A Brief History of Post-World War II Rival Leagues

The USFL marked the end of the “Golden Era” of rival leagues, in that it was the last in a line of several rival leagues that had arisen in the post-World War II era to challenge the established leagues. With the USFL as a more modern-day benchmark, this chapter delves into the experiences of earlier rival leagues, some more successful than the USFL and others equally unsuccessful. Ultimately, the question is this: what drives the relative success or failure of rivals? For example, why was the USFL so unsuccessful, when it appeared to have many factors working in its favor? Did the external conditions facing the USFL at the time preclude any chance of success for the league, or was the USFL’s failure entirely of its own making? Contrast this with the resounding success of the AFL or the more limited success of the ABA and WHA—what was it about these leagues that allowed them to be more successful challengers to the established leagues? Were they at the right place at the right time, or was it something more complex than this? Answers to these questions not only are important in a historical sense but can also provide valuable insights into the viability of interleague competition in the future.