) before the season starts.
There are mainly two available options that could be used by the league for addressing this. They could hold a draft, like most start up organizations would – or, they could simply assign players who sign up to teams.
What Makes Sense Based On Previous Experiences?
The Spring League used the latter approach, which saved time and money. However, it is not a viable option if the USFL wants to be a balanced and functional league.
In The Spring League’s 2020 and 2021 seasons, we saw teams such as the Aviators and Jousters struggle mightily, as they were severely undermanned compared to groups like the Linemen and Conquerors.
Of course, in any league, there will be teams that perform well, and those that just can’t put it together. In the XFL and AAF, we saw teams like the Atlanta Legends and Seattle Dragons fall short of their season’s goals – but, that fell on the coaching staff who did have the chance to scout out players, and did not make the right calls.
In the TSL, players were placed onto teams with none, or very little previous experience with teammates, coaches, and staff, which caused quite a few issues for several squads who had no chemistry whatsoever.
Some were able to work out the kinks, and looked relatively solid. However, if a league wants to survive long term, and is looking to provide viewers with a high quality experience, going with a draft style makes more logical sense; so that the very best are on the field at all times.
Is The USFL Running Out Of Time?
With five months left before the league is set to kick off, the USFL definitely does not have a lot of time to spare if they want to do a full on draft. The XFL started this process for their 2020 season much earlier, and their draft went quite smoothly, so it will be interesting to see how the USFL’s player alignment pans out.
Only time will tell as to what they ultimately decide to do, but one would hope that there are tryouts being held currently, or soon, so the organization can field eight teams come game time.
Are you excited for the USFL’s 2022 season? Do you think they will hold a draft soon? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
