Daydreaming

So I'm an admitted UFL homer (and Colonials homer, obviously) so when I say that part of what what I've loved about the league so far is the amount of speculation surrounding it, it probably just sounds like I'm being a fanboy. You could accuse me of that, and I guess it wouldn't be unfair.

But I like to think about the future. Not just the things that get tossed around on the UFL Access forums, like where the expansion teams will be, what big names might get signed, or what unknowns might rise out of the murky depths of free agency. These are all well and good, but I'm thinking in different directions.

For example, I wonder when we'll begin seeing fans in "enemy" markets. Right now, a Colonials fan makes sense in Connecticut. Massachusetts? Sure. And fans may begin to trickle in from other New England states as the team gets more and more press. But how about a Colonials fan in...dun dun dun...Omaha? Or vice versa? Come to think of it, that's probably more likely. If Omaha's fan base continues to grow as it has (last I checked they were sniffing 15,000 fans on Facebook) and if they keep playing at a high level, I could see them becoming the Dallas Cowboys of the league--which ultimately means that their fans would become insufferable. No offense. For now, I'm sure there are already a few UFL fans in markets that will soon have teams, like Virginia for instance. So what might, say, a Tusker fan in that area do? Sometimes life throws you hard decisions.

Other than that, I like to think about what a UFL video game would be like. Electronic Arts' "Madden" series has completely dominated the simulationist category for years, and shows no signs of slowing down. I haven't been a huge gamer since my teenage years, but to my knowledge, there isn't currently a big name, arcade-style football game out there. Or at least one that could compare with the world champion of football games, Tecmo Super Bowl. Who out there didn't love seeing Vinny Testaverde hurl a ninety-nine yard touchdown pass, or running Barry Sanders down the field, and then back to the line of scrimmage, and then back again in a five minute TD run? The over-the-top, big plays, cool music and colorful graphics were a twitch gamer's dream. I play and like Madden, but I think it's telling that people still think back on a twenty-year-old game so fondly, and I think that when the times comes, the UFL would be smart to pounce on that market.

It could be years before we see fan bases in opposing markets, or before the Colonials grace the cover of a PS3 game case, but it's fun to think about.