Week 1 of the 2023 USFL season is in the books. However, it seems that the spring football league has been unable to pull large audiences like the NFL.
One of the main reasons for the lack of fans at USFL games is that most teams aren't playing in their home stadiums. The eight teams in the league have been split across Detroit, Memphis, Birmingham and Canton, Ohio.
The Week 1 contest between the Michigan Panthers and Houston Gamblers was played at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis. However, there were almost no fans in attendance because neither team had support from fans in Memphis.
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70% Win
(110-25-1)
70% Win
(110-25-1)
70% Win
(110-25-1)
'; }); pollOptions.innerHTML = pollOptionsDom; pollCount.innerHTML = totalVotes + ' votes'; if (totalVotes > 10) { pollCount.classList.remove("hidden"); } } function trackBetsTodayPollImpression() { var intersectionObserverForArticlePoll = new IntersectionObserver( function(entries) { entries.forEach(function(entry) { var pollId = entry.target.getAttribute("data-poll-id"); if (POLLS_BY_ID[pollId]['impression_tracked']) return; if (!entry.target || !entry.isIntersecting || entry.intersectionRatio < 0.5) return; setTimeout(function() { if (isInViewport(entry.target)) { POLLS_BY_ID[pollId]['impression_tracked'] = true; var isDesktop = "1"; var gaPayload = { "question" : POLLS_BY_ID[pollId]['question'], "category": "NFL", "page_url": window.location.href, "option1": POLLS_BY_ID[pollId]['option1'], "option2": POLLS_BY_ID[pollId]['option2'], } if (isDesktop) { gaPayload["device"] = "Desktop"; } else { gaPayload["device"] = "Mobile"; } gtag("event", "BETS_TODAY_POLL_IMPRESSION", gaPayload); intersectionObserverForArticlePoll.unobserve(entry.target); } }, 1000); }); }, { threshold: 0.5 } ); var pollElements = document.querySelectorAll('.bets-today-poll'); pollElements.forEach(function(pollElement) { var isAnswered = pollElement.querySelector(".poll-option-answered"); if (!isAnswered) { intersectionObserverForArticlePoll.observe(pollElement); } }) } return { answerPollX: answerPollX, }; }();Football fans on social media also mocked the Fox-owned league for being unable to get fans to attend games. Meanwhile, some also questioned why some teams aren't allowed to play home games in their own cities.
Nonetheless, the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium was almost full when the Memphis Showboats hosted the Philadelphia Stars in their season opener on Saturday. This was primarily because the home fans in the city came out in support of their team.
Interestingly, even the Protective Stadium in Birmingham had a large number of fans attending the weekend matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and New Jersey Generals.
Last season, all USFL games were held in Birmingham.
USFL Week 2 schedule and live stream details
Here's a look at the upcoming games in the USFL for Week 2, along with the live stream details. Saturday's games will be played in Birmingham, while Sunday's games will be played in Canton, Ohio.
Saturday
- Houston Gamblers vs New Orleans Breakers at 12:30 p.m. ET on USA
- Memphis Showboats vs Birmingham Stallions at 7 p.m. ET on Fox
Sunday
- New Jersey Generals at Pittsburgh Maulers at 12 p.m. ET on NBC/ Peacock
- Michigan Panthers at Philadelphia Stars at 7 p.m. ET on FS1
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