Event Date: October 29th, 1987
Event Description: Football Merger Talks
Source: UPI
The president of the Arizona Outlaws said Tuesday there is some movement concerning a merger between the National Football League and U.S. Football League.
“Some things are going on,” Outlaws president Bill Tatham Jr. said. Tatham would not elaborate but insisted a merger would ease many of the issues facing the NFL.
“The merger solves a lot of the NFL's problems,” he said. “It solves their problems concerning the cities of Oakland and Baltimore.”
“It solves their Congressional problems concerning movement of franchises, it solves the salary escalation problem, it solves their problem with (the USFL's) antitrust suit and with network television. It solves a lot of problems for everybody.”
CBS football analyst Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder said Sunday officials of the NFL and the USFL had met to discuss merger.
The NFL is embroiled in litigation with the cities of Oakland and Baltimore, whose NFL teams have moved in recent years.
“Two leagues cannot compete indefinitely,” Tatham said. “In any sport, once a new league becomes established for a couple of years, merger has always happened.”
Tatham said that if the NFL and the USFL were to consolidate, he felt the Arizona USFL franchise would be at the top of the list to enter the NFL.
“I think we're in the top non-NFL market in the country,” he said. “(NFL Commissioner) Pete Rozelle has said that he is looking to bring franchises to four cities -- Oakland, Baltimore, Phoenix and Memphis. Even if only one team is allowed in, our bet would be that it would be Phoenix. We think we're one of those teams (that would be allowed in) not matter how many teams would be let in.”
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