WEBVTT 1 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:14.759 Hey, guys, welcome to the Marcast. Read here is the UFL living 2 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:19.120 up to expectations? That is the theme we are tackling today as we approach 3 00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:23.600 the midway point, Week five of the UFL twenty twenty four season. Can't 4 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:28.519 believe we're already there. Big show coming your way today. Happy NFL Draft 5 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:33.159 Week, a weekend, lots of excitement going on. Hopefully by the time 6 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:38.039 you are listening or watching this, I have pre ordered my Jaden Daniels Washington 7 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:43.280 Commanders Jersey here pick number two. Pretty anxious today here Mariners are playing the 8 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:47.399 Rangers. We got the drafts coming up tonight. A little anxious right now, 9 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:51.039 so hopefully this episode goes well. You guys enjoy it. I'm going 10 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:55.159 to give you a little trigger warning here if you're one of those people gets 11 00:00:55.200 --> 00:01:00.399 a little triggered by a little criticism of the UFL. Just fair warn here. 12 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:03.600 Haven't talked with Greg yet, but boy, have I talked with Rick 13 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:07.760 Sarah Tella this morning. I don't know if I was ready for Rick here 14 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:11.519 at eight thirty am Pacific on a Thursday. Shot out of the cannon. 15 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:15.719 Rick Sarahtella, All Around the Football Guy, All Access Football He's now a 16 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:18.599 scout with the Edmonton Elks, been around a lot. He was part of 17 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:22.519 the IFA for a while, so Rick certainly knows this stuff. Has been 18 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.480 watching the UFL games, went to the UFL or into Renegade's DC Defenders game 19 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:30.040 and said, read I have a lot of stuff to get off my plate 20 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:34.599 and did he so just it's a great interview, very constructive. But boy, 21 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:38.359 Rick scottson takes, I just hope you're ready. I assume Greg is 22 00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:41.799 going to be as fier. We all know Greg Parks that you know, 23 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:45.400 the fiery contributor for UFO board, but hey, maybe Greg's going to have 24 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:48.120 thoughts as well. I don't you know, Breakfast any of this, like 25 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.840 come on and talk negative about the league, but you know we're sharing our 26 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:55.159 thoughts. We're halfway here through the season. I can't believe it. Halfway 27 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:59.760 to the Saint Louis Championship game. Speaking of which, like and subscribe, 28 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:05.480 I think the YouTube cleared out some bots or something lastly losing subscribers. Maybe 29 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:07.719 it's just all of our fiery hot takes, but trying to get to thirty 30 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:13.919 five hundred subscribers by the UFL Championship game. We're giving away two free tickets 31 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:17.000 and then you'll be able to sit with the Professor Andrew Murray at the championship 32 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:21.439 game. Don't like and subscribe if you're already subscribed, give a thumbs up 33 00:02:21.479 --> 00:02:24.199 to the video, tell the algorithm and you know, comment all your hot 34 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:30.039 takes and commentary against Rick and Greg's hot takes here today. But big show, 35 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:35.039 I said Rick Sarahtella, Greg Parks, contributor for UFL board, sharing 36 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:39.319 his thoughts. It's the UFL A meeting his expectations, exceeding his expectations for 37 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:43.639 the season. And then I always appreciate Darryl Davis as well, coming on 38 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:47.400 from Saskatchewan, one of the few Canadian provinces that is not represented in the 39 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:53.280 NHL playoffs this year. Darryl talking Sean Lemon's indefinite suspension for gambling the Chack 40 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:58.919 Kelly and how does that investigation relate to the Shawn Lemon investigation. Talking the 41 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:01.439 CFL draft come up next week and the Rough Riders and everything else. So 42 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:06.439 I will let you guys have at it. Please enjoy the episode if you 43 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:08.919 if you agree, if you disagree, that's good. Leave your comments, 44 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:13.159 leave your feedback, I respond to everything, so appreciate it, like and 45 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:21.319 subscribe. We'll see at the end. Well, here we are busy week. 46 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:23.240 Here, I have my commander's hat on. Hopefully as we listen to 47 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:27.599 this, I guess I'm pre ordering my Jaden Daniels Jersey will see how we 48 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.520 feel about that. We get Rick Stots, but we have Rick sarah Tel 49 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:34.280 here, busy football man, all Access Football. He's a scout with the 50 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:37.879 Elks up in the CFL. We wanted to have Rick on during the UFL 51 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:39.439 kickoff and then obviously busy with travel and all of that. So now we 52 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:43.120 get him one on one here, Rick, how are you doing? I'm 53 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.120 doing great, man, the best time of the year for me, so 54 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:49.520 buckle up. Well, no, and that's because you know Rick said, 55 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:51.680 he goes, hey, I want to talk to some of this UFL stuff, 56 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:53.840 And I go, well, isn't this like, well, no, 57 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:55.240 I've done all the you know, this is all like you know, they 58 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.800 all the all the work's been done. We're getting ready for all this stuff. 59 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:00.520 But now we're talking, we're going I went into UFL Week five. 60 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:03.319 First off, just how are you doing? And then let's kind of get 61 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:06.159 into your thoughts on the other season. You know, I'm doing great. 62 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:11.639 Read thank you for asking. Hopefully you're doing well. You know, Listen, 63 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:16.079 i have never been to a Canadian Football League game and I'm getting ready 64 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:20.920 to gear up for my first CFL training camp. We report on maybe eighth, 65 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:25.560 so I'll be departing for Edmonton, and man, I'm looking forward to 66 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:30.680 it. I feel like seeing it on TV and experiencing it. You know. 67 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:33.079 Coach Chris Jones and told me like, hey, you really don't understand 68 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:38.439 the waggle until you see it live in person. So really looking forward to 69 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.279 it. Man, it should be fun Edmonton. You know, they need 70 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:43.519 to kind of bounce back this year. I think they need to sign a 71 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:46.240 few more quarterbacks. I think this week and all that, I think I 72 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:49.560 think we have nine quarterbacks. Hey is Cardell Jones being called again for that? 73 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:53.279 But anyway, we can talk a little CFL at the ad, but 74 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:58.000 let's get into this UFL. The theme this week is the UFL living up 75 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:01.600 to expectations. So what let's say you you're a football guy. Yeah, 76 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:05.759 so in terms of like on the field quality of product, I think it's 77 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:09.199 great. You know, I think it's a step up from the level of 78 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:13.800 competition. I think there's more continuity there. The games are exciting, and 79 00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:16.839 they've always been exciting to me. And you see a lot of games come 80 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:21.360 down to the wire, which is great. The ratings are good too, 81 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:26.800 right, I'd love to see the advertising dollars which might make it sustainable. 82 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:30.639 But then, you know, I had the opportunity to attend the game Arlington 83 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:35.319 DC at Arlington a couple weeks back. Didn't pull out my Scout card or 84 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:39.240 my media card. I wanted to go and experience it as a fan. 85 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:42.839 I was there with some friends and wanted to just, you know, see 86 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:46.240 what it's all about. And I'll tell you and I don't want to make 87 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.639 this out to be a hit job on the UFL. In fact, I 88 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:57.279 know they listened to your show. I know they've rejected my help numerous occasions. 89 00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:59.560 So through the power of the Mark Cast, we're going to offer them 90 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:04.000 freakinging. But man, they just missed the Mark on so many aspects, 91 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:08.360 and I'd love to dive into some of them. I don't know how much 92 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:11.920 time we have, but for for example, you know, the first thing 93 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:15.879 I'd noticed upon walking into the stadium is that you know, I don't think 94 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:19.839 they know who their audience is, because what I noticed was most of the 95 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:26.279 people are really not there for football. Most of the people want to enjoy 96 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:30.120 a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, take their family out to the game, have 97 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:33.839 a local team to root for, and not have to pay the NFL cost 98 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:40.279 of experience, right, and so like you've got fan bases there, Like 99 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:44.920 there was one crew behind the end zone. Okay, the Renegades, they're 100 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:49.040 all dressed up robot uniforms. They're going crazy. Anything the Renegades do. 101 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.680 They're cheering. Man, Now, I'm not sure they know any of the 102 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:57.360 rules, Like you know, down again, it came down to the end, 103 00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:00.160 they were completely quiet. They didn't know it hit them. But my 104 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:04.160 point is, like the crowd cheers the loudest when they're throwing around a free 105 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:11.279 T shirt. And so when I go there, and I understand, like 106 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.399 part of the problem is they negotiated bad stadium deals. So I don't know 107 00:07:15.439 --> 00:07:19.079 how much of this they can control. But like we bought our tickets. 108 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:23.279 I think the two tickets that came out to like forty five bucks in total 109 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:26.519 for the both of us. Awesome, cool, we're in. Then we 110 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:30.680 get there and the cheapest parking is like fifty bucks. So now the parking 111 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.920 costs more than the seats, which you know to be expected, I guess 112 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:39.240 out of sporting event. Now you go to the game. You know, 113 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:43.639 we get a couple of beers, you know, eight dollars bottled waters, 114 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.279 twelve dollars beers. You know you have two three rounds, a couple of 115 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.279 waters. You're in the whole another one hundred bucks. So I said, 116 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:55.399 man, this really is not fan friendly to a family of four that wants 117 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:58.720 to go spend an afternoon and hang out and watch a good football game. 118 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:05.319 And you know it's Melissa High School. I had a workout there, right 119 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:09.920 down the street, a stone's throw away from Arlington Stadium. Read I'd be 120 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:13.040 embarrassed to tell you how cheap I can get that stadium. It's a thirty 121 00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:18.199 five million dollar facility. It holds twelve thousand fannies in the seats. Why 122 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:22.120 don't we work on filling out that venue first? Okay, because they reported 123 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:26.639 eight thousand, I'd be shocked, shocked if there was even half of that. 124 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.759 Okay. Then I went to the Frisco Fighters game later that night. 125 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:35.120 I actually felt embarrassed for the UFL, but it's by their own doing. 126 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:39.799 But you go to the Frisco Fighters game, there's maybe a thousand people in 127 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.840 the arena, but there's more ambiance, there's more atmosphere. And guess what, 128 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:46.360 after the game, you go on the field, you get to shake 129 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:50.720 the player's hands, you get free autographs, you get to have that intimate 130 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:54.720 fan experience. There's none of that going on at the UFL. And I 131 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:58.559 think they missed the boat. Like Louis Perez is somewhat of a local legend 132 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:03.679 down there. You wouldn't know that he's playing in the backyard right there, 133 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:07.639 hanging out in Arlington. I didn't see one Texas A and M Commerce shirt. 134 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:13.559 How about maybe giving out some tickets to the youth teams to the Texas 135 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.600 A and M Commerce football program. And I'll tell you another thing, Like 136 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:22.080 I don't know if you talked about this on the air, I'm sure you're 137 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:24.679 aware of the figures. I know I know what the numbers are for the 138 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:28.240 head coaching salaries. What a joke they got. You know, they don't 139 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:31.720 have NFL money, but they have money to be successful. They put it 140 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:37.279 in the wrong areas. The stadium contracts, terrible deals. The head coaching 141 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:41.080 contracts terrible deals. First of all, Like, if you don't want, 142 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:45.399 if you don't want to coach in this league for four hundred thousand dollars, 143 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.360 take a hike, see you later. You know, because I tell you 144 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:52.360 what, nobody came to the game to watch Bob Stoops stand on the sideline. 145 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.679 That guy's collecting a retirement check. No offense coach. You know, 146 00:09:56.919 --> 00:10:01.240 I'm not out here to make enemies. But like this is common sense logic. 147 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:05.399 One oh one. Every head coach makes four hundred thousand dollars, and 148 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:11.559 I just cut the head coaching budget by seventy five percent by doing that. 149 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:15.919 You do the math. So, like where they're allocating their resources are just 150 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:20.720 terrible business decisions. And this has been a completely like I've talked to the 151 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:26.600 people, and this is completely a USFL operation right entirely in terms of in 152 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:30.519 terms of kind of management. What do you mean in terms of the people 153 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:33.039 who are calling the shots? Are the USFL folks, the XFL. This 154 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:35.720 was a merger, This was not a mergent, This was an acquisition. 155 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:41.679 So you know, I've got a lot more. But man, those are 156 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:46.639 just like simple things that they can get like, I know the guy there 157 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:50.320 that owns the biggest Harley Davidson right down there in the I'm not even from 158 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:54.240 Texas, but like you think if you gave away a free Harley Davidson or 159 00:10:54.279 --> 00:11:00.720 did like a Pat McAfee kicking halftime show entertainment, you think you might fill 160 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:03.960 up some seats and have the crowd stick around, at least for the first 161 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:07.000 half. I mean, it was an embarrassment. Read like, there was 162 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:11.799 not even four thousand people in that stadium. And I hope they get it 163 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:16.879 together and turn it around. But I mean there's there's so much fixing up 164 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:20.440 to do, and then you know, you go down the street, let's 165 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:24.120 yeah, let's stop dawn a little bit here. It's good. I kind 166 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:26.600 of get that off my chest. It's been way on me for like two 167 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:30.360 weeks. Man. I want to see this league succeed. I want to 168 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:33.240 see them do well. Yeah, and what you know, and we because 169 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:35.559 I want to because you know, we want to be constructed about this as 170 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:37.639 well, because we've gotten a lot and even on the show on Monday, 171 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:41.080 we get a lot of like you guys, like you rag on it, 172 00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:43.519 but what you know, what are the ideas I like having tangible things, 173 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:46.320 But I said I would have a table out front of the Ranger Stadium every 174 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:48.720 second of every day there at Texas Live. Hey, do you know, 175 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:54.000 like I said, you know there's Ranger schemes there this week the Mariners are 176 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.879 in town, Like, Hey, did you know there's football players here literally 177 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.879 across the street coming up this weekend. But it to me the UFL here 178 00:12:01.240 --> 00:12:03.399 is in a weird spot because, like you said, and going into the 179 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:09.039 CFL, they get that community, right, we're like diving into the community 180 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:11.720 or investing, and I know we do a little bit of that, right. 181 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:16.039 I think they had like a home list the people in Arlington, like 182 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.600 the players went and helped to like the local homeless shelters in Arlington, which 183 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:22.159 was great, But that's I don't care about the Memphis show Bucks players going 184 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:26.399 to the Arlington Renegades. Yeah, we need to do that in Memphis. 185 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:28.799 We need to do that, But they don't have the money to do that. 186 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:31.039 So you're kind of stuck in this area where I think they're doing a 187 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.279 lot in or trying to do a lot in Arlington. But there's those other 188 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:37.759 seven markets, and we you know, they don't necessarily make sense anyway, 189 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:41.720 It really doesn't cost a lot to do grassroots marketing though to your point, 190 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:48.679 like I could have a couple of Arlington Renegades runners and the parking lot of 191 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:54.159 the Texas Rangers stadium, like giving out free tickets to kids. I mean, 192 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:56.720 how many people does Arlington hold? Forty thousand people? And you can't 193 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:01.120 even put four Thousando's marketing starts with the youth. If you don't, if 194 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:05.240 you don't make fans grow up with this and like it from a young age, 195 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:09.200 people like you and me aren't going to just discover this thing and and 196 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:13.120 and become interested because there's no name brand value. You've got to start with 197 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:16.240 the youth. And they've done none of that. And I'll tell you what 198 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:20.080 good thing. We weren't hungry because we were already like out two hundred and 199 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:22.919 fifty bucks just from you know, a couple of soda pops. I mean, 200 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:30.720 imagine if we wanted to eat like that's not family friendly. Well, 201 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:33.200 I will also say when I was there for covering the kickoff game, I 202 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:35.919 also had to purchase We had to purchase our own food and beverage as media 203 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:41.480 members, which is another another conversation in and of itself. But I just 204 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:45.080 you know, I don't want to say that plightly, but I just yeah, 205 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:48.000 it feels like, you know, and we talked about this last week 206 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.919 on the show, like, you how how do we get like these media 207 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:54.000 members because people sit there and they go like, Okay, who's watching the 208 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:56.840 you know, who's watching the crowds, who's watching their clouds? I watched 209 00:13:56.840 --> 00:14:00.799 the crowds because that tells me if there's a level of inure in the markets. 210 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:03.799 Right, we're not trying to just attract the national market. We're trying 211 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:07.039 to attract local and you know, ultimately the goal here, as they've said, 212 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:09.840 is we want to sell off these franchises in the next four or five 213 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.279 years. Well I don't see you know, seven thousand in Michigan or seven 214 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:16.120 thousand in Memphis doing that. So how do you you know, how do 215 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.039 you get these media members not in you know, not in Arlington, to 216 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:24.120 hop on these media calls to cover this stuff. There's no practice. I 217 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:26.960 don't I don't know how you get these people that are working at you know, 218 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:31.720 the Fox affiliated Memphis to care about the UFL. So so I pitched 219 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:35.759 an idea where you know, maybe you should kind of make me the media 220 00:14:35.879 --> 00:14:39.679 reporter for the league website and have me kind of going behind the scenes bringing 221 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:46.080 you the stories and the interviews and going you know, behind the scenes kind 222 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:50.080 of thing. But they don't want to spend the money there. They want 223 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:54.919 to go pay head coaches through the roof. But the problem is read like 224 00:14:54.200 --> 00:15:03.039 if you if you notice, like beat coverage has dwindled down, you know, 225 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:07.480 like how many Texas Rangers beat writers are there? Right? Probably not 226 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:11.840 a lot. So like no newspaper or local media outlet is going to pay 227 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:16.679 a guy to go cover Arlington Renegades or the Memphis Showboats. Like there's just 228 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:22.759 no return on investment there because it is a niche market. It's a niche 229 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:28.519 fan base, but it's niche enough where you can survive. And I you 230 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:33.600 know, the question I ponder, like we never see anything about the advertising 231 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:39.559 revenue that they generate on TV. But my big question is like are they 232 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:43.240 doing the league a favor by putting the games on the league legacy channels? 233 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:48.679 Because as soon as they go to cable, whether it's FS one or wherever 234 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:50.879 else, they you got to go looking for the game. I mean, 235 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:58.639 the audience drops significantly. So is it like, are people just you know, 236 00:15:58.200 --> 00:16:04.879 finding this thing on ABC and flops because it's on easily accessible and yet 237 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:08.480 when you have to go find like I can log onto the UFL website can 238 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.440 see it's on FS one, but then only two hundred thousand people bother showing 239 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:15.399 up. That's been concerning to me. I don't know. I'd love to 240 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:18.559 hear your thoughts on that. No, and I do, I think obviously, 241 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:22.759 And that's been their tuting point this season. Right as we've consolidated, 242 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:25.720 we're prioritizing the you know, the time slots. But to your point, 243 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:27.679 yeah, I think there's half a million people that are always I mean the 244 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:32.399 Spring League Mega Bowl on Fox three years ago, dree four hundred and fifty 245 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:34.279 thousand viewers, and that was Brian Woods and you know, a cardboard box 246 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:38.200 and his garage putting together a league, right, So I think that it 247 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:41.440 looks better in that way. But to your point, when you move it 248 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:45.440 off, you know, to the ones where we have to seek it out, 249 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:48.320 you know, it's not becoming a destination. We saw that with FX 250 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:52.279 last year. I just wanted to stop down as well with the beat writers 251 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.240 in the lack of that coverage. I don't know if you it was kind 252 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:59.080 of going online. It was like the sports gambling podcast, like they got 253 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:02.519 denied credential to go cover one of the XFL games, and like this guy 254 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:03.759 just went out of TI rate. I didn't want to comment too much, 255 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:07.319 but they had they had difficulties, and we're blessed that. You know, 256 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:11.000 Marcuas is pretty well accepted with all this stuff, but they had challenges getting 257 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:14.799 credential for all this. And to your point, he's like, you know, 258 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:18.200 who is covering this league? Were that sending out people from San Antonio 259 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:19.720 to Arlington? Who? You know? You need to focus on the internet 260 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:22.920 shows, the podcast the other things at this point, because there's not that 261 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:26.839 many, as you said, like Texas Rangers reporters also covering the Arlington or 262 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:32.920 anybody else. I agree, and you know, maybe because they're a gambling 263 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:34.880 website that got denied credentials, but at this point, you know, the 264 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:38.839 league should be embracing that element too, right, I mean I would be 265 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:44.559 broadcasting that talking about the odds, the in game odds, whatever over under 266 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:49.200 during the broadcast, because it's another element that that gauges fan interest and keeps 267 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:53.839 you interested in the game, and by refusing to acknowledge that again, you're 268 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:59.880 just cutting off a whole other audience or demographic that you know, if you 269 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:03.279 got somebody that wants to come and cover the league, I mean, listen, 270 00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:08.160 I'd be opening like the Senior Bowl. Let's everybody in UFL could probably 271 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:15.799 take a page out of that playbook in terms of kind of I don't know, 272 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:18.640 more more constructive things you like to see. I know you had a 273 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.039 list of items you wanted to get through. Anything else you want to make 274 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:23.279 sure you yes, you stop down, well, you know, I mean, 275 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:26.079 other stuff is kind of just big. I mean, I think they're 276 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:30.519 doing a good job with the talent and the on field product. But again, 277 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:36.359 just like an operation standpoint, how do you make this sustainable? How 278 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:40.319 do you make it profitable? Like the TV ratings, Yeah they could, 279 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:42.880 they might be able to squeeze or milk another year out of this read, 280 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:47.720 but like, do you want to sustain or do you want to grow? 281 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:52.200 Because I haven't seen anything that they've done that tells me that they want to 282 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:56.960 grow. Funny, it's like I hear talk about expansion, Like how about 283 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.960 you master what you have? I mean, give me a break. There's 284 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:06.400 one market, Saint Louis, that draws fans, and it's only because it's 285 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:10.200 a passionate fan base that had an NFL team robbed from him. I had 286 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:12.920 a chance to attend the Saint Louis Rams game. That is a passionate fan 287 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:18.440 base. And the BattleHawks are drawing out of default, not because of anything 288 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:22.680 that the league did. No. Yes, and then we bade that point 289 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:25.440 as well, the DC and Saint Louis. You know, it's no surprise 290 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:30.079 that the two legacy franchises around since twenty eighteen on the ones that are so 291 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:33.480 carried. But you even saw it last It was last week, you know, 292 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:36.559 Saint Louis, they were down ten thousand week over when they have their 293 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:38.759 opening weekend, and you always get well, he was study outside and the 294 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:41.880 Cardinals were playing, and there was a gas station opening up down the street, 295 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:45.160 and Brian Carey was playing in the county. Like there's all these different 296 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.839 things, and I forgot that was what I was trying to reach to before 297 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:52.119 you were talking about the the you pitching to be the media reporter. I 298 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:56.000 like that they had that Josh Lewin do it last year. I thought that 299 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:57.519 was good. I thought he was too busy. I didn't think that he. 300 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.640 I think he had his fingers in too many different things, and I 301 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:03.680 don't think he had enough time to kind of do what that position could have 302 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:07.680 been. But I like that they at least they had a weekly podcast. 303 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:11.480 At least they had a weekly blog, articles, recaps, interviews with the 304 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.839 coaches. Even I think it should have been you know that times five, 305 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:17.119 Right, let's do something every day. But at least you have that. 306 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.799 You want to connect with your fan base, how do you do that. 307 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:22.759 You tell the stories of the players, You tell the stories of the league. 308 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:30.039 Okay, And I saw one of our buddies, Juan Lozano, who's 309 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:34.160 a very well known agent, said like, you know, basically the broadcasters 310 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:37.440 are a joke. And I agree. I mean, I tune in and 311 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:44.119 these guys are on there smiling and just shooting out the side of their neck, 312 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:48.200 like acho, love your baby. You came on my show, good 313 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:51.440 dude, But don't sit up there in front like you even know who any 314 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:52.480 of these guys are. You never saw any of them play, You don't 315 00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:56.039 know anything about them, And so like, why wouldn't you have a guy 316 00:20:56.119 --> 00:21:03.200 like Emery Hunt or myself I've scouted and communicated and spoken to almost every single 317 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.599 player in the league. I know them personally. I know a lot of 318 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:10.440 their families, I know their agents, their trainers. I know everything about 319 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:12.880 these guys. I've hung out with them too. Nobody knows them more than 320 00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:17.960 I do. But they want to go hire some big name phony try them 321 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:22.839 out there and show up with these game notes and just read like somebody makes 322 00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:25.400 a tackle. Well, let me look down and see what college he went 323 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:29.279 to. So and so went to Washburn University. How about that? Guys. 324 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:33.240 It's like there's no there's no there's no pride, there's no homework. 325 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:41.200 These guys just show up and just shoot the breeze throughout the game. And 326 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:44.920 it's an insult to the fan base for people like you and I who are 327 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.240 tuning in that really want to see Cavante Turpin and what this guy is gonna 328 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:51.519 do next and if he has a shot to go to the NFL. And 329 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:56.799 this kicker like that's the other thing that did that just is really uh mind 330 00:21:56.839 --> 00:22:02.599 blowing to me. Like there's teams now being investigated for tampering on the kicker 331 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:07.720 baits like like you have a stipulation in the contract that doesn't allow the players 332 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:11.200 to talk to NFL teams in season. Like, give me a break. 333 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:15.200 That's the best marketing you can have. So it's like, you know, 334 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:18.559 listen, dude, you're telling me that teams are gonna be in trouble for 335 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:23.640 contacting the kicker. What a joke. The best marketing you can have is 336 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:27.599 this guy talking to an NFL team and they wouldn't know innovation if it's slapped 337 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:32.160 them in the face. I'm sitting in the stadium wondering why they don't just 338 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:37.400 change it back to the kickoff rule which they created that the NFL changed, 339 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:41.599 Right, you would have people that would just be tuning in for that, 340 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:45.319 but they got innovative slapping them in the face and don't even know it. 341 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:49.079 So like, how do you like you bring the horse to water? You 342 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:52.400 can't force them to drink it. I mean, these guys no offense. 343 00:22:52.799 --> 00:23:00.240 Some of these guys running the show are dinosaurs. I said it. Sorry, 344 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:07.519 guys, the times have passed you bye. Do you find because I 345 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:10.960 We've had a lot of comments about between the Fox and the ESPN broadcast, 346 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:14.319 and I'm always like normally I'm doing a lot like I'm on my phone. 347 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:17.720 I'm not always like, you know, I get a little add going on. 348 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:21.240 But last week I was watching the BattleHawks game and it was on ESPN 349 00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:22.559 and I'm on the treadmill, so I'm, you know, glued him the 350 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:26.079 whole time. And it was No, it was not Tom Lugan Bill, 351 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:29.160 who was a friend of the show, is a gentleman that was the lead 352 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:33.319 play by play then incestantly talked about the over under of the game the entire 353 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:36.440 time. I'm like, Oh, we're going for two here, Like that's 354 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:37.680 gonna help with the over It's like, no, they're going for two to 355 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:41.319 try to win the game. They're going for to try to score points. 356 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:42.440 Like, So, is it do you find that across the board? Is 357 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:45.839 that because people like like Joe Klatt and Curtin them, or do you like 358 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:48.519 the Fox crew or do you think that's across the board? Or is it 359 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.799 ESPN the shoe. I like Joe Klatt because he does college football broadcast and 360 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:57.599 he's seen some of these guys, so he comes across as more authentic. 361 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:03.640 Uh, you know, the rest of them, there's a lot to be 362 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:08.000 desired. You know, that's the end of the year. Are you including 363 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:11.720 Seattle sports lizer Brock Heward in that mix. Yeah, I think he's going 364 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:12.680 on the show. In a couple of leaks. I like Brock. I 365 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:18.039 think, you know, he's not terrible, but I think you know, 366 00:24:18.839 --> 00:24:25.680 Clatte, you can tell respects the job. I'm not sure Cord puts in 367 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:29.640 as much work, but he does have a little bit more familiar obity with 368 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:34.559 these guys. You know, I think the college broadcasters are better for it. 369 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:37.680 But you know, there's a lot of talented dudes out there that do 370 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:41.480 know these players, and it would be beneficial for the league to investigate that 371 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:47.200 well. And even we've talked before about even doing these drafts and everything, 372 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:48.720 and I think they go, like, well, who cares about the supplemental 373 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.400 draft because it will be it's because no one knows who you know, you 374 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:53.839 got to find people that knows who these people are and then they can talk 375 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:56.000 about it. It's yeah, like if you if you put out of their 376 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.759 press release, it's one of those and it's like, I don't know, 377 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:02.799 it's never hit And I've seen you know, the heights of the you know 378 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:06.440 the XFL YouTube back through you know, twenty eighteen to twenty twenty when I 379 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:08.400 was a fan and not being has seemed to get to that point ever again, 380 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:11.559 and it's because of this, like, well, this is is what 381 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:12.799 it is. We're just gonna put this out. We're just gonna do this. 382 00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:15.240 We're gonna do it on a Sunday and we'll send out a press release 383 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:18.359 like you need to. You got to build this up if you want people 384 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:23.039 to care about it. There there is absolutely zero fan initiative, and if 385 00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:27.000 there is, I mean I challenged the UFL to provide us with the list 386 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:33.079 of what their fan initiative includes, because I mean, if I if I 387 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:41.680 had to go off of their actions, they hate us. I mean, 388 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:45.079 thank god they got the box scores fixed this year. I mean, but 389 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:48.799 they hate us, like they don't do anything for the fans. They do 390 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:56.319 nothing to cater to the fan experience. They do nothing to enhance like the 391 00:25:56.359 --> 00:26:00.359 whole situation, like how many years have they been doing this? How many 392 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:04.440 years? Like they knew they weren't going to fill up Arlington Stadium. You 393 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:10.440 know how many first class facility high schools And again, I you know, 394 00:26:10.559 --> 00:26:15.440 you probably don't even have to pay much. They might they might just want 395 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.440 it for the publicity and I'll tell you what, man, these stadiums are 396 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:23.759 nice down there in Texas, right, And Florida's got them too. California's 397 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:32.039 got them too. So it can be done out of smaller scale and a 398 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:37.440 much better fan experience. And I think again, if you want to grow, 399 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.680 then that's what you need to do. You need to grow the gates, 400 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:41.640 You need to grow the merchandise. You know. That was the other 401 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:45.920 thing too, Like I had to walk probably like more than half the stadium 402 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:52.400 to find the memorabilia, right, but again after what I paid, Like 403 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:56.519 I just really wasn't feeling a fifty dollar T shirt, you know. And 404 00:26:56.599 --> 00:27:00.200 so again it's like you should be given this stuff away, like a T 405 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:04.200 shirt should be like no more than thirty five dollars for UFL T shirt. 406 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:08.759 I don't know, Uh, call me crazy, but like if you want 407 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:15.119 people to wear that and buy it and and grow the game, like that's 408 00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:19.119 what you need to do. What do you? And I don't want this 409 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:22.160 to be And I because I believe we could rag for a long time on 410 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:25.559 all this stuff, and I you know, it's common sense. I'm not 411 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:29.880 ragging, Marie. This is this is common sense stuff, right that me 412 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:33.960 and my entourage in the in the stadium throughout the course of the game, 413 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:37.000 solved a lot of the league issues just common sense. But is it so 414 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:41.039 who do you put on this on that is that that USFL side there of 415 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:45.039 saying like hey, Fox, we need to invest more in this is it 416 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:48.319 is? To me? It's always just like we saw that the XFL last 417 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:51.319 year, Like, okay, we we lost money, we cut a bunch 418 00:27:51.319 --> 00:27:53.839 of people, you know, Fox, Okay, we're accepting the XFL coming 419 00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:56.720 into this kind of work, like nobody, we all seem gunshy to be 420 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:59.799 able to take the plene. You know, when I went from working by 421 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:02.960 time job to do what I do now, you know, you take a 422 00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:04.319 jump and you go, I'm going to lose some money here for a little 423 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:07.279 bit and build it up on the other side. And you know, I 424 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:10.039 mean you're someone that you know does a million different things, Like at some 425 00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:12.640 point, I do you is that the issue? What do you think the 426 00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:18.400 issue is? Well, you know, I think the biggest problem, like 427 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:22.079 with a lot of these leagues, you know, we saw it with Bill 428 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:26.880 Polly and I think with the Alliance League is that you know, football guys 429 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:30.640 are are just that and should probably stay on that side of the field. 430 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:37.640 When you have football guys making business decisions, it's a recipe for disaster. 431 00:28:38.920 --> 00:28:45.119 You need somebody to come in here and look at this operation as a bottom 432 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:52.640 line business and not just strictly as a TV reality show. Right, this 433 00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:57.519 is reality TV programming at its cheapest for ABC and Fox. That's what this 434 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:03.279 league is to them. But when you have the football guys saying, oh, 435 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:04.400 well, you know, I know the guy over at Arlington, we 436 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:07.079 can get a stadium there. Hey, let's go play. Let's put a 437 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:11.480 team in New Jersey and playing Giants stadium, even though nobody gives a crap 438 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:15.079 about this team, Like you know, it's just like, and I remember 439 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:17.480 having that conversation with the guys at the time. I'm like, yo, 440 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:19.559 dude, like, why don't you maybe put them in the MetroStars stadium. 441 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:22.920 It holds twenty five thousand. You might have a little bit more of an 442 00:29:22.920 --> 00:29:26.039 ambiance. I mean, they couldn't get two thousand people in the Meadowlands. 443 00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:32.640 What a joke. But it's like, are you that tone deaf to your 444 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:38.160 own product? How many years you've been doing this? I don't get it 445 00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:44.440 to me. And I've said before. It's that balance of I think they 446 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:47.720 want to view themselves as NFL light and I think that they need to be 447 00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:49.480 more of a CFL brand that we're really investing in here. I don't know. 448 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:52.960 We've talked and you know, trying to get stories out players, and 449 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:56.200 we you know, like we did get Darryl Johnson on Riot. I mean 450 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:57.720 that was super appreciative of the league set that up. But some of the 451 00:29:57.759 --> 00:30:00.480 time some of these team raps, you know, I email every week like 452 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:02.920 hey, we'd love to talk to that, you know, I know, 453 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:04.920 and like, I know we're setting up all these coach we're doing all these 454 00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:07.920 you know, the virtual calls that like three people are on, Like I 455 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:11.359 go check this out. That's the benefit to me, right, And you 456 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:14.200 have someone on here for twenty minutes, ten minutes we can talk and kind 457 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:17.519 of go through I can't do a media scrum for a podcast, and they're 458 00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:19.039 like, oh, you know real, like we're trying, we're busy. 459 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:22.920 I'm like, I don't, I don't know what you're busy doing. Then 460 00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:26.200 like it maybe if I if it was explained to me, I would I 461 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:30.759 would understand, right, And then like, okay, I'm not seeing what 462 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:34.079 you're seeing. But we're just like I don't know, like besides setting up 463 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:37.599 the zoom calls every week, Like I don't know, it's no time for 464 00:30:37.640 --> 00:30:41.680 you. Like I deal with Matt Baker with the BC allions all the time, 465 00:30:41.720 --> 00:30:44.279 and I go, I text Matt, Hey, Matt, anybody in 466 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:45.880 the world you have to talk to today. I'm sitting in front of my 467 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:48.559 computer all day. I can hop on at any point of the day and 468 00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:52.160 talk to the and he'll go, hey, so and so, read needs 469 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:56.720 you for ten minutes before you leave practice today, calling on your phone, 470 00:30:56.759 --> 00:31:00.079 calling on them. It's not it doesn't need to be this, like you 471 00:31:00.119 --> 00:31:04.319 know, the control the agenda. It's a controled agenda. And they've given 472 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:08.759 me crap again. They hate their fans because the Mark Cast is the best 473 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:14.119 thing going for the UFL. It's the most watched podcast show. It is 474 00:31:15.359 --> 00:31:18.119 they do they hate They hate our fans. I'm a fan of the league. 475 00:31:18.119 --> 00:31:21.559 You wouldn't guess it by what I'm sitting here saying. It's frustrating, 476 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:25.240 but I'm actually a fan of the league, and they've done me a disservice 477 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:30.599 by their coverage. The whole operation, the procedure, how they go about 478 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:33.319 their business. It really is not a fan friend of the league. But 479 00:31:33.400 --> 00:31:38.400 to deny you and I interviews and access, you know, that comes from 480 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:41.880 Darren over there. He you know, I put out some stuff once they 481 00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:45.880 got their panties and a bunch over the silliest thing. I'm like, this 482 00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:48.440 is a good thing for the league to be talking about this, but you 483 00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:52.920 know, they don't know a good thing from a bad thing. You know 484 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:56.920 what. They need to understand that any publicity is good publicity for this league, 485 00:31:56.880 --> 00:32:01.799 and they need to stop trying to control narrative and dictate who can talk 486 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:07.640 to who, and like all these director of personnel guys and head coaches that 487 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:12.599 are like scared to talk to you and guys on the record because of the 488 00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:15.839 directive. Again that starts up top from the dinosaurs running the league. I 489 00:32:15.880 --> 00:32:20.920 mean they the management. I'm not gonna name names. You can go see 490 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:24.279 who's calling the shots, all right. It's not just one guy. They've 491 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:29.880 got people that are just too old for the position. Football has evolved. 492 00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:31.759 It's a young man's game. If you look what the NFL is doing. 493 00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:36.880 All the coaches and gms now are like under forty all right, it's a 494 00:32:36.920 --> 00:32:39.400 young man's game, and they got guys that are twice the age of that 495 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:45.480 calling the shots. That's the problem. Let's get some positives here here before 496 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:46.640 we get out. You said you like the football, right, we got 497 00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:50.759 some this weekend going on, and you know, I think, was it 498 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:53.000 DC is going into Birmingham or is it the other way around here? I 499 00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:57.559 mean, what do you yeah, Birmingham withys right next? What is it? 500 00:32:57.559 --> 00:33:00.920 It's the we got the double leather and said hawks of DC. That's 501 00:33:00.920 --> 00:33:01.680 how I need do? Was one game? Let's looking for teen there? 502 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:06.799 What's striking you in that way? Just in terms of like some positivities coming 503 00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:09.200 out. No, the positive thing is like again, the talent across the 504 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:13.880 board is way up. I think the rule changes then tweaks that they do 505 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:17.319 implement and have like the fourth and twelve like, I think the NFL needs 506 00:33:17.319 --> 00:33:21.200 to look into that. I know the Eagles proposed like a fourth and twenty 507 00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:24.039 similar type of rule, but how cool is that? Like? And that 508 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:29.079 means like, hey, you could be down double digits with two minutes left 509 00:33:29.079 --> 00:33:31.039 to go, like the game I was at the DC Defenders at Arlington. 510 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:35.440 They were down by like thirteen points with two and a half minutes that came 511 00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:38.359 back and won. That's exciting. I love that you're never out of a 512 00:33:38.400 --> 00:33:44.000 game. And again, I think the more uniqueness and creativeness, like they 513 00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:49.200 should be trendsetters rather than trying to do oh well, we want a more 514 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:53.400 traditional kickoff, like no, he hate me. That was the most innovative 515 00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:58.920 thing you did was let players put their own nicknames on the back of jerseys. 516 00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:02.559 You should be in. I'm racing that. That is what connects you 517 00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:07.480 to the fan. That's what sells jerseys and merchandises. Not Hey, you 518 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:13.320 can buy this twenty three jersey for the year twenty twenty three. Who're gonna 519 00:34:13.320 --> 00:34:15.599 print a million of them and sell too? I'm like, you know, 520 00:34:17.639 --> 00:34:22.000 but again, I just wish I would This could have all been avoided. 521 00:34:22.039 --> 00:34:28.920 But the on the field product is exciting. I think the opportunities that the 522 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:32.239 quarterbacks are getting right, Like you're seeing a lot of quarterbacks showcase, and 523 00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:36.119 that to me, Like, I go back to the World League. I 524 00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:39.400 was a really big fan of the World League back in the early nineties. 525 00:34:40.360 --> 00:34:45.840 Guys like JT. O. Sullivan and Kurt Wanner, right, and those 526 00:34:45.880 --> 00:34:50.599 guys may have never gotten a whiff of the NFL had it not been for 527 00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:53.519 the World Football League. So I think quarterbacks, when you look at what's 528 00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:58.159 going on with the draft, I can identify about half the leite half the 529 00:34:58.239 --> 00:35:02.519 teams in the NFL. I would probably like to upgrade their quarterback. Well. 530 00:35:02.679 --> 00:35:07.920 I think it's very cool that you have a developmental system for that position 531 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:12.159 because I think that's one of the biggest benefits that the UFL is doing. 532 00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:15.199 And I would say, like offensive linemen, it won't get talked about, 533 00:35:16.039 --> 00:35:22.119 but developing offensive lineman is probably one of the biggest needs right now in the 534 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:27.119 NFL. If you saw what the NFL did with their Canton program, they 535 00:35:27.119 --> 00:35:30.880 were just developing. Mike Tyst was up there just developing offensive lineman. Because 536 00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:35.119 it's a big crisis right now finding good quarterbacks and finding good offensive linemen. 537 00:35:35.719 --> 00:35:38.760 And that's what the UFL is there for, and that's why they need to 538 00:35:38.760 --> 00:35:43.119 get those contracts right. Like, if the NFL team wants to talk to 539 00:35:43.159 --> 00:35:46.760 a player in season, that should be welcomed, right, that should be 540 00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:51.920 embraced, not like no, you can't talk to our guy, he's under 541 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:54.119 contract, Like bro the whole reason why he signed up for your league is 542 00:35:54.159 --> 00:35:59.199 to get recognized by the NFL. Do you get it? So you know 543 00:35:59.280 --> 00:36:01.559 there's some good I tune in, I watch every game. I'm glued to 544 00:36:01.639 --> 00:36:05.440 it. I love it. I'm a fan, but I want to see 545 00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:08.559 it stick around and if they don't make some of the changes that were suggestion, 546 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:12.960 then, like, you know, it was hard to sit there and 547 00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:16.039 I stayed to the end, but it was hard to sit there and look 548 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:22.880 around and say, yeah, this is gonna last, Like come on, 549 00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:27.760 step your game up and I'm available, guys if you want to call me 550 00:36:29.400 --> 00:36:32.800 no. I get that. It's a little deciding. And I remember when 551 00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:37.480 we did the show two years ago because we were live and Dorothy went out 552 00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:39.760 when we were doing the show, kind of walking around and she called in 553 00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:42.480 and I'm like, oh, there are a lot of people out there. 554 00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:44.800 And then this year I was like looking out, I'm like, you know, 555 00:36:44.840 --> 00:36:45.559 then you kind of show up and you're like, oh, I just 556 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:49.159 kind of walk in and I'm here. You know, I get what you're 557 00:36:49.159 --> 00:36:51.480 saying and decided to be all to end all the audience, but it is 558 00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:54.599 You're like, I just feel like kind of loser here. I don't know, 559 00:36:54.599 --> 00:36:57.559 I always feel like I was like, I care a little bit more 560 00:36:57.559 --> 00:36:59.840 about this, but I want to circle back real quick because I wanted to 561 00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:02.000 make sure anything else about this kickoff, anything else that we talk, because 562 00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:05.719 you talk the innovation, the fourth and twelve and all that. Uh, 563 00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:09.119 you know, Andy's been on our Monday recaps, you know, pounding his 564 00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:14.239 fists all these under in the yards with his kickoff. People say they like 565 00:37:14.320 --> 00:37:16.239 the kickoff because it's exciting. I would say, and Andy would say, 566 00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:19.679 well, now it's expected you're going to get a big return. So it's 567 00:37:19.760 --> 00:37:22.119 kind of negating. Now what do you make of that? And just kind 568 00:37:22.119 --> 00:37:24.960 of like we want to give these offenses more of a head start. But 569 00:37:25.039 --> 00:37:28.440 now it's like he said, doesn't look like it does in the NFL is 570 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:30.679 going to be and it's any other thoughts on that while we have the football 571 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:37.679 guy on Yeah, you know I I I like going back to the old 572 00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:42.440 rule. And I don't know why you wouldn't just change it. What's to 573 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:45.480 the XFL rule? Because it's because they because I think each league said we 574 00:37:45.599 --> 00:37:49.559 have these eight things, and we have these things, and we got it 575 00:37:50.320 --> 00:37:52.960 and it was well football. Football is a game of adapt and adjust right, 576 00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:57.000 like they're trying to again fit a square peg into a round hole. 577 00:37:57.039 --> 00:38:00.800 I will say, lit, I like I like being in the I like 578 00:38:00.840 --> 00:38:04.960 the different tweaks of the game. We should be looking for change. The 579 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:08.920 thing that is really good what they do the best is probably the challenges, 580 00:38:09.400 --> 00:38:15.719 Like the NFL could certainly learn a thing or two about the swiftness, the 581 00:38:15.800 --> 00:38:21.800 transparency, right, just the whole process of how they do the challenges and 582 00:38:21.840 --> 00:38:28.840 replays. Like having inside to the audio and listen to that conversation. I 583 00:38:28.880 --> 00:38:31.719 think that's the way to go. I mean, I love that. Well, 584 00:38:31.800 --> 00:38:35.480 you even get people like Mike Florio. I'm like, hey, and 585 00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:37.639 he hates all these spring leagues, Okay, this is the most transparent and 586 00:38:37.760 --> 00:38:40.199 the review and like yeah, I mean, if you can slay him with 587 00:38:40.280 --> 00:38:43.199 some of this stuff, I think that, you know, I think that 588 00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:45.440 that's good if you can turn some of these nasaras, because people sit there 589 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:49.199 and then I'm sure the comments on this video would be to say, oh, 590 00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:51.519 right, just complaining, and people are saying, like, you know, 591 00:38:51.599 --> 00:38:53.679 we're the people that are like, Mike's not watching this stuff, right, 592 00:38:53.719 --> 00:38:58.440 these people aren't watching this stuff. I'm not complaining. I'm I'm annoyed 593 00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:06.280 and irritated because I expect you expect more because of who's involved. Do you 594 00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:08.400 expect more because of the position they're at or who's behind it? I mean, 595 00:39:08.440 --> 00:39:12.920 I just because of the money that's spent, the money that's put into 596 00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:16.320 this, it doesn't equate. It doesn't add up from what I see, 597 00:39:16.480 --> 00:39:22.280 like the the results can be a lot better. And there was really again, 598 00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:28.599 like no effort again put into it. Seemed like they're sitting in limbo 599 00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:31.039 land with everybody in the dark for how many months, players, coaches, 600 00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:38.519 executives, the communication transparency, Like I don't think I don't think they're as 601 00:39:38.559 --> 00:39:45.320 stable as they want you to believe they are. And that's why, like 602 00:39:45.719 --> 00:39:49.760 you've you've got like when you see what I saw, you're like, damn, 603 00:39:49.760 --> 00:39:52.719 that's concerning. I know they're bleeding money, Well why aren't they doing 604 00:39:52.760 --> 00:40:00.840 these simple things that can help costs? That's how I it's good. Anything 605 00:40:00.920 --> 00:40:04.079 else you want to make sure you get to before we wrap up here. 606 00:40:04.119 --> 00:40:07.559 I appreciate your time. This has been fiery. Yeah, that's good. 607 00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:10.159 I had a lot of Hey, if you didn't know, I had a 608 00:40:10.159 --> 00:40:15.880 lot of coffee this morning. But that's good. You know we're burning the 609 00:40:15.920 --> 00:40:20.920 midnight oil for the NFL Draft. I'm excited. But the UFL has been 610 00:40:20.960 --> 00:40:24.480 fine. I can't believe like it's halfway done. No, right, it's 611 00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:30.239 halfway done. But again, like having the NFL connect to the Spring League, 612 00:40:30.239 --> 00:40:34.559 connect to the CFL, we got a couple of weekends this year. 613 00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:38.000 Last year was the best year of professional football in the history of the world 614 00:40:38.360 --> 00:40:44.960 because it went fifty two consecutive weekends with pro football being played on the weekends. 615 00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:46.920 Man, that was unbelievable. If we can get it back to that, 616 00:40:47.559 --> 00:40:52.239 I'll be a happy camper. I want the league to succeed. I 617 00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:58.199 think they have another season in them. But again, like the TV ratings 618 00:40:58.199 --> 00:41:00.920 are good, you still have to sell the advertising and until I see those 619 00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:07.559 numbers, until I see the gates and the merchandise improve, and the fan 620 00:41:07.639 --> 00:41:10.320 experience. Again, like Frisco Fighters, you get banged for your buck. 621 00:41:10.400 --> 00:41:14.960 Now, when you go attend a Frisco Fighters game, you know they're giving 622 00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:17.320 away food, they're giving away merchandise, they're letting you on the field, 623 00:41:17.440 --> 00:41:22.480 They're interactive with players. It's everything the UFL is not. And I think 624 00:41:22.519 --> 00:41:27.480 they might want to maybe check out the Frisco Fighters and attend one of those 625 00:41:27.519 --> 00:41:32.119 games to your last point. And I as it gets to this trick, 626 00:41:32.199 --> 00:41:35.440 oh my god, like we're halfway through the season, right, And I 627 00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:37.880 always feel that way, and it's like he said, Okay, we're going 628 00:41:37.880 --> 00:41:40.280 in it next year. And I thought I will at least give Jael Johnson 629 00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:43.880 credit when he was on the show saying, you know, we're doing the 630 00:41:43.880 --> 00:41:45.760 best we can this year and then we're going to make the push for next 631 00:41:45.800 --> 00:41:50.159 year, right because the merger. I you know, I understand all that 632 00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:52.760 sentiment and everything likes that you we're halfway through the season now, because I 633 00:41:52.800 --> 00:41:57.000 always get with like sure, go back to these interview and stuff like Okay, 634 00:41:57.199 --> 00:41:59.039 we just need to get through training camp. We just need to get 635 00:41:59.039 --> 00:42:00.239 through this. We just need to get to that. Like I don't know, 636 00:42:00.639 --> 00:42:04.960 like at what point right now, we're halfway through the season. Okay, 637 00:42:04.960 --> 00:42:06.559 then it's going to be next year, and then it's going to be 638 00:42:06.599 --> 00:42:08.639 okay, well, we just got to get through. Like there's there's always 639 00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:14.679 a lack of like urgency that I think that the spring football maybe needs, 640 00:42:15.119 --> 00:42:16.679 if that makes sense, of like hey, we need to do this now 641 00:42:16.719 --> 00:42:20.480 we're not going to have an opportunity to do that. Oh. They they 642 00:42:20.519 --> 00:42:23.079 are at a crossroads right now. Whether they realize it or not, I'm 643 00:42:23.079 --> 00:42:27.800 not sure they do, but they are at a crossroads as we speak. 644 00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:30.800 I want them to see the fifty dollar hat. I bought like three or 645 00:42:30.840 --> 00:42:35.000 four of these. Read this is how they came in a box with no 646 00:42:35.119 --> 00:42:38.880 protection. The brims are all like warped and crooked, right, And I 647 00:42:38.880 --> 00:42:43.079 could have had my guy Anthony beck to anyone for free. But like I 648 00:42:43.159 --> 00:42:45.719 spend fifty dollars on a hat, I can't even wear it. It's a 649 00:42:45.199 --> 00:42:49.840 it's an office decoration, you know, and every hat like I don't know 650 00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:52.400 if you could see like the crookedness of the brim, but that's how they 651 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:57.480 show up one hundred and fifty dollars worth of hats and I can't even wear 652 00:42:57.519 --> 00:43:00.519 the damn thing. I mean, I don't know. They hate they hate 653 00:43:00.519 --> 00:43:06.280 their fans. All right, Rick, I appreciate it. We'll get you 654 00:43:06.320 --> 00:43:08.679 on again. This has been fun, long time coming. I go that 655 00:43:08.760 --> 00:43:13.559 I ton't know. I don't. It doesn't affect me, it's everybody else 656 00:43:13.559 --> 00:43:16.320 gets effected by this. I don't. My life is fine, it is 657 00:43:16.400 --> 00:43:19.920 it is, but I think at this point, you know, I think 658 00:43:19.920 --> 00:43:22.639 that I think our subscribers know what's coming and what's not. But you know, 659 00:43:22.719 --> 00:43:24.280 we got it because we got Monday was you know, we get all 660 00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:28.360 these like or I guess it was Tuesday with because when all the ratings come 661 00:43:28.400 --> 00:43:30.079 out in the attendance and there's a lot of like, you know, and 662 00:43:30.159 --> 00:43:34.000 this and that and that, and people like, I don't know I'm here 663 00:43:34.039 --> 00:43:37.119 because I care. It's certainly not the nine dollars that YouTube pays me or 664 00:43:37.119 --> 00:43:40.920 whatever. Like we're going through it, so Rick, I appreciate it. 665 00:43:40.960 --> 00:43:44.199 Like I said, I hopefully I did well this airs. I have my 666 00:43:44.320 --> 00:43:47.599 Jay Daniels jersey coming in the mail, and the draft of the weekend is 667 00:43:47.639 --> 00:43:52.639 exciting for everybody. So hey, the draft is the best time of year. 668 00:43:52.800 --> 00:43:57.760 It gives hope and optimism to all thirty two teams. And uh, 669 00:43:57.960 --> 00:44:02.000 by the way, who's your perdiction is it? Birmingham and Saint Louis are 670 00:44:02.360 --> 00:44:07.039 looking like the contenders here are gonna run run through the league, or I 671 00:44:07.079 --> 00:44:09.840 think so. I think Birmingham's got a pretty much square in hand, and 672 00:44:09.880 --> 00:44:14.320 then yeah, I mean Renegade's and we're gonna talk with Greg Parks about the 673 00:44:14.320 --> 00:44:16.320 Renegades and they have just kind of fallen off here and the BrahMos. You 674 00:44:16.360 --> 00:44:19.880 know, we'll see if they brought in that what Kevin Hogan or whatever. 675 00:44:19.960 --> 00:44:22.960 We'll see with quarterback with Dormerdy and all of that. And then yeah, 676 00:44:23.039 --> 00:44:27.159 but at a Ballahawks right now. Any Murray said they were the most exciting 677 00:44:27.199 --> 00:44:30.079 team since the Roughnecks in twenty twenty. And speaking of quarterbacks, I think 678 00:44:30.119 --> 00:44:34.800 E J. Brown went down and they brought into the other area. Yeah, 679 00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:37.159 yeah, from Brown. And who did they sign? They signed a 680 00:44:38.159 --> 00:44:44.000 Yeah that just came down. Another quarterback that was intriguing. Oh, Bryce 681 00:44:44.039 --> 00:44:49.679 Perkins, Yeah, yeah, exciting. He was there hanging out with John 682 00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:54.119 mcavay for McVeigh a couple of years. So Virginia duel threat, I'm gonna 683 00:44:54.159 --> 00:44:57.920 make it, well make it. That's the one thing I'll say is, 684 00:44:57.960 --> 00:45:00.599 at least these coaches are trying. They might get paid too much. And 685 00:45:00.599 --> 00:45:02.880 as that man, that's the XFL coaches because that's the legacy and people want 686 00:45:02.880 --> 00:45:06.360 to make sure we touch on that. You know, the XFL coaches got 687 00:45:06.360 --> 00:45:09.440 this legacy contract and that's they're gonna hate they're gonna hate me after this episode. 688 00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:13.519 Well it's sly heines word isn't there and everything else, But Rick, 689 00:45:13.599 --> 00:45:21.920 I appreciate it. We'll see you next time. Well, here we are 690 00:45:22.039 --> 00:45:25.480 back busy NFL Draft day here. I've been mayorn. Just be the rate 691 00:45:25.519 --> 00:45:30.400 I'm like sweating here. I'm very excited recording my intro. Greg Parks here 692 00:45:30.559 --> 00:45:32.239 UFL board. First of all, Greg, how are you doing? I'm 693 00:45:32.239 --> 00:45:36.119 doing well read Thanks for having me on. It's good. So we're doing 694 00:45:36.199 --> 00:45:38.159 kind of a check in this week. You know, is the UFL exceeding 695 00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:43.000 expectations? Now? I don't want to spoil we have Rick sarah Tello's interview 696 00:45:43.039 --> 00:45:45.679 as well that I did this morning. If the words the UFL doesn't care 697 00:45:45.719 --> 00:45:49.760 about their fans comes out of your mouth, then you will be doween better 698 00:45:49.840 --> 00:45:52.639 than Rex Saratela's doing. But uh, you know, I want to get 699 00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:55.400 into your thoughts first off. I mean I saw everything he posted with Arlington 700 00:45:55.440 --> 00:45:59.440 and everything else. We'll talk teams, but from a brother sense, like 701 00:46:00.119 --> 00:46:05.400 is the UFL ex feeding your expectations? Uh? Yeah, that's a really 702 00:46:05.400 --> 00:46:13.239 broad question. I think that the on field product is about what I expected. 703 00:46:13.840 --> 00:46:17.760 I would say significantly higher earlier in the season than what we saw from 704 00:46:17.800 --> 00:46:21.440 the XFL, which we expected, you know, we expected, and that's 705 00:46:21.440 --> 00:46:24.119 what all the talk was from the coaches and the players and really the fans 706 00:46:24.159 --> 00:46:30.159 too leading up to this season, was that the combination of the USFL and 707 00:46:30.280 --> 00:46:34.199 XFL, where you're taking the cream of the crop from those leagues, the 708 00:46:34.280 --> 00:46:37.960 expectation was the quality of play would be higher, and I think for the 709 00:46:37.960 --> 00:46:42.000 most part it has been. I think, you know. The only place 710 00:46:42.679 --> 00:46:49.199 that I would say it hasn't met expectations is with the attendance. And I 711 00:46:49.239 --> 00:46:52.559 know we're going to talk about that. I know you and the professor I 712 00:46:52.599 --> 00:46:55.280 heard you got I'm sorry, the face of the UFL. I understand that's 713 00:46:55.280 --> 00:47:00.559 his new nickname. So I know you guys have talked extents about it in 714 00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:02.079 the last few weeks, and I know you know, I'll be giving my 715 00:47:02.159 --> 00:47:06.960 thoughts on it a little later on too. But you know, the ratings 716 00:47:07.039 --> 00:47:12.000 have been pretty good. There are a lot of other pieces that I think 717 00:47:12.039 --> 00:47:15.320 have have been good. And I think the important thing to remember when we 718 00:47:15.360 --> 00:47:17.519 talk about attendance or we talk about all of this other stuff that goes into 719 00:47:17.599 --> 00:47:22.079 it, the marketing and things like that. Realistically, this league kicked off 720 00:47:22.519 --> 00:47:25.760 a little more than two months after it was actually announced, and so I 721 00:47:25.760 --> 00:47:30.480 think we need to take a step back and remember that because as much as 722 00:47:30.840 --> 00:47:37.840 both leagues said they were going forward while they were negotiating this merger, that 723 00:47:37.920 --> 00:47:42.320 wasn't really happening. I mean, I mean that wasn't Everything was basically on 724 00:47:42.480 --> 00:47:45.480 pause in terms of the behind the scenes stuff in terms of the marketing of 725 00:47:45.519 --> 00:47:50.400 the league and everything like that. You know, teams were still making transactions 726 00:47:50.400 --> 00:47:53.519 and everything, but there wasn't a big ticket push anywhere to get anything out 727 00:47:53.519 --> 00:47:59.360 in the off season because everything was so focused on the details of this merger. 728 00:47:59.719 --> 00:48:01.880 So, you know, realistically it was a little over two months. 729 00:48:01.920 --> 00:48:05.519 And then you have the Michigan Panthers. You know, you could make the 730 00:48:05.639 --> 00:48:07.880 argument that they might be the most disappointing in terms of ticket sales, but 731 00:48:08.280 --> 00:48:13.719 they were also selling tickets like a month before, less than a month before 732 00:48:13.880 --> 00:48:16.119 kickoff. I mean, they had a very late start because of some behind 733 00:48:16.159 --> 00:48:20.519 the scenes issues going on there. So I think when you take those into 734 00:48:20.639 --> 00:48:24.239 account, I still don't think attendance is as finding means good, but I 735 00:48:24.239 --> 00:48:27.960 think it's a little more you can put a little bit of an asterisk on 736 00:48:28.039 --> 00:48:31.320 it, as opposed to just throwing throwing the attendance out and saying it's just 737 00:48:31.400 --> 00:48:37.079 terrible. It's still to me, it still feels like we're not taking advantage 738 00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:40.679 and I don't know how how we take advantage of these local markets, and 739 00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:45.719 like we're playing in the markets, we're not really doing anything else in the 740 00:48:45.719 --> 00:48:47.519 markets, right, Like I know that Houston posted, okay, we're doing 741 00:48:47.519 --> 00:48:52.199 teacher appreciation. I'm sure you appreciated that, and doing on my gage door 742 00:48:52.639 --> 00:48:54.639 I tended a screenshow I'm like, hey, guess what, But like you 743 00:48:54.679 --> 00:49:00.599 know, we're even we're having all the teams to share do charity work like 744 00:49:00.679 --> 00:49:04.800 in Arlington, right, but we're not doing anything in any of these markets, 745 00:49:04.840 --> 00:49:07.280 which I understand. I just don't know how we attract, you know, 746 00:49:07.480 --> 00:49:10.760 fans of these markets, media members of these markets. You know, 747 00:49:10.840 --> 00:49:15.039 if you live in Arlington, you can come to the practices, but otherwise 748 00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:17.800 you're basically like shackle to what can I get on a zoom call or can 749 00:49:17.840 --> 00:49:22.039 I get an email back from any of these reps. I just don't if 750 00:49:22.039 --> 00:49:24.079 anything, I feel like that is something very easy that could be doing. 751 00:49:24.159 --> 00:49:28.119 It could be done at this point to kind of help grow that of like 752 00:49:28.199 --> 00:49:31.199 let's incentivize the Detroit Free Press to cover more of the Michigan Panthers by giving 753 00:49:31.239 --> 00:49:35.000 them all that, or like let's get you know, Memphis involved. I 754 00:49:35.039 --> 00:49:37.360 just feel like there's little singles here that we could be hitting that we're not 755 00:49:38.000 --> 00:49:43.320 while we're trying to grow all this other stuff. It's a low bar to 756 00:49:43.400 --> 00:49:46.280 clear. But I do think they're doing better than last year in terms of 757 00:49:46.280 --> 00:49:52.599 that because if you're following social media Twitter and Instagram, you know, they 758 00:49:53.000 --> 00:49:59.159 head there to the city a day before the home teams do, and almost 759 00:49:59.199 --> 00:50:02.599 every week they're doing something in the community that day before, And I think 760 00:50:02.639 --> 00:50:07.719 even the battle Hawks stayed behind an extra day to throughout the first pitch at 761 00:50:07.719 --> 00:50:09.480 the Saint Louis Cardinals game. You know, there was pictures of them at 762 00:50:09.519 --> 00:50:15.480 the children's hospital the day before and videos of that, so you know, 763 00:50:15.760 --> 00:50:19.440 I think, but you know, again, the downside is you can only 764 00:50:19.480 --> 00:50:23.360 do that five times because you're only in your home city five times unless you're 765 00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:27.559 going to go you know, there's no bye week, so you can't go 766 00:50:27.599 --> 00:50:30.719 in the middle of the week. So I think given the hand that they've 767 00:50:30.760 --> 00:50:34.760 been dealt where they are in Arlington. For the most part, I think 768 00:50:34.760 --> 00:50:37.360 they're doing better than last year getting out in the community and being seen. 769 00:50:37.880 --> 00:50:40.679 I know, I just hopped on Instagram before I was on here, and 770 00:50:40.719 --> 00:50:45.760 it looks like the Michigan Panthers have a setup at the NFL Draft in Detroit. 771 00:50:45.800 --> 00:50:49.320 They have a little booth there. So it's those kinds of things that 772 00:50:50.519 --> 00:50:53.360 give me hope. I guess that things could get better, But I just 773 00:50:53.400 --> 00:50:59.400 think the Arlington Hub just makes it impossible to be in the markets as much 774 00:50:59.400 --> 00:51:02.840 as you would like to. And I'm not sure what the battle plan is 775 00:51:04.039 --> 00:51:07.199 on that moving forward. I think it was a three year deal with the 776 00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:09.960 XFL originally signed it with the city of Arlington, and I know it's saving 777 00:51:10.000 --> 00:51:13.679 them a ton of money, So you have to do that balance. Is 778 00:51:13.719 --> 00:51:19.079 the money being saved by having everybody there at Arlington worth maybe not getting out 779 00:51:19.119 --> 00:51:22.480 in the community as much as you would like to so, And the only 780 00:51:22.480 --> 00:51:27.440 people that can answer that is ownership in terms of I guess, you know, 781 00:51:27.440 --> 00:51:30.760 and we've talked about this before, the USFL kind of adopting this model 782 00:51:30.800 --> 00:51:35.800 now of doing this. We've talked and the whole attendance of it all. 783 00:51:35.840 --> 00:51:37.039 And I know we make a lot of it, but to me, it 784 00:51:37.159 --> 00:51:42.760 speaks more to you know, is there actual genuine interest in these communities? 785 00:51:42.840 --> 00:51:45.800 Are people coming out? And I want to get your thoughts as it relates 786 00:51:45.800 --> 00:51:46.960 to wrestling, which I kind of told you in the DMS, but like 787 00:51:47.639 --> 00:51:50.639 to me, I look at it, no one's going to want to buy 788 00:51:50.719 --> 00:51:52.679 any of these teams. If there's only you know, a Birmingham that's been 789 00:51:52.679 --> 00:51:55.519 there. This is three years now, they've been there. They've been playing 790 00:51:55.559 --> 00:52:00.639 every spring around the same time. Twelve thousand people, I mean even okay, 791 00:52:00.639 --> 00:52:01.559 we don't want to talk to the Storm game last week. I mean 792 00:52:01.599 --> 00:52:06.599 twelve thousand for the kickoff their home opener. That doesn't speak to me as 793 00:52:06.599 --> 00:52:07.800 like, well, if I live in Birmingham, this is a hot product 794 00:52:07.840 --> 00:52:15.719 I got to get involved in. Yeah, And I think there's you know, 795 00:52:15.119 --> 00:52:19.000 there's It's hard for me to pinpoint any one thing. It's hard for 796 00:52:19.039 --> 00:52:22.840 me to say this is the fix. It will be better if they do 797 00:52:22.880 --> 00:52:28.320 this right. So if you asked one hundred people in these cities why they 798 00:52:28.360 --> 00:52:31.880 don't go to UFL games, you would probably get twenty five to fifty different 799 00:52:31.920 --> 00:52:37.400 reasons, and so there's there's no one thing you can do as the league 800 00:52:37.840 --> 00:52:45.079 to solve that. I think the UFL needs to control what they can control, 801 00:52:45.920 --> 00:52:50.320 and there's always going to be competition for sports. There's always going to 802 00:52:50.400 --> 00:52:52.320 be as you note a gas station opening up down the street, there's always 803 00:52:52.360 --> 00:52:58.719 going to be something in the city happening that is going to take away potential 804 00:52:58.760 --> 00:53:01.639 fans from your game. You cannot control that. You cannot control the time 805 00:53:01.639 --> 00:53:06.760 slots that ESPN and ABC and Fox give you for the games. You cannot 806 00:53:06.760 --> 00:53:10.559 control, at least not yet, when the stadiums are available for you to 807 00:53:10.559 --> 00:53:15.320 book for the schedule. That stuff is out of your hands. So if 808 00:53:15.320 --> 00:53:20.039 I'm a UFL ownership and I know we're problem solving, reed, We're not 809 00:53:20.119 --> 00:53:24.320 just complaining, we're giving solutions here on this show. But control what you 810 00:53:24.360 --> 00:53:29.519 can control, and a lot of that is marketing. And that's why we 811 00:53:29.639 --> 00:53:32.440 always come back to that when we talk about the UFL, whether it's nationally, 812 00:53:32.840 --> 00:53:37.400 whether it's locally. In these markets, you have to have boots on 813 00:53:37.440 --> 00:53:39.920 the ground. You have to market as much as possible to get fans to 814 00:53:40.159 --> 00:53:45.599 just know that your team is playing in that city, let alone trying to 815 00:53:45.599 --> 00:53:49.079 convince them to come to a game. So I think that's the thing that 816 00:53:49.119 --> 00:53:51.760 the UFL can do. They might not be able to touch all of these 817 00:53:51.800 --> 00:53:54.039 other things, but that's something that is within their control that they can do. 818 00:53:54.159 --> 00:53:58.599 And it goes back to how much are they willing to spend. How 819 00:53:58.679 --> 00:54:01.039 much are they willing to spend on hiring people to put in these cities, 820 00:54:01.039 --> 00:54:05.000 how much are they willing to spend on a marketing budget in these cities. 821 00:54:05.599 --> 00:54:09.880 And I hope that after this year that's something they reassess and they say, 822 00:54:10.599 --> 00:54:16.880 maybe we need to reallocate some funds to local marketing to beef up that aspect 823 00:54:17.079 --> 00:54:22.039 of these teams so that people in these cities know about it and are interested 824 00:54:22.079 --> 00:54:24.039 in coming to these games. Yeah. I mean I used to work at 825 00:54:24.079 --> 00:54:27.960 you know, the Fox station here in the NBC in California. You know, 826 00:54:28.320 --> 00:54:30.760 if I was you know and we have full time team reps now, 827 00:54:30.920 --> 00:54:34.719 you know, I would be following over myself to try to get you know, 828 00:54:34.800 --> 00:54:39.039 the NBC ACB like every week like hey, especially where you're not asking 829 00:54:39.159 --> 00:54:42.199 like hey, we got to go drive a crew out to go do this 830 00:54:42.239 --> 00:54:44.880 like we could do it if you could do a zoom virtual interview in the 831 00:54:44.880 --> 00:54:49.440 newsroom, you know, but to have just just you know, even if 832 00:54:49.480 --> 00:54:52.360 you don't want to deal with like the podcast and the internet shows. And 833 00:54:52.400 --> 00:54:54.960 I don't know if you've followed all that, like sports gambling with them getting 834 00:54:55.039 --> 00:54:59.920 yelling at about not getting credential. But like you know, call the newspapers, 835 00:55:00.079 --> 00:55:01.880 all the TV stations called this, have everyone on there every week. 836 00:55:01.880 --> 00:55:05.800 I mean, it takes no time with all to take a phone out at 837 00:55:05.840 --> 00:55:07.760 practice ten minutes after and pop on and do a quick five to ten minute 838 00:55:07.760 --> 00:55:12.079 phone er. It's just I don't I understand the point of these virtual you 839 00:55:12.079 --> 00:55:14.400 know, hey, we're going to have the media call, but get these 840 00:55:14.440 --> 00:55:16.079 people on, give them calling out. You have a lot of personalities on 841 00:55:16.119 --> 00:55:22.079 these teams. I think you said something in one of the recent markqust that 842 00:55:22.199 --> 00:55:24.280 really intrigues me. And I think, you know, I've got I've got 843 00:55:24.280 --> 00:55:29.280 a column idea rattling around in my brain whenever I get thirty seconds and could 844 00:55:29.280 --> 00:55:34.119 write something down. But it's how these cities were chosen in the first place, 845 00:55:35.079 --> 00:55:38.559 and how that might be problematic in and of itself. So you go 846 00:55:38.639 --> 00:55:45.679 back to twenty twenty when Vince McMahon restarted the XFL, and I remember that 847 00:55:45.800 --> 00:55:52.639 there were surveys done about what cities were hungriest for football and which cities were 848 00:55:52.880 --> 00:55:58.800 support a league like this, and they had I also remember a picture. 849 00:55:58.800 --> 00:56:01.039 I don't know where it was posted, media whatever, but they had cities 850 00:56:01.159 --> 00:56:08.599 basically like applying to get noticed and request a team, and they made their 851 00:56:08.679 --> 00:56:15.159 pitch for having a team. And when the XFL returned in twenty twenty three, 852 00:56:15.239 --> 00:56:20.400 it was basically, well, we own this IP, let's bring these 853 00:56:20.440 --> 00:56:23.400 teams back. Let's Danny Garcia wants a team in Orlando. Let's put a 854 00:56:23.400 --> 00:56:28.440 team in Orlando. Jerry Cardinal wants a team in Vegas. Let's put a 855 00:56:28.480 --> 00:56:30.800 team in Vegas. And then you had the USFL, which, as you 856 00:56:30.880 --> 00:56:35.800 mentioned, it was IP driven. It was nineteen eighties driven. We bought 857 00:56:35.840 --> 00:56:37.719 these trademarks, we own them. We owned the USFL. These are the 858 00:56:37.719 --> 00:56:40.159 markets that we're going to go into, and I mean not even really go 859 00:56:40.280 --> 00:56:44.480 into them, but just use the team name for half of them anyway. 860 00:56:44.960 --> 00:56:50.880 So that's kind of a backward way to select which cities are going to be 861 00:56:50.920 --> 00:56:54.119 successful in this league, which cities are going to support a team, and 862 00:56:54.199 --> 00:57:00.440 I think you're seeing that haphazard way it was done reflected in the tendance. 863 00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:04.880 Now the numbers aren't going to change overnight, and it's really interesting to me 864 00:57:05.000 --> 00:57:10.119 how much patience the league is going to have. How many seven thousand crowds 865 00:57:10.199 --> 00:57:15.360 are they going to draw before they start looking somewhere else? And you know 866 00:57:15.480 --> 00:57:19.599 you're not going to go to seven from seven thousand to fifteen thousand over nine, 867 00:57:19.639 --> 00:57:22.400 it's going to take years. How dedicated are you to the Michigan market 868 00:57:22.679 --> 00:57:27.760 to be able to put up with seven eight thousand person crowds for the next 869 00:57:27.760 --> 00:57:31.079 two or three years until you're able to build that community, you're able to 870 00:57:31.079 --> 00:57:37.480 build that team. So I think I hope that they have that level of 871 00:57:37.519 --> 00:57:42.480 patients because I think it reflects poorly on the league when you have teams moving 872 00:57:42.519 --> 00:57:45.719 and I know people, you know, after one week of poor attendance, 873 00:57:45.719 --> 00:57:49.760 people are already kind of fantasy booking moving teams, And I'm like, what 874 00:57:49.920 --> 00:57:54.000 kind of message does that send as a league that you're so willing to pull 875 00:57:54.079 --> 00:57:58.760 up a team and move it so quickly you know it's back. I remember 876 00:57:58.800 --> 00:58:00.360 back in the Arena Football League was off and they were moving teams every year, 877 00:58:00.400 --> 00:58:05.880 and it's like, that's not a professional way to conduct yourself, and 878 00:58:06.239 --> 00:58:09.800 that doesn't get up give off professional vibes to the fan base that large, 879 00:58:09.880 --> 00:58:15.679 much less the fan bases in these cities. So I don't think the attendance 880 00:58:15.760 --> 00:58:16.880 is good. I wish it was higher, but I also don't think the 881 00:58:16.920 --> 00:58:21.719 solution is to move an ear two. No, I agree with that, 882 00:58:21.840 --> 00:58:24.719 and it's it's hard to me. I go back a lot of times because 883 00:58:24.920 --> 00:58:28.800 you know, like we've talked about that this has been going on for a 884 00:58:28.840 --> 00:58:32.119 long period of time and people that are involved now aren't necessarily haven't been following 885 00:58:32.159 --> 00:58:35.559 it the whole time, you know. And even if I wasn't in podcasting, 886 00:58:35.599 --> 00:58:37.800 I mean I was surprisingly like for me, but pretty hardcore and all 887 00:58:37.840 --> 00:58:40.360 this league stuff back, you know, listening to Mark Perry back in the 888 00:58:40.440 --> 00:58:44.440 day and Alan and Brian and kind of all that stuff. But to me, 889 00:58:44.599 --> 00:58:47.440 I always look at people involved now and it's Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park 890 00:58:47.480 --> 00:58:52.159 and it's like, well, you you have this now, but you didn't 891 00:58:52.199 --> 00:58:53.800 do the like. And I'm not saying that people involved are now aren't doing 892 00:58:53.840 --> 00:58:57.239 work, but like you haven't been a part of this the whole time, 893 00:58:57.360 --> 00:59:00.159 right, you never had to learn why we are the way we are, 894 00:59:00.280 --> 00:59:02.360 And now we're here with these markets and you don't really understand why we've gotten 895 00:59:02.400 --> 00:59:06.239 here and why well this should be working better and this shouldn't be working better, 896 00:59:06.280 --> 00:59:07.119 Like, well, you didn't. You didn't do the work, so 897 00:59:07.199 --> 00:59:10.119 now you don't have the education that you learned in the last six years. 898 00:59:10.119 --> 00:59:13.920 Have been Sickmann or whatever is still been involved in all this. You know, 899 00:59:14.239 --> 00:59:16.800 some of these markets, like you said, you know San Antonio burned, 900 00:59:16.920 --> 00:59:19.800 right, and you hear all the time, well we're not going to 901 00:59:19.880 --> 00:59:22.960 go back because we feel burned. Okay, well if you don't go back, 902 00:59:22.039 --> 00:59:24.239 then you're gonna get burned again, right, like you need to go. 903 00:59:24.239 --> 00:59:29.039 But but I feel like that's how I look at like the UFL kind 904 00:59:29.079 --> 00:59:31.719 of management ownership right now. It's like you, it's that Jeff Goldblum yelling 905 00:59:31.800 --> 00:59:35.840 at the scientists that have engineered the thing. I'm like, well you haven't. 906 00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:37.320 You haven't done the six years of research. You get to this point, 907 00:59:37.360 --> 00:59:39.599 you acquire the league, right, you're for your fox. You're like, 908 00:59:39.639 --> 00:59:44.599 well this worked before we want to do that people like football. Well 909 00:59:44.639 --> 00:59:46.039 there you go, Well you didn't. There was a lot more, you 910 00:59:46.079 --> 00:59:49.719 know, the Sam Schwartz scenes and the aver relux of the world. A 911 00:59:49.760 --> 00:59:52.199 lot of work went into this behind the scenes to get it to a point 912 00:59:52.199 --> 00:59:54.960 that maybe you're not privy too. And I look at you know, the 913 00:59:55.119 --> 01:00:00.760 XFL in its marketing strategy such as it was in twenty twenty three, and 914 01:00:00.800 --> 01:00:05.719 it seemed to be, you know, here's the rock, he's a movie 915 01:00:05.719 --> 01:00:09.760 star. You like, here's Danny Garcia, this businesswoman breaking boundaries. Here's 916 01:00:09.760 --> 01:00:15.360 football you should want to watch. And it's like, it's not that easy, 917 01:00:15.519 --> 01:00:21.800 and you have to give more of a reason why fans should spend three 918 01:00:21.840 --> 01:00:25.480 hours on a Saturday or Sunday watching or why they should spend twenty five fifty 919 01:00:25.599 --> 01:00:30.800 seventy five dollars to go to a game. And you know, the other 920 01:00:30.840 --> 01:00:32.360 thing that you guys brought up on the last show was as far as the 921 01:00:32.440 --> 01:00:37.760 us FL teams, the ticket prices a little steeper than the fans are used 922 01:00:37.800 --> 01:00:40.760 to. You know, what kind of damage did Birmingham being a hub do 923 01:00:42.000 --> 01:00:45.119 and just kind of that overexposure of football in that market, what kind of 924 01:00:45.199 --> 01:00:50.639 damage did that do in the USFL. So, like I said, there 925 01:00:50.679 --> 01:00:54.800 are myriad reasons why the attendance is the way it is. And you know, 926 01:00:54.840 --> 01:00:59.239 I look at guys like Corey Helvey, who who did a fantastic job. 927 01:00:59.280 --> 01:01:02.239 He's one of the hard working guys on social media. He was Orlando's 928 01:01:02.280 --> 01:01:05.920 ticket guy last year in the XFL. But you know, I think he's 929 01:01:05.920 --> 01:01:08.440 in charge of Birmingham and Memphis this year, and it's like, you know, 930 01:01:09.000 --> 01:01:14.199 that's great and God bless him, but I think it's you need people 931 01:01:14.199 --> 01:01:17.719 who know those markets. You need people who know what works in those markets, 932 01:01:17.719 --> 01:01:22.400 and you can't stretch these guys that thin unless you just are kind of 933 01:01:23.800 --> 01:01:30.119 pooing attendance for this year. And maybe the UFL is want maybe they're gonna 934 01:01:30.119 --> 01:01:32.880 take a mulligan, a self impost mulligan on attendance this year, and maybe 935 01:01:32.960 --> 01:01:40.079 in the off season we'll see a rededicated effort to pooling more resources into local 936 01:01:40.119 --> 01:01:44.840 marketing and getting fans in the games. Maybe it was just about getting the 937 01:01:44.840 --> 01:01:50.199 product on the field, getting ratings at a stabilizing place on TV, and 938 01:01:50.239 --> 01:01:53.840 then attendance is a worry for year two. I don't know but I can't 939 01:01:53.880 --> 01:02:00.719 assume that ownership is real pleased with the attendance and most of the markets right 940 01:02:00.719 --> 01:02:04.400 now. The reason, one of the many reasons to have you on was 941 01:02:04.840 --> 01:02:07.920 because I was talking with Michael and Michael paying one of my friends wrestling, 942 01:02:07.000 --> 01:02:10.000 you know, and he we all did all the WrestleMania stuff, and I 943 01:02:10.079 --> 01:02:14.559 was talking to him about, you know, you've really saturated these markets for 944 01:02:14.800 --> 01:02:16.119 Birmingham, you know, two years now, and then the other ones, 945 01:02:16.320 --> 01:02:20.599 like you said, like you would paper, you know, wrestling events back 946 01:02:20.599 --> 01:02:22.079 in the day, WCW. We just got to get people in the front 947 01:02:22.159 --> 01:02:24.719 row. We're giving out tickets and aw and he said, he goes, 948 01:02:24.760 --> 01:02:28.960 you should ask Greg about that kind of his thoughts of like how long does 949 01:02:29.000 --> 01:02:31.679 it take to reverse that or just your thoughts and like how because it's a 950 01:02:31.760 --> 01:02:35.920 very similar practice to kind of what the USFL did with at wrestling. I 951 01:02:36.000 --> 01:02:37.639 just wanted to get your thoughts on that of like, you know, self 952 01:02:37.679 --> 01:02:43.039 degrading, you know the pro you know, the price of a ticket for 953 01:02:43.079 --> 01:02:45.239 that and then now wanting people to pay double or whatever it is. And 954 01:02:45.280 --> 01:02:49.639 I think we're seeing the results of that right now, right based on what 955 01:02:49.679 --> 01:02:52.199 the USFLE was doing. They had priced their games at a certain rate, 956 01:02:52.840 --> 01:02:57.719 and when the merge League comes in and prices it higher than that, you're 957 01:02:57.760 --> 01:03:00.920 seeing fans in that market not really take to that. And so I think, 958 01:03:01.119 --> 01:03:05.119 you know, as I said, twenty five or fifty different reasons why 959 01:03:05.159 --> 01:03:07.199 people aren't attending the games, I think that's probably one of them. I 960 01:03:07.199 --> 01:03:10.840 don't know how high that ranks, but certainly, you know, you're seeing 961 01:03:10.880 --> 01:03:15.559 efforts to discount tickets in Memphis and Birmingham. I know there was ten dollars 962 01:03:15.559 --> 01:03:22.519 tickets that were made public on social media. So the league is tacitly acknowledging 963 01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:27.280 this problem by discounting those tickets and making you know, giving the Bogo deals 964 01:03:27.280 --> 01:03:30.840 and everything like that. You know, so when you do see seven eight 965 01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:34.960 thousand in the stands, you have to take into account, well, how 966 01:03:35.000 --> 01:03:37.440 many got there because of a buy one, get one, how many got 967 01:03:37.440 --> 01:03:40.880 there because of a ten dollars ticket. So you're not even getting the max 968 01:03:40.960 --> 01:03:45.880 revenue from those seven thousand people who are in the stands. So again, 969 01:03:45.960 --> 01:03:50.679 you know, I don't know what the league's marker is for attendance. You 970 01:03:50.679 --> 01:03:53.159 know, maybe when you have Mike Mitchell on next week, he'll be able 971 01:03:53.159 --> 01:03:59.039 to give a more accurate picture of the league's thoughts on attendance. But yeah, 972 01:03:59.079 --> 01:04:00.360 I mean, you know, you want to get as many people there 973 01:04:00.360 --> 01:04:03.119 as you can, but it's going to be a process. It's not going 974 01:04:03.199 --> 01:04:06.559 to happen overnight. You have to understand that. Saint Louis and to a 975 01:04:06.639 --> 01:04:11.119 lesser extent, DC, they're outliers. You know, that's not the norm 976 01:04:11.400 --> 01:04:15.280 to draw thirty thousand or even you know, fifteen to twenty thousand consistently, 977 01:04:15.559 --> 01:04:18.920 the way these two franchises have done. You know, you guys talked about 978 01:04:20.000 --> 01:04:26.199 the reasons why those markets have caught fire the way they have, and I 979 01:04:26.280 --> 01:04:30.360 agree. I think the other thing too, is those fans have an identity. 980 01:04:30.440 --> 01:04:32.639 You know, Kaw is the law, it's the blue and white, 981 01:04:32.679 --> 01:04:38.760 it's the rabid fandom, it's filling the dome. That is the identity of 982 01:04:38.840 --> 01:04:42.639 the BattleHawks fans. The Defenders have the beer Cup, they've got the Lemons, 983 01:04:42.639 --> 01:04:45.239 they've got all that stuff. That is their identity and people want to 984 01:04:45.280 --> 01:04:49.880 be a part of that. And the other fan bases don't have that same 985 01:04:49.920 --> 01:04:55.320 identity yet And perhaps when they get closer to that, maybe we'll see the 986 01:04:55.440 --> 01:05:00.599 stands fill a little bit more in terms of your thoughts of stuff. And 987 01:05:00.800 --> 01:05:04.559 I problemise we'll talk football here. Does it cause you know Rick was on 988 01:05:04.760 --> 01:05:08.320 and talking to you, he was at the Arlington game. I've been at 989 01:05:08.360 --> 01:05:11.400 the r I was at a kickoff which was higher even than the one Rick 990 01:05:11.440 --> 01:05:15.800 went to. But like low attendance. From a TV viewing standpoint, I 991 01:05:15.800 --> 01:05:19.400 know AW is dealing with this, right, and like nobody is going to 992 01:05:19.440 --> 01:05:25.760 the thing. Does that Does that energy translate right on TV? Because that 993 01:05:26.079 --> 01:05:29.880 might That's my thing besides franchise and all this, Like if you're a casual 994 01:05:30.000 --> 01:05:31.960 fan, you're turning this on. Nobody's there, right, So effects of 995 01:05:32.079 --> 01:05:36.000 viewing on TV and then if you're there, I kind of feel like a 996 01:05:36.039 --> 01:05:40.559 loser if I look around and there's four thousand people at the I think it 997 01:05:40.599 --> 01:05:43.800 affects both sides of that. How do you view the lack of attendance Where 998 01:05:43.840 --> 01:05:45.800 it's affecting the most from a TV perspective or an in person or where do 999 01:05:45.800 --> 01:05:51.800 you see? I think it's TV, But I I also understand people who 1000 01:05:51.840 --> 01:05:56.400 are not affected by that, you know, they're I think, yeah, 1001 01:05:56.719 --> 01:05:59.199 yeah, no, But I think it cuts both ways. You know, 1002 01:05:59.280 --> 01:06:02.360 I think that there are people who just want to watch football, and you 1003 01:06:02.400 --> 01:06:05.920 know, to use the old Rod Woodson quote, they watch football played on 1004 01:06:06.159 --> 01:06:10.960 a highway. You know, they don't care, they just want football. 1005 01:06:11.000 --> 01:06:14.360 And I think that's kind of the Emery Hunt when he brought up the attendance. 1006 01:06:14.400 --> 01:06:17.239 I mean, that's fans have that attitude. There are certain fans who 1007 01:06:17.280 --> 01:06:20.800 do. To me, I think it affects. You know, I love 1008 01:06:20.840 --> 01:06:25.159 watching Saint Louis BattleHawks games and DC Defenders games a lot more than I like 1009 01:06:25.239 --> 01:06:30.360 watching Michigan Panthers games, and it's due in part to the crowd. I 1010 01:06:30.360 --> 01:06:33.800 think they add something to the games, add something to the viewing experience, 1011 01:06:33.920 --> 01:06:38.400 even watching at home. And I do think you're right for the casual fan 1012 01:06:38.400 --> 01:06:41.639 who's tuning in. You know, they don't want to watch something that feels 1013 01:06:41.639 --> 01:06:45.360 like a cold product. And you know, aew can kind of get away 1014 01:06:45.400 --> 01:06:47.559 with it because there are ways that you can shoot inside the arena that that 1015 01:06:47.639 --> 01:06:53.039 doesn't make it seem as empty. There are, you know, a smaller 1016 01:06:53.039 --> 01:06:55.760 arenas they can go to, or even if they draw a couple of thousand 1017 01:06:55.800 --> 01:06:58.599 that looks full, you can't get away with doing that. In Ford, 1018 01:06:58.599 --> 01:07:01.400 fields you can't get away with doing in the Alamodome. There's only so much 1019 01:07:01.679 --> 01:07:09.159 production trickery you can use to mask those empty seats. So, you know, 1020 01:07:09.440 --> 01:07:12.960 speaking personally, it does affect me, But I also know that there 1021 01:07:12.960 --> 01:07:15.679 are people out there who, you know, empty seats do not affect their 1022 01:07:15.760 --> 01:07:20.639 viewing experience. I just think there's different expectations, right Like you watch a 1023 01:07:20.679 --> 01:07:24.840 baseball game on a you know, Wednesday afternoon, and you understand like, 1024 01:07:24.880 --> 01:07:27.559 okay, there's going to be you know, not as many people, but 1025 01:07:27.599 --> 01:07:30.320 also the people there there are going to be invested in then I do think, 1026 01:07:30.639 --> 01:07:32.760 I don't know, I think we're getting better energy crowds and maybe we 1027 01:07:32.800 --> 01:07:35.639 got with some of the paper USFL crowds where it's like, hey, we're 1028 01:07:35.679 --> 01:07:38.880 just here. But you know, I think the people that are there at 1029 01:07:38.920 --> 01:07:42.559 least care right feel like they're invested in it. Do you feel like so 1030 01:07:42.639 --> 01:07:45.800 football good if you're it has the football big at the level where if you're 1031 01:07:45.800 --> 01:07:50.599 a casual attuning in that this league is justifying its place in the landscape right 1032 01:07:50.639 --> 01:07:56.880 now? It depends. I think there are some games that have been rough, 1033 01:07:56.920 --> 01:07:59.679 but there are some games that have been pretty good. There are some 1034 01:08:00.440 --> 01:08:02.920 of good games that have been bad. So it really all depends on when 1035 01:08:02.920 --> 01:08:08.800 they tune in, you know. So we're kind of getting into the midpoint 1036 01:08:08.840 --> 01:08:12.480 of the season, injuries are starting to hit. We're seeing quarterbacks go down, 1037 01:08:12.920 --> 01:08:16.920 We're seeing other skilled position players go down. Luckily, we're getting players 1038 01:08:16.960 --> 01:08:20.760 like Jakor Pearson and Mark Thompson back, so that's going to help the offenses. 1039 01:08:23.079 --> 01:08:28.159 But you know, it's I think the level of play is fine. 1040 01:08:29.119 --> 01:08:31.600 I don't know what the general audience expectations are. You know, I don't 1041 01:08:31.600 --> 01:08:35.479 know if it's kind of NFL or bust for them. You know, I 1042 01:08:35.520 --> 01:08:39.479 also don't know how many people casual fans are going to tune in when they 1043 01:08:39.479 --> 01:08:43.520 don't really have an attachment to any of the teams. You know, That's 1044 01:08:43.560 --> 01:08:45.399 the thing, and that's what takes a long time, and that's why another 1045 01:08:45.399 --> 01:08:49.319 one of the arguments against moving these teams right away is, you know, 1046 01:08:50.119 --> 01:08:54.000 you got the Green Bay Packers who have a waiting list of season tickets. 1047 01:08:54.039 --> 01:08:58.880 You know, that didn't happen overnight. That's established over decades and decades and 1048 01:08:58.960 --> 01:09:01.800 decades, and Spring football just hasn't been able to get to that point where 1049 01:09:01.840 --> 01:09:06.239 they've created that history with these teams, So you know, ideally you get 1050 01:09:06.239 --> 01:09:11.439 to do that where when a person tunes in to watch the BattleHawks and the 1051 01:09:11.439 --> 01:09:15.039 Defenders, they know the history of that rivalry. They know, you know, 1052 01:09:15.079 --> 01:09:17.479 when I watch a Kansas City Chiefs game, I know what I'm gonna 1053 01:09:17.479 --> 01:09:20.039 get. I know what a Kansas City Chiefs game looks like. I know 1054 01:09:20.079 --> 01:09:26.000 what a Miami Dolphins game looks like, right, just because of their history 1055 01:09:26.039 --> 01:09:29.840 and I know having watched them, this is the kind of team they are, 1056 01:09:30.279 --> 01:09:32.680 and you don't have that really in the UFL yet. Teams are trying 1057 01:09:32.680 --> 01:09:38.279 to find their identity over time, and that's only going to happen when you 1058 01:09:38.359 --> 01:09:41.840 have had coaches that are there for a while, when you have players that 1059 01:09:41.880 --> 01:09:44.680 are there for a while, and you know, hopefully we get to that 1060 01:09:44.720 --> 01:09:47.840 point with these teams. Well, then you're also battling you know, players, 1061 01:09:48.720 --> 01:09:51.760 this being the spot where maybe this is the last time that players play 1062 01:09:51.800 --> 01:09:55.920 and then they retire, they use this as a jumping out point or doesn't 1063 01:09:55.960 --> 01:09:58.920 take off and coaches, I mean, then you're battling out on that side 1064 01:09:58.960 --> 01:10:00.079 as well. For me, teams do that too. I mean, this 1065 01:10:00.239 --> 01:10:03.560 turnover every year on NFL teams. It's the same for UFL. It's just 1066 01:10:03.760 --> 01:10:06.319 instead of free agency like they have in the NFL, they're moving on, 1067 01:10:06.359 --> 01:10:10.520 they're retiring, or they're moving to the NFL. You know, you have 1068 01:10:10.600 --> 01:10:14.319 teams like the BattleHawks and the Renegades that are bringing, you know, twenty 1069 01:10:14.359 --> 01:10:16.520 some players back on a fifty one man roster. That's not bad. I 1070 01:10:16.520 --> 01:10:20.239 mean that's pretty good, I would say, And you have to take into 1071 01:10:20.239 --> 01:10:25.119 account that this is a merger year, so there's more player movement than usual 1072 01:10:25.159 --> 01:10:27.880 coming on and off teams. So I would expect that number to be even 1073 01:10:27.960 --> 01:10:31.680 higher next year. Renegadees, is that your biggest disappointment of a team this 1074 01:10:31.760 --> 01:10:35.279 year thus far? Oh, without a doubt. You know, when I 1075 01:10:35.439 --> 01:10:40.319 was doing my power rankings for the teams and I was kind of assigning numbers 1076 01:10:40.319 --> 01:10:44.479 to each position group, Houston came down at the bottom. So not surprised 1077 01:10:44.520 --> 01:10:49.960 that Houston was struggling, But I'm really shocked at Arlington. This is not 1078 01:10:50.680 --> 01:10:55.720 a team that lacks quality players, and I think that's what's so surprising about 1079 01:10:55.720 --> 01:11:00.000 it. And it's even doubly surprising when you have a head coach like Bob's 1080 01:11:00.039 --> 01:11:02.079 Dups College Football Hall of Famer. If there was ever a coach that you 1081 01:11:02.119 --> 01:11:06.399 think these players would respond to, it would be Bob's Dupes. And you 1082 01:11:06.439 --> 01:11:09.279 know, if you ever thought that there was a team that this would not 1083 01:11:09.399 --> 01:11:12.680 happen to, it would be a Bob's Dups coach team. So it's really 1084 01:11:12.720 --> 01:11:15.439 hard for me to understand what I saw on Sunday. I saw players that 1085 01:11:16.560 --> 01:11:23.319 the tackling was atrocious. It was almost like they were not trying. Like 1086 01:11:23.680 --> 01:11:27.119 I don't want to put that on them, but that's just you know, 1087 01:11:27.199 --> 01:11:30.520 it did not look like it looked like effort was an issue, to be 1088 01:11:30.600 --> 01:11:32.840 quite frank, and you know, the offense not being on the same page 1089 01:11:33.159 --> 01:11:36.560 and everything like that. I was. I was stunned at the quality, 1090 01:11:36.760 --> 01:11:40.239 partly because they had been in every game up to that point. You know, 1091 01:11:40.319 --> 01:11:44.039 they took Birmingham to halftime and they played them tough. There. They 1092 01:11:44.399 --> 01:11:46.600 lost on a couple other last second things, and you wonder if that mentally 1093 01:11:46.640 --> 01:11:50.079 gets to a team. But yeah, I was. I was surprised at 1094 01:11:50.079 --> 01:11:55.760 what I saw on Sunday in terms of parody of talent on lacrosse teams. 1095 01:11:55.840 --> 01:11:58.920 Are you seeing now or not? Because I feel like that was the pitch. 1096 01:11:58.960 --> 01:12:00.720 Hey, we're getting all this. You know, every team's an all 1097 01:12:00.760 --> 01:12:02.920 star team, you know. To me, it feels like we kind of 1098 01:12:02.920 --> 01:12:06.079 have the battle Hawks. You know, we have the Stallions up there. 1099 01:12:06.479 --> 01:12:10.479 DC's figuring it out. There's a big job, you know, Houston, 1100 01:12:10.840 --> 01:12:14.239 are you and obviously the Ready Gates. What do you feel about the parody 1101 01:12:14.239 --> 01:12:17.399 across all eight teams. I think it's okay. You know, it's impossible 1102 01:12:17.439 --> 01:12:23.159 to be have complete parody, so for what they're doing, I think it's 1103 01:12:23.239 --> 01:12:27.800 it's good. I think the XFL Conference has a little bit more parody than 1104 01:12:27.840 --> 01:12:31.159 the USFL Conference, where it feels like Birmingham and you know, the team 1105 01:12:31.279 --> 01:12:35.079 lucky enough to kind of stumble into that second playoff spot at this point. 1106 01:12:36.119 --> 01:12:41.720 You know, Michigan's dealing with quarterback injuries, Memphis is dealing with quarterback injuries, 1107 01:12:42.079 --> 01:12:45.159 Houston's dealing with quarterback injuries. But I feel like they're coming out better 1108 01:12:45.199 --> 01:12:49.039 on the other side with Reed Sinnett, who's performing better than than Jared Garentano 1109 01:12:49.319 --> 01:12:54.199 was when he was in there, so that may be actually a bright spot 1110 01:12:54.239 --> 01:12:57.720 for Houston. And then in the XFL Conference, you know you've got Saint 1111 01:12:57.760 --> 01:13:00.800 Louis, You've got d See, You've got San Antonio. I grouped them 1112 01:13:00.800 --> 01:13:05.000 pretty closely together right now. And then you have Arlington, which is zhero 1113 01:13:05.000 --> 01:13:08.399 to four. But you know, talent wise, when I look at their 1114 01:13:08.479 --> 01:13:12.800 roster, I don't think they should be this far behind the other teams in 1115 01:13:12.800 --> 01:13:15.239 that conference, which is partially why I'm just stunned at the oh and four 1116 01:13:15.319 --> 01:13:18.920 record and the performance. So I think the XFL Conference teams are grouped a 1117 01:13:18.920 --> 01:13:23.319 little closer, and I think it's gonna be a little more interesting in that 1118 01:13:23.399 --> 01:13:27.279 conference when it comes down to it, because you know, I think there's 1119 01:13:27.439 --> 01:13:29.800 there's a lot more up in the air. As good as Saint Louis has 1120 01:13:29.800 --> 01:13:33.279 played, you know, we've seen them last year kind of stumble at inopportune 1121 01:13:33.359 --> 01:13:36.920 times. That's what cost them the playoff spot. So I'm not ready to 1122 01:13:36.920 --> 01:13:40.600 crown them yet. I want to see a little more consistency from them over 1123 01:13:40.680 --> 01:13:44.479 time. But Birmingham is just gonna run away with the USFL cover. I 1124 01:13:44.520 --> 01:13:47.399 don't see anyone in that conference really stepping up well. And then this week, 1125 01:13:47.439 --> 01:13:49.680 and I mean they're going into d C, right, so that'll be 1126 01:13:49.720 --> 01:13:54.640 an exciting game. Kind of uh No, sorry, excuse I keep doing 1127 01:13:54.640 --> 01:13:57.359 that. Saint Louis going into DC. I keep them I haven't keeping had 1128 01:13:57.479 --> 01:14:00.880 my gun. Yes, I do agree, running away with it all. 1129 01:14:01.479 --> 01:14:06.000 Last question here, and so you know Renigae's biggest disappointment. Who is the 1130 01:14:06.039 --> 01:14:10.279 biggest surprise here? That may because for me, I've had the BrahMos We're 1131 01:14:10.319 --> 01:14:13.399 going to be duty. They were good and then Chase got hurt. Now 1132 01:14:13.399 --> 01:14:15.159 we're you know, now we're dealing with quarterbacks switch ups there, and we're 1133 01:14:15.159 --> 01:14:18.359 signing, you know, signing guys and everything. And Dormandy, you know, 1134 01:14:18.439 --> 01:14:20.760 I mean he was around last year. He's not really like the most 1135 01:14:20.800 --> 01:14:24.520 exciting player, but he seems to be pushing the ball. Who are you 1136 01:14:24.960 --> 01:14:30.239 pleasantly surprised by this year? I thought I figured San Antonio would be good. 1137 01:14:30.680 --> 01:14:38.000 Uh so I can't say I'm real surprised by that. I don't know 1138 01:14:38.000 --> 01:14:42.039 if there's any team that really jumps out at me as a surprise. I'll 1139 01:14:42.039 --> 01:14:45.239 say this. I thought Birmingham was going to be good, and they were 1140 01:14:45.319 --> 01:14:50.039 number one in my rankings of the position rooms. But and and they're not 1141 01:14:50.079 --> 01:14:53.439 infaillible. You know. It took them a last second field goal to beat 1142 01:14:53.439 --> 01:14:56.800 the Defenders. So but you know, to be four and zero at this 1143 01:14:56.880 --> 01:15:02.039 stage in a league that, as you mentioned, parody is important, it's 1144 01:15:02.319 --> 01:15:04.840 surprising, and I expect them to go five and zero against Houston, though, 1145 01:15:04.960 --> 01:15:09.720 who knows. We could have an Orlando upsetting DC situation this week. 1146 01:15:09.760 --> 01:15:15.439 I think that that would be the Apps comparison for this game. So Birmingham, 1147 01:15:15.479 --> 01:15:18.560 I expected them to look good, maybe not this good, so maybe 1148 01:15:18.600 --> 01:15:23.119 that would be a surprise. Other than that, I mean, other than 1149 01:15:23.199 --> 01:15:28.560 Arlington. Like you said, I don't see any other real Shockers this far 1150 01:15:28.680 --> 01:15:30.680 into the season. You know, ask me in week eight, maybe my 1151 01:15:30.720 --> 01:15:34.159 answer will be different because we have a little bit more of a base to 1152 01:15:34.239 --> 01:15:38.680 go on. But through four weeks, I wouldn't say I'm really surprised by 1153 01:15:38.720 --> 01:15:42.920 any any team's performance. Well there you go. Well, Greg, appreciate 1154 01:15:43.000 --> 01:15:45.960 it. Making time and the NFL Draft week and everything else. Yeah, 1155 01:15:45.000 --> 01:15:48.680 exciting night tonight and then everything else. So hopefully you know, anyone actually 1156 01:15:48.680 --> 01:15:50.920 watching this, I really appreciate it right now because you're well, no, 1157 01:15:50.960 --> 01:15:54.359 there's just so you know, there's so much you know, buy you for 1158 01:15:54.439 --> 01:15:56.960 attention, all that stuff, So I appreciate it. Good luck with that 1159 01:15:57.079 --> 01:16:00.680 get your mock picks in. And I know Mike Mitchell's big on that too, 1160 01:16:00.680 --> 01:16:02.479 and he's I don't know whatever he submits to the big nationwide thing or 1161 01:16:02.520 --> 01:16:05.199 whatever. But anyway, good life with all that. I hope it works 1162 01:16:05.199 --> 01:16:13.680 out. Thanks Reid, appreciate it. Well. Here we are back here, 1163 01:16:13.800 --> 01:16:16.600 had Dave Naylor last week getting back into the CFL coverage, Draft coming 1164 01:16:16.680 --> 01:16:19.840 up next week, you know, Sean Lemon in the news with everything else 1165 01:16:19.840 --> 01:16:21.960 going on, Daryl Davis, you're asked the scatchwan, how are you doing, 1166 01:16:21.960 --> 01:16:25.600 sir? Great read? How you been haven't seen it since? Great 1167 01:16:25.640 --> 01:16:29.239 cop? I know, I know. We're getting back into the season here. 1168 01:16:29.760 --> 01:16:33.239 We may the jumbo tron. I guess at Jordan Everly's thousand game ceremonies. 1169 01:16:33.239 --> 01:16:35.319 So that was probably the last time you saw me. They're on the 1170 01:16:35.359 --> 01:16:39.119 broadcast or I sent you the photo. I can't remember, but yeah, 1171 01:16:39.199 --> 01:16:43.119 big times here and we're you know, we kicked off the CFL or a 1172 01:16:43.199 --> 01:16:45.720 UFL season. We're halfway through, so now it's time that you know, 1173 01:16:45.760 --> 01:16:48.000 it's almost June. Can you believe what's the countdown here for the CFL season? 1174 01:16:48.359 --> 01:16:51.359 Oh man, rookie camp's open May fourth, don't they, And I 1175 01:16:51.359 --> 01:16:57.479 think eight or four or five days after that training camp opens. Everything's moving 1176 01:16:57.520 --> 01:17:00.479 earlier all the time, right They've talked about trying to get the Great Cup 1177 01:17:00.520 --> 01:17:02.800 Game earlier. It didn't used to start till June, but now there's certain 1178 01:17:02.800 --> 01:17:05.960 things in May, so that is a little bit of an adjustment. We've 1179 01:17:05.960 --> 01:17:10.600 still got NHL playoffs going on a big time, so it's it's going to 1180 01:17:10.640 --> 01:17:13.520 be a bit of a change getting started earlier and earlier every year in the 1181 01:17:13.520 --> 01:17:17.039 Canadian Football League. Well, it's hard because you know right now, wanting 1182 01:17:17.119 --> 01:17:19.880 to talk to CFL A lot of the people I would normally talk to the 1183 01:17:19.920 --> 01:17:23.720 far Hauns of the world, and Jason Gregor is not that you're not up 1184 01:17:23.760 --> 01:17:27.359 there, but like everyone's covering NHL now, it's just kind of hard where 1185 01:17:27.439 --> 01:17:30.119 you know, Saskatchwan doesn't have that, you know as much, I mean 1186 01:17:30.119 --> 01:17:32.600 obviously with everything else. But I figured we could get you on this week 1187 01:17:33.239 --> 01:17:36.720 big news. I guess first coming out that Sean Lemon of it all was 1188 01:17:36.800 --> 01:17:41.640 kind of weird where and I had kind of forgotten that he had pseudo retired 1189 01:17:41.720 --> 01:17:45.159 like two weeks ago. Coming out obviously probably expected something like this, what's 1190 01:17:45.199 --> 01:17:48.439 your thoughts on this and and how the league's kind of handling it. Wow, 1191 01:17:48.680 --> 01:17:51.960 it's really wild. You're right. Sean Lemon actually signed a year a 1192 01:17:53.199 --> 01:17:56.600 new contract extension about a month or so two months ago, and then two 1193 01:17:56.640 --> 01:18:00.359 weeks ago announced his retirement. Obviously knew that he was he was about to 1194 01:18:00.399 --> 01:18:04.239 be discovered. It's a weird, weird situation. Twenty twenty one is when 1195 01:18:04.279 --> 01:18:10.279 it happened. He Seann Lemon was playing with the Calgary Stampeders bet several times. 1196 01:18:10.279 --> 01:18:15.239 It sounds like small bets on CFL games, including one parlay that had 1197 01:18:15.279 --> 01:18:19.479 the Calgary Stampeters involved. That's a no no. The worst sin you can 1198 01:18:19.520 --> 01:18:26.640 create you can probably get involved with in any pro sports is betting on your 1199 01:18:26.680 --> 01:18:30.399 own team legally, illegally, anything like that, because all of a sudden, 1200 01:18:30.399 --> 01:18:34.520 the integrity of the game is at risk. So to prove that, 1201 01:18:34.520 --> 01:18:39.800 Commissioner r and Dey Ambrosie suspended Seawann Lemon in definitely. It's funny how the 1202 01:18:39.880 --> 01:18:43.159 case didn't come up until three years later. It was a twenty twenty one 1203 01:18:43.199 --> 01:18:47.600 incident. It didn't really start getting investigated until twenty twenty four when they found 1204 01:18:47.600 --> 01:18:51.359 out and they have, you know, obvious proof, and it sounds like 1205 01:18:51.439 --> 01:18:56.359 they've done a pretty thorough investigation. Obviously a better investigation than they're conducting on 1206 01:18:56.439 --> 01:19:00.920 Chad Kelly, it seems like. But they're doing something and decided that they 1207 01:19:00.960 --> 01:19:04.880 better suspend him indefinitely, which is weird that you would think that somebody who 1208 01:19:04.960 --> 01:19:10.439 is betting on his own team, even if it's with his team to win 1209 01:19:11.359 --> 01:19:15.159 betting, that would not be a lifetime ban. That's the first thing I 1210 01:19:15.199 --> 01:19:17.079 would expect, right, they've done with Pete Rose, they did with the 1211 01:19:17.199 --> 01:19:19.199 ninth I know is a long time ago, but this is when it all 1212 01:19:19.279 --> 01:19:24.720 started. Nineteen nineteen. Chicago White Sox goes back. You cannot have anything 1213 01:19:24.760 --> 01:19:28.279 to do with the outcome of your game other than trying your best. So 1214 01:19:28.359 --> 01:19:32.399 if you're making money off your team losing your team winning, that's a cardinal 1215 01:19:32.439 --> 01:19:38.359 sin. And I'm surprised if the CFL didn't say that Sean Lemon was suspended 1216 01:19:38.399 --> 01:19:40.640 for life. I guess at the age of thirty five, he's played a 1217 01:19:40.640 --> 01:19:43.720 long time. He's played with almost every team in the Canadian Football League. 1218 01:19:43.800 --> 01:19:45.840 I guess they figure he's done anyway, But I think they could have sent 1219 01:19:45.920 --> 01:19:50.399 a stronger message and probably should have sent a lifetime ban as part of the 1220 01:19:50.439 --> 01:19:56.039 announcement. Does this, I mean a lot the obvious question this marsh his 1221 01:19:56.119 --> 01:20:00.239 legacy, But in terms of you know, you get a lot of guy 1222 01:20:00.279 --> 01:20:02.920 go up to the CFL and maybe we're trying to make some money or extend 1223 01:20:02.920 --> 01:20:06.600 our career whatever. Someone like him who has played, like he said, 1224 01:20:06.640 --> 01:20:10.359 for so many teams, multiple Gray Cup winner here, you know, not, 1225 01:20:10.760 --> 01:20:13.479 I assume not going to be included in the CFL Hall of Fame? 1226 01:20:13.600 --> 01:20:16.800 Like does that? Is that something that you know? Because there's various levels 1227 01:20:16.800 --> 01:20:19.560 of players in these leagues, right, and he's someone who's been very invested 1228 01:20:19.600 --> 01:20:23.199 for a long time to not have that be an honor. I wonder if 1229 01:20:23.239 --> 01:20:26.520 that affects him. I got asked that yesterday, Jamie and I asked me 1230 01:20:26.560 --> 01:20:30.119 that on our radio show in Johina An Roucoll and like, I'm a voter, 1231 01:20:30.399 --> 01:20:32.439 I'm a Hall of Fame voter, and I'm not supposed to get into 1232 01:20:32.479 --> 01:20:35.399 the specifics of how we vote, but he did ask me how I would 1233 01:20:35.439 --> 01:20:40.479 consider it, and I'm free to talk about that. What Seawn Lennon, 1234 01:20:40.760 --> 01:20:46.239 what Sean Lemon did as a as a player betting on his team, I 1235 01:20:46.760 --> 01:20:50.319 might be inclined to still say, you know what, that didn't have anything 1236 01:20:50.399 --> 01:20:55.359 to do with how well he played throughout his career. Is he a first 1237 01:20:55.479 --> 01:20:58.039 ballot Hall of Fame er? No, I don't think he is, but 1238 01:20:58.159 --> 01:21:01.680 he might be considered somewhere along the lane with this tar hurt his chances, 1239 01:21:01.720 --> 01:21:05.960 of course, will hurt his chances. But does it make him for sure 1240 01:21:06.079 --> 01:21:10.119 not eligible for the Hall of Fame? I don't think so. I think 1241 01:21:10.119 --> 01:21:13.359 that you could still consider it, and I would as a voter, I 1242 01:21:13.399 --> 01:21:16.600 would look at that and say, you know what, his career was pretty 1243 01:21:16.600 --> 01:21:19.479 outstanding. He might be worthy of the Hall of Fame. And I don't 1244 01:21:19.479 --> 01:21:23.079 know if I'd be able to convince other people. And that's part of the 1245 01:21:23.159 --> 01:21:26.520 part of the deal when he get around to it. But did the betting 1246 01:21:26.680 --> 01:21:29.439 have anything to do with his career? Not at all? You know? 1247 01:21:29.600 --> 01:21:32.680 So, yes, you can think about because there are character clauses in all 1248 01:21:32.760 --> 01:21:38.399 Halls of Fame out was this person, you know, a criminal? Or 1249 01:21:36.239 --> 01:21:41.000 was he a horrible person? Should he get in? No, he's never 1250 01:21:41.079 --> 01:21:45.640 really tarred the cefl And with a bad brush until this incident. And if 1251 01:21:45.640 --> 01:21:48.119 it's just a small bet. I'm starting to think, you know what, 1252 01:21:48.359 --> 01:21:51.680 maybe he still is Hall of Fame worthy, and it's it's an interesting discussion 1253 01:21:51.720 --> 01:21:56.600 read, and it's one that you bring up that justifiably so because I've been 1254 01:21:56.640 --> 01:21:58.960 wrestling with it a little bit. I won't have to wrestle with it for 1255 01:21:59.000 --> 01:22:01.640 three more years when he does become eligible. But the rest of the committee 1256 01:22:01.640 --> 01:22:05.960 will have to wrestle with that too and decide. I would be more inclined 1257 01:22:06.000 --> 01:22:10.960 to vote Sean Lemon into the Hall of Fame than I would Andrew Harris. 1258 01:22:11.359 --> 01:22:15.800 Andrew Harris cheated according to using you know he was using performance enhancing drugs. 1259 01:22:15.079 --> 01:22:18.600 Is he a Hall of Famer sir, the way the way his numbers reacted, 1260 01:22:18.640 --> 01:22:21.560 of course they are. He is. But he's also been suspended for 1261 01:22:21.760 --> 01:22:27.359 cheating, which made his career even better. So you know, when you 1262 01:22:27.479 --> 01:22:31.119 when you balance the two out, I think the lesser evil of the two 1263 01:22:31.359 --> 01:22:36.880 is gambling as opposed to cheating on your lifestyle and breaking the rules that are 1264 01:22:36.880 --> 01:22:41.399 put in place for every player. I think that's rare. And this is 1265 01:22:41.439 --> 01:22:44.479 actually really interesting to be here because I know he is signing. I think 1266 01:22:44.479 --> 01:22:47.079 it's today signing with Winnipeg, do retire as you know the one day with 1267 01:22:47.199 --> 01:22:51.439 all that, uh that, this is very interesting. I wonder if everyone 1268 01:22:51.439 --> 01:22:58.000 would a have your openness to be having Sean Lemon be able to go in. 1269 01:22:58.319 --> 01:23:00.119 But then you know, Andrew Harris continued to play and win and do 1270 01:23:00.199 --> 01:23:03.079 Like. It's different in that way too, where he came back and was 1271 01:23:03.119 --> 01:23:06.119 able to I don't know, resurrect. I mean a lot of the drug 1272 01:23:06.159 --> 01:23:09.399 stuff was kind of overing out the drug, but you know, the performance 1273 01:23:09.439 --> 01:23:12.960 enhancing was a lot before we were involved in the CFL, so it was 1274 01:23:13.079 --> 01:23:15.960 a little bit before my time. But where he was able to come back 1275 01:23:15.000 --> 01:23:18.199 and resurrect, that does that change out of doll or now a little bit? 1276 01:23:18.439 --> 01:23:20.760 You're right, he won to he won a Great Cup afterwards, so 1277 01:23:21.079 --> 01:23:25.479 you know, was he he only tested positive one time? I know that 1278 01:23:25.520 --> 01:23:28.920 the drug chain tests and the CFL have been you know, kind of inconsistent 1279 01:23:28.920 --> 01:23:31.560 over the years, but finally they if he had been only using it. 1280 01:23:31.760 --> 01:23:34.199 Maybe he was only using it though one time, and maybe he just he 1281 01:23:34.239 --> 01:23:38.760 did get caught using something that he shouldn't have and got suspended for it. 1282 01:23:38.960 --> 01:23:43.640 But in my mind, that is cheating I'm a lot more sympathetic, uh 1283 01:23:43.800 --> 01:23:46.720 to gambles. It's an addiction read and and sports. I've been writing this 1284 01:23:46.800 --> 01:23:51.079 a lot for my newspaper, Reginalator posts that gambling has sold its sold to 1285 01:23:51.479 --> 01:23:55.920 I'm sorry sports has sold its sold to the gambling companies. They wear little 1286 01:23:55.920 --> 01:24:00.000 logos right on their on their shirts. The fields are adorned the board, 1287 01:24:00.079 --> 01:24:03.520 so the hockey rinks are adorned with gambling websites. So you say, Okay, 1288 01:24:03.680 --> 01:24:06.520 these guys are helping to pay your salary, but don't go near them, 1289 01:24:06.560 --> 01:24:13.399 don't bet with them. Okay, I'm finding that very hypocritical. I 1290 01:24:13.399 --> 01:24:15.319 think Pete Rose should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I even think 1291 01:24:15.359 --> 01:24:19.279 that Mark McGuire and Barry Bond should be in the Hall of Fame because Major 1292 01:24:19.359 --> 01:24:23.800 League Baseball was complicit with that. They said, we want home runs. 1293 01:24:23.800 --> 01:24:27.319 Go ahead, you steroids, do whatever you want. It creates interest in 1294 01:24:27.359 --> 01:24:30.920 baseball. So they did it, and they made baseball interesting for a long 1295 01:24:30.960 --> 01:24:33.640 time. The home run chase was amazing, wasn't it, Sammy Sosa, 1296 01:24:33.720 --> 01:24:39.000 we all remember that. So the leagues were complicit in that. The leagues 1297 01:24:39.000 --> 01:24:44.479 are complicit in this gambling, so they have encouraged all of Canada North America. 1298 01:24:44.479 --> 01:24:47.720 When forty of the fifty states I think allowed gambling on sporting events, 1299 01:24:47.880 --> 01:24:51.359 all of Canada now allows it. It's only like three years that they've allowed 1300 01:24:51.359 --> 01:24:58.279 it. It's become everywhere. Every sporting event you watch, it's just inundated 1301 01:24:58.319 --> 01:25:00.960 with these commercials over and over and over. The odds changed during the game. 1302 01:25:01.000 --> 01:25:03.800 Here's your prop bet for this quarter of the of the football game. 1303 01:25:04.159 --> 01:25:10.560 So the leagues are are are promoting these things. So Shawn Lemon got caught, 1304 01:25:10.640 --> 01:25:13.319 maybe got caught up the Maybe he never gambled before, I don't know, 1305 01:25:13.600 --> 01:25:15.760 but he did get caught once. What he did was wrong, absolutely 1306 01:25:15.800 --> 01:25:18.880 wrong, and it probably deserves a lifetime that you should never bet on your 1307 01:25:18.920 --> 01:25:23.960 own team against or four and that's the cardinal sin once again. But the 1308 01:25:24.079 --> 01:25:27.920 leagues are once again complicit in all of this. What did they expect was 1309 01:25:27.960 --> 01:25:32.960 going to happen? It's not just better around the two countries losing their houses 1310 01:25:33.359 --> 01:25:38.359 by gambling and running themselves into debt. Gambling is an addiction. The players 1311 01:25:38.399 --> 01:25:42.319 are affected just the same as the rest of the population is. So I 1312 01:25:42.399 --> 01:25:45.600 don't have I'm a as I said a lot more sympathetic towards somebody like Shawn 1313 01:25:45.640 --> 01:25:50.479 Lemon than I had towards Andrew Harris in the debate about whether one or the 1314 01:25:50.520 --> 01:25:54.159 other or Boat should be eligible for the Hall of Fame. It's going to 1315 01:25:54.199 --> 01:25:58.880 be an interesting debate, and I'm willing to listen to every side of the 1316 01:25:59.000 --> 01:26:02.760 argument. Yeah, I remember. It's so funny that with just a baseball 1317 01:26:02.840 --> 01:26:06.159 chase and all that where I remember I was, you know, younger writer 1318 01:26:06.239 --> 01:26:10.960 during all of that stuff and traveling through the airport and like every single TV 1319 01:26:11.239 --> 01:26:15.399 was on and like every single it just felt like everybody that you went across 1320 01:26:15.520 --> 01:26:17.399 was invested in this home run chase and it really did kind of take that 1321 01:26:17.520 --> 01:26:20.880 over. Yeah, SNL did a skit. I guess it was earlier this 1322 01:26:20.960 --> 01:26:25.119 season and where it was like now you can bet on your buddy losing their 1323 01:26:25.119 --> 01:26:27.640 house, you know, like, hey, is your neighbor going to go 1324 01:26:27.680 --> 01:26:31.039 all in and all that stuff. You know, we saw and we saw 1325 01:26:31.079 --> 01:26:36.319 obviously with the Toronto Raptors player right getting the band and him playing porter yes 1326 01:26:36.479 --> 01:26:42.399 yep to curtail off of this, I saw a lot of and speaking of 1327 01:26:42.479 --> 01:26:45.479 you know, the Chad Kelly's and Naylor kind of talked about it last week 1328 01:26:45.479 --> 01:26:47.239 as well, but well, hey, they were able to get this investigation 1329 01:26:47.359 --> 01:26:50.239 done, Like what's going on with Chad Kelly? Like what do you think 1330 01:26:50.279 --> 01:26:55.000 of the Chad situation and how it relates to the CFL. I guess taking 1331 01:26:55.039 --> 01:26:59.279 action against these various you know, and obviously different way, different circumstances, 1332 01:26:59.279 --> 01:27:02.039 but you know they're running these internal investigations. Yes, and you know what, 1333 01:27:02.119 --> 01:27:05.319 the CFL is a very small operation, as you've discovered through your years, 1334 01:27:05.399 --> 01:27:09.520 right, it's not this big NFL conglomerate. They only have they have 1335 01:27:09.600 --> 01:27:13.439 limited resources and limited number of investigators. So we understand it's going to take 1336 01:27:13.479 --> 01:27:17.680 a while. Of course it should. But Chad Kelly has had trouble before. 1337 01:27:17.720 --> 01:27:20.880 We were aware of that when he showed up in the CFL, and 1338 01:27:20.920 --> 01:27:25.159 you thought, okay, but those are the guys who say I'm always fine 1339 01:27:25.359 --> 01:27:29.239 and hopefully most people are people deserve a second chance. Okay, Chad Kelly, 1340 01:27:29.279 --> 01:27:32.840 go have your second chance, his second chance. I hate to say 1341 01:27:32.840 --> 01:27:36.920 he's guilty already, but it looks pretty bad, and I think the CFL 1342 01:27:38.039 --> 01:27:43.359 can without saying that he's a guilty man of any crime. I can say 1343 01:27:43.399 --> 01:27:49.479 that it looks like he's guilty of misbehaving within his franchise, within people with 1344 01:27:49.520 --> 01:27:53.760 people within his franchise. And I won't get in trouble for that because that's 1345 01:27:53.800 --> 01:27:57.520 not a legal thing. He was, he was doing improper things with people 1346 01:27:57.840 --> 01:28:02.520 in his Inside the Toronto Argonauts, so was their general manager, John Murphy, 1347 01:28:02.560 --> 01:28:06.159 who, according to all reports, said, oh, you're wrong, 1348 01:28:06.239 --> 01:28:11.560 leave him alone. Don't stir this stuff up. He said to the female 1349 01:28:11.600 --> 01:28:16.840 employee who Chack Kelly was supposedly allegedly harassing. There's horrible Those are horrible incidents. 1350 01:28:17.439 --> 01:28:20.960 All the CFL has talked about over the years is treat everybody with respect. 1351 01:28:20.960 --> 01:28:26.039 It's a welcoming league. Okay, we're fair to everybody. These reports 1352 01:28:26.039 --> 01:28:30.119 don't sound like that's what was going on in our go land. I'm very 1353 01:28:30.119 --> 01:28:32.560 concerned. And I was asked the other day, do you think Chack Kelly 1354 01:28:32.600 --> 01:28:35.920 will be the Toronto Argonaut's starting quarterback this year? I don't think so. 1355 01:28:36.239 --> 01:28:39.840 I don't think they can allow him to be after what's been going on. 1356 01:28:40.119 --> 01:28:44.439 And I asked Pinball Clemens, the president, the boss of the Toronto Argonauts, 1357 01:28:44.439 --> 01:28:46.399 the other day, is John Murphy still on your staff? Yes? 1358 01:28:46.479 --> 01:28:48.880 He is, and then they didn't want to talk about it very much. 1359 01:28:48.880 --> 01:28:51.640 And I see John Murphy tweeted the other day as getting ready for training camp. 1360 01:28:53.319 --> 01:28:56.880 If he behaved this way and allowed this to happen and protected his quarterback, 1361 01:28:57.039 --> 01:29:00.439 there's no way after his second chance because he got fired and suspended for 1362 01:29:00.479 --> 01:29:03.800 an off field incident after after a football game, he can't be in the 1363 01:29:03.880 --> 01:29:08.800 league either. I'm not a canceled guy. You get a second chance all 1364 01:29:08.840 --> 01:29:11.640 the time. I'm fine with that. But what they've been doing is wrong. 1365 01:29:11.800 --> 01:29:15.319 This investigation better get going. And Randy Ambrosi sure he's done. He's 1366 01:29:15.359 --> 01:29:18.279 done something with Sean Lemon. He better do something with Chad Kelly. Because 1367 01:29:18.279 --> 01:29:21.479 but those stories are true, which they seem to be, then they have 1368 01:29:21.560 --> 01:29:27.319 they better get this going before training camp opens. Otherwise they've got a firestorm 1369 01:29:27.359 --> 01:29:30.560 on their on their hands. And they're being very hypocritical because they're not making 1370 01:29:30.760 --> 01:29:36.239 the CFL offices a safe place to be. Would this be a different circumstance. 1371 01:29:36.279 --> 01:29:40.439 And obviously Toronto is the biggest market and all these things, but we've 1372 01:29:40.479 --> 01:29:43.960 talked before. You know, the argos get a little swallowed up with all 1373 01:29:43.960 --> 01:29:46.600 the other activities going on. There and visibility of it with MLS and all 1374 01:29:46.640 --> 01:29:50.800 of their properties. Like this, if he's the quarterback of the Saskatchewan rough 1375 01:29:50.880 --> 01:29:55.039 Riders, is this a different situation. I mean, we had Cleaty darl 1376 01:29:55.119 --> 01:29:57.039 I on the show. He's like, I couldn't even go to the grocery 1377 01:29:57.079 --> 01:29:59.680 store without getting and I mean and that was just football play, right That 1378 01:30:00.000 --> 01:30:02.359 is it like any that was this, Hey, you're you're a terrible quarterback. 1379 01:30:03.840 --> 01:30:08.199 Regina's like that. You've been here, read you know what a small 1380 01:30:08.239 --> 01:30:11.760 market it is. And when you were talking about all the guys are usually 1381 01:30:11.800 --> 01:30:15.600 talking far hand and they're all watching NFL playoffs. Yes, in Regina, 1382 01:30:15.600 --> 01:30:18.760 we're watching NHL playoffs too, but we don't have a team involved and we 1383 01:30:18.800 --> 01:30:23.960 don't have an NHL franchise here. So the rough Riders are year round entertainment. 1384 01:30:24.279 --> 01:30:29.279 Everything they do is constantly being scrutinized. I could write a rough Rider 1385 01:30:29.359 --> 01:30:31.800 column every week, every day I wanted in the Leader Post and it would 1386 01:30:31.800 --> 01:30:34.680 be read because people want to know what's going on with the rough Riders. 1387 01:30:34.920 --> 01:30:39.279 If this was if this happened to one of the Saskatchewan rough Riders quarterbacks, 1388 01:30:39.319 --> 01:30:43.880 it would be getting like weekly attention or regular attention. You're right, the 1389 01:30:43.880 --> 01:30:46.199 Toronto Argonauts slip under the radar quite a bit, especially now with them when 1390 01:30:46.239 --> 01:30:48.960 the Maple Leafs are playing. Oh my goodness, there's nothing else going on 1391 01:30:49.000 --> 01:30:53.960 in the entire world around Toronto, right, So Chad Kelly, it's good 1392 01:30:53.960 --> 01:30:57.880 timing in that respect for the CFL. But they better be able to use 1393 01:30:57.960 --> 01:31:00.119 that smoke screen a little bit to get to the autumn of what happened and 1394 01:31:00.159 --> 01:31:03.239 make a ruling on it. Would it be bigger in Saskatchewan, Well, 1395 01:31:03.479 --> 01:31:06.199 you'd get you'd be hearing a lot more about it than you are from Toronto, 1396 01:31:06.439 --> 01:31:11.239 from the from Toronto media because they're paying attention to other things. But 1397 01:31:12.119 --> 01:31:17.840 because he's also the reigning Raining champion right Raining Outstanding player, we won a 1398 01:31:17.840 --> 01:31:23.119 Great Cup two years ago, so he's massive name. He also has massive 1399 01:31:23.239 --> 01:31:27.279 name recognition in the United States because of his college career, so it's going 1400 01:31:27.319 --> 01:31:31.680 to get bigger coverage eventually. But you're right, in Saskatchewan, if Chad 1401 01:31:31.760 --> 01:31:34.399 Kelly was a Saskatchean rough right of his quarterback and was accused of the same 1402 01:31:34.439 --> 01:31:39.159 thing, you wouldn't be seeing him in any grocery stores. It's just weird 1403 01:31:39.199 --> 01:31:42.800 because you know, coming off of you know, the playoff game and I 1404 01:31:42.840 --> 01:31:45.520 have the concussion, and then we go into the off season and then like 1405 01:31:45.560 --> 01:31:47.840 it's just been kind of it's just swirling here where it wasn't really a clean, 1406 01:31:48.399 --> 01:31:51.239 uh you know, clean exit into the off season for him and now 1407 01:31:51.319 --> 01:31:55.239 this stuff. And you know, I think Naylor had said last week, 1408 01:31:55.279 --> 01:31:58.479 like would he suspend him? And because it doesn't really matter right now because 1409 01:31:58.520 --> 01:32:01.199 nothing's happening, but I mean, see it's coming soon here, like you 1410 01:32:01.239 --> 01:32:04.000 said, rookie camps and everything. It just feels like, I don't know 1411 01:32:04.000 --> 01:32:06.960 how you go into that season with the investigations, So on your way. 1412 01:32:08.439 --> 01:32:12.039 Yes, they better get a resolution. That's a great point. They need 1413 01:32:12.039 --> 01:32:15.359 a resolution before training camps open, with their general manager and with their quarterback 1414 01:32:15.560 --> 01:32:19.520 because the way things have been described, there's no way that they should be 1415 01:32:19.640 --> 01:32:24.439 involved with the Canadian Football League team right now. And if camps are about 1416 01:32:24.439 --> 01:32:28.039 to open, they should be able to even the Toronto Argonaut say at least 1417 01:32:28.079 --> 01:32:31.760 deserve the courtesy of being told your guys won't be available, you better find 1418 01:32:31.800 --> 01:32:35.119 replacements for them. And if they show up on May the fourth and they're 1419 01:32:35.119 --> 01:32:39.880 both allowed to be there, I would have a lot of I wouldn't respect 1420 01:32:39.880 --> 01:32:45.359 the CFL as much because it doesn't sound like the like nothing should be done 1421 01:32:45.760 --> 01:32:51.399 to the people who put this assistant coach in that situation. In terms of 1422 01:32:51.399 --> 01:32:55.600 the Riders here, like you said, we draft coming up, how are 1423 01:32:55.600 --> 01:32:59.439 the Riders looking going into the season obviously not as successful kind of last year 1424 01:32:59.439 --> 01:33:01.279 with everything else, and what are you kind of looking forward to for the 1425 01:33:01.279 --> 01:33:05.239 team? Well, the draft coming up on Tuesday, the Global Draft I 1426 01:33:05.279 --> 01:33:09.600 think is earlier on Monday or something, and you know that you find a 1427 01:33:09.640 --> 01:33:13.000 global player or two. And they got a pretty good punter last year. 1428 01:33:13.319 --> 01:33:15.520 The Rough Riders did the Global Draft, so they do find some players. 1429 01:33:15.520 --> 01:33:20.479 On occasion, the Riders pick third. Overall, I'm advocating for them to 1430 01:33:20.520 --> 01:33:25.159 continue to pick Canadian receivers. If you start a Canadian receiver, you have 1431 01:33:25.199 --> 01:33:27.880 to have at least one or two backups. Right, they have three pretty 1432 01:33:27.920 --> 01:33:30.399 good receivers. When you think of Bradon Lenius as a keyan Schaeffer Baker and 1433 01:33:30.680 --> 01:33:36.119 Samuel Emilis, those are three very solid receivers. They're Canadian receivers and a 1434 01:33:36.119 --> 01:33:41.399 few years ago before I think before the Marquez started showing up to the Canadian 1435 01:33:41.399 --> 01:33:45.199 Football League. The rough Riders had a contain. They called it the Canadian 1436 01:33:45.239 --> 01:33:48.039 Air Force with Chris Getz, Laugh, Rob Bag and Andy Fan, twos 1437 01:33:48.199 --> 01:33:53.079 great great football players, all Canadians, all receivers, and it was rare 1438 01:33:53.159 --> 01:33:56.359 for teams to have that many Canadians. Usually you'll find one Canadian receiver, 1439 01:33:56.680 --> 01:33:59.279 so to have three of them in Western Dresser, who's going to be in 1440 01:33:59.279 --> 01:34:01.520 the Hall of Fame, was the American and he was from North Dakota, 1441 01:34:01.600 --> 01:34:04.720 so he was kind of an honorary Canadian anyway, right, So so they 1442 01:34:04.800 --> 01:34:08.760 called it the Canadian Air Force. And I think the rough Riders have built 1443 01:34:08.800 --> 01:34:12.520 themselves up enough that way to do it to really rely on their Canadian receiving 1444 01:34:12.520 --> 01:34:16.199 corps, and that allows them some freedom to add add Americans and other places 1445 01:34:16.199 --> 01:34:19.439 because they've really struggled along the offensive line. The fact that they got Peter 1446 01:34:19.479 --> 01:34:24.399 Godber a couple years last year from center from the from the BC Lions as 1447 01:34:24.399 --> 01:34:28.479 a free agent outstanding. Robert Blake's there, They've they've got decent, three 1448 01:34:28.560 --> 01:34:31.640 decent Canadian players, or Philip Blake, I said, Robert Blake, Phillip 1449 01:34:31.640 --> 01:34:35.800 Blake and they need. They got JaMarcus Hardrick as a free agent. As 1450 01:34:36.079 --> 01:34:42.199 for one tackle, they need another American tackle, allowing them to find more 1451 01:34:42.199 --> 01:34:46.000 Americans and maybe even playing one in the secondary, playing all American linebackers or 1452 01:34:46.039 --> 01:34:48.760 something would really help them. And I think that they can do that. 1453 01:34:48.800 --> 01:34:51.960 They can help their ratio. The teams. We've found over the years that 1454 01:34:53.000 --> 01:34:55.840 the teams who have the best Canadians are usually the teams who win the Great 1455 01:34:55.840 --> 01:34:59.600 Cups. So the rough Riders have built, they've had trouble finding offensive linemen. 1456 01:34:59.640 --> 01:35:03.560 They don't raft may Ne offensive lineman, so why not find the players 1457 01:35:03.600 --> 01:35:08.840 they're good at finding would seem to be receivers and then put the Americans in 1458 01:35:08.880 --> 01:35:11.920 other places, find Canadians who can start. So that's what the I see 1459 01:35:11.920 --> 01:35:15.039 the rough Riders doing, looking forward to it. When you ask how are 1460 01:35:15.039 --> 01:35:17.760 there? How are they going to do this year? Same as every CFL 1461 01:35:17.760 --> 01:35:21.079 team. How's their quarterback? Trevor Harris thirty eight years old when the season 1462 01:35:21.119 --> 01:35:27.760 starts. Last year, tibio fracture five broken five places. One of his 1463 01:35:27.840 --> 01:35:30.319 legs was broken in right on the kneecap and didn't play. He missed the 1464 01:35:30.479 --> 01:35:34.680 entire season. If he comes back. I think he stabilizes a team. 1465 01:35:35.079 --> 01:35:40.319 But can he play. He's never been the most mobile quarterback. But can 1466 01:35:40.399 --> 01:35:44.199 they protect him and can he stay healthy the entire year? They might they 1467 01:35:44.199 --> 01:35:47.039 have a chance of being a respectable football team if he can play the entire 1468 01:35:47.079 --> 01:35:53.279 season. Pressure on coaching staff and everything else now coming in, Yeah, 1469 01:35:53.319 --> 01:35:56.119 well they're new, right. Craig Dickinson was here for how many four or 1470 01:35:56.159 --> 01:36:00.840 five years and did an okay job, But last year his strat on field 1471 01:36:00.880 --> 01:36:05.079 strategies were really bad. He made every every chance he took blew up in 1472 01:36:05.119 --> 01:36:10.560 his face, and you know he's gambling at the wrong time, or he's 1473 01:36:10.640 --> 01:36:13.720 he's kicking at the wrong time. And the players notice that. You could 1474 01:36:13.720 --> 01:36:16.479 tell that they were losing faith in him, not that they disliked him as 1475 01:36:16.520 --> 01:36:19.960 a man. Craig Dickinson's a wonderful guy. As a coach, Well, 1476 01:36:20.159 --> 01:36:25.279 he waffled a few things and really was bad and on field strategies, and 1477 01:36:25.319 --> 01:36:28.720 then the players start thinking, oh, we can't we don't have faith in 1478 01:36:28.840 --> 01:36:30.319 him, And you could see it. Frit Or a way. For the 1479 01:36:30.399 --> 01:36:34.560 last two seasons they've gone. They ended their seasons with seven game losing streaks, 1480 01:36:34.840 --> 01:36:38.680 so you could just see it. It was. It was imploding before 1481 01:36:38.760 --> 01:36:41.560 us as we as we watched, so they did have to change it. 1482 01:36:41.600 --> 01:36:45.199 They changed the coaching staff, brought in Corey Mace, former defensive coordinator with 1483 01:36:45.239 --> 01:36:48.880 the Toronto Argonauts. Very popular throughout the league. Everybody seems to like him 1484 01:36:49.000 --> 01:36:54.119 from our limited, well not limited. He's been very accessible since he arrived 1485 01:36:54.119 --> 01:36:58.479 in Regina in the Saskatchewan and you see him everywhere and everybody seems to be 1486 01:36:58.520 --> 01:37:00.399 buying in. You know, when they get Olett, they're running back the 1487 01:37:00.399 --> 01:37:04.399 free agent from Toronto because he wants to play for Corey Mays. You start 1488 01:37:04.399 --> 01:37:08.920 thinking, oh, okay, this guy has something special and that's absolutely the 1489 01:37:08.960 --> 01:37:13.960 truth. He has that charismas he wants to be here in Saskatchewan kind of 1490 01:37:14.000 --> 01:37:15.199 the you know, is it the center of the CFL. No, but 1491 01:37:15.239 --> 01:37:18.279 it might be the heart of the CFL, right and he understands that and 1492 01:37:18.319 --> 01:37:20.840 he wants to be a part of it. So he's put together quite a 1493 01:37:20.840 --> 01:37:25.560 coaching staff, a few guys who are familiar. He's brought along guys he's 1494 01:37:25.600 --> 01:37:30.199 worked with, including Mark Mueller, who's a former offensive coordinator or not offensive 1495 01:37:30.199 --> 01:37:32.159 coordinator, Quarterbacks, coach. I guess with Calgary, he's the offensive coordinator. 1496 01:37:32.399 --> 01:37:35.279 How will he do here? You have to remember that last year they 1497 01:37:35.279 --> 01:37:39.840 took away his play calling duties in Calgary, so he's got to prove again 1498 01:37:39.880 --> 01:37:44.279 that he's capable of running an offense here. And he'll be given a pretty 1499 01:37:44.279 --> 01:37:47.600 good green light on those things because Corey may likes to have his coaches coach, 1500 01:37:47.640 --> 01:37:50.760 and Corey will be the front guy, I guess. But look at 1501 01:37:50.800 --> 01:37:54.359 I'm even calling him Corey, so I don't usually do that. I usually 1502 01:37:54.359 --> 01:37:57.520 call them by their last names. That's the type of person he is that 1503 01:37:57.600 --> 01:38:00.520 you just feel kind of like you know him as soon as you shows up. 1504 01:38:00.520 --> 01:38:02.680 And I think the people of Saskatchewan, the fans of the rough Riders, 1505 01:38:02.720 --> 01:38:08.039 really look forward to his coaching style this year. Well, it should 1506 01:38:08.079 --> 01:38:10.279 be exciting. And like I said, I think you know Aj going in 1507 01:38:10.319 --> 01:38:13.039 there kind of rock star, one of the big names of the CFRR and 1508 01:38:13.079 --> 01:38:15.359 now kind of makes that feel sexy. And Corey Mason all that other stuff. 1509 01:38:15.880 --> 01:38:18.279 Darryl, I appreciate it, Like I said, getting back into the 1510 01:38:18.279 --> 01:38:20.920 CFL coverage here, I'll have you back on and then you know, we'll 1511 01:38:20.920 --> 01:38:25.079 be figuring out if we can make any games, but a definitely great Cup 1512 01:38:25.079 --> 01:38:28.079 in Vancouver and everything else should be fun. So I appreciate anything else from 1513 01:38:28.079 --> 01:38:30.199 you. That's it. Look, I can't wait for it too. We'll 1514 01:38:30.199 --> 01:38:33.479 be watching the NHL playoffs, but training camp is special around here, and 1515 01:38:33.560 --> 01:38:36.920 with the new coach, there's a whole bunch of buzz around this province, 1516 01:38:36.960 --> 01:38:40.560 even more so than usual. Read. So we're looking forward to it around 1517 01:38:40.560 --> 01:38:42.800 here too. Yeah, I think it should based that. Yeah, a 1518 01:38:42.800 --> 01:38:45.439 couple of a couple of years here and not so great, So yes, 1519 01:38:45.119 --> 01:38:47.239 do for do for a bounce back, So Daryl, they have us. 1520 01:38:47.239 --> 01:38:56.760 I appreciate it. Good, good saying you read so soon. Huge special 1521 01:38:56.800 --> 01:39:00.079 thanks again to you if if you've made it this far through the episode. 1522 01:39:00.159 --> 01:39:03.159 And then of course all of our guests today, Rick Sarah Tella taking time 1523 01:39:03.520 --> 01:39:06.119 like really NFL Draft week, He's like, I'm ready to come on, 1524 01:39:06.279 --> 01:39:11.800 ready to talk. So appreciate Rick. I appreciate Greg is always making time 1525 01:39:11.880 --> 01:39:15.039 with his busy work schedule and life schedule and all that means a lot. 1526 01:39:15.279 --> 01:39:17.479 And then Darryl Davis as well, you know, coming out of retirement now 1527 01:39:17.520 --> 01:39:23.920 writing again and contributing always enjoy getting his thoughts about the CFL and everything, 1528 01:39:24.000 --> 01:39:27.560 Rough Riders and everything else. That'll do it for me today. Enjoy all 1529 01:39:27.640 --> 01:39:30.439 the NFL drafts coverage and everything else. It should be a good weekend of 1530 01:39:30.560 --> 01:39:34.720 UFL gameplay coming up here. And then next week I think we will have 1531 01:39:35.000 --> 01:39:39.600 Mike Mitchell on. I think we're shooting for kind of a welfare how is 1532 01:39:39.760 --> 01:39:43.960 hell is the UFL, but kind of a mid mid season welfare check on 1533 01:39:44.800 --> 01:39:49.199 the UFL. And then I think Andy and I are postgame recap for UFL 1534 01:39:49.239 --> 01:39:53.920 Week five is going to be on Sunday, so I will post that on 1535 01:39:53.960 --> 01:39:57.399 Twitter, but I think we've been doing the Monday Tuesday. I gotta work 1536 01:39:57.439 --> 01:40:00.760 all next week Vegas conference down that you in Vegas, So I think we'll 1537 01:40:00.760 --> 01:40:03.840 do that Sunday night once the games are done, So stay tuned. I'll 1538 01:40:03.840 --> 01:40:08.640 post all about that, but life subscribe. If you enjoy this, give 1539 01:40:08.680 --> 01:40:11.039 a thumbs up, lots of work. We'll see you next time. Thanks,