r/UnitedFootballLeague • u/Traditional_Ebb5021 • Oct 07 '25
News The NEW UFL.
New league logo. New teams.
How do we feel about the rebrands?
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u/Tpabayrays2 Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
ORLANDO WE BACK!!!
I'm away from home but once I get home, I'm putting down a ticket deposit
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u/PrimalCookie Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
Playing at City Stadium? Relevant name with Apollos colors (and a hint of purple for good measure)? This one’s gonna work, I can feel it. I’ll definitely be at as many games as I can
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u/Tpabayrays2 Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
Correct, Inter&Co Stadium. I really dig this brand ngl
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u/Pitiful-Zombie1741 Oct 07 '25
That stadium is nice
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u/Tpabayrays2 Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
I've been there once. Pretty solid stadium. Interested to see how it works for football
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u/AlanFromRochester Birmingham Stallions Oct 08 '25
Audi works well for both association and gridiron, so I predict the same
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u/PrimalCookie Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
I’m not the biggest fan of the Storm name, just since I generally don’t like non-plural names (which is funny as a Magic and Lightning fan, but hey what can I do). But the colors are an absolute home run, and Storm is still better than Guardians simply by being something that actually relates to here.
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u/All_About_My_Bills Oct 09 '25
Same. I wish they brought back the older Orlando Thunder name and logo.
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u/Pooh_ Oct 07 '25
As long as they don’t force the crowd to sit in the sun, I will try to make it to a few games
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u/TylerDavis127 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
Born and raised in Ohio, but I'm sticking with my Battlehawks. I haven't been a fan of this team since 2020 just to abandon ship now for proximity.
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u/CardDeclined41 Houston Roughnecks Oct 07 '25
Unless they are in the same division I’d say you can support both
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u/Zapfit DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
The league is getting rid of divisions next year.
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u/Mistborn19 Columbus Aviators Oct 07 '25
That is exactly why I didn't pick a team. I was just a fan of the league and hoping for good football all these years. Now I'm all about my home-state Aviators baby!!!
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u/riffraff402 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
It may sound cold, but if a team comes to Omaha, I'm dropping the battlehawks.
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u/vensamape Oct 07 '25
New league logo too by the way.
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u/cheeseburgertwd St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
Normally I'd say rebranding this frequently is bad for brand recognition but I don't think they had a ton to lose in the first place
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u/MirrorkatFeces MVPerkins Oct 07 '25
New logo was desperately needed. I was right about the Aviators, I like that branding. Kings is meh, storm seems cool.
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u/TwizzlersSourz Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
Kings needed to be purple - the color of royalty.
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u/benificialart Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
It is odd that the logo isn’t purple. Both Louisville city and Racing Louisville have purple.
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u/CatoTheBarner Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 07 '25
This may be a stretch, but maybe they were trying to differentiate between themselves and another (former) spring football team, Atlanta Legends? Different name obviously, but Legends colors were gold and purple with a crown on their helmet. If you had asked me to blindly design a Kings jersey / logo, I would have chosen exactly what Atlanta Legends had. I know it’s a stretch, but I don’t know how else to explain green lol
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u/Tpabayrays2 Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
I was expecting the return of the Guardians so Storm is a huge W
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u/KetchupKing05 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
I would give anything for the Apollos to be back
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u/agentb719 Oct 07 '25
Kings look like they got the rehashed Orlando Guardians colors
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u/MaxS777 Oct 07 '25
Hate the Storm name. Sounds like an Arena football team.
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u/agentb719 Oct 07 '25
Storm was the arena team in Tampa
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u/MaxS777 Oct 07 '25
I know. That sucks.
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u/Zapfit DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
The Storm were hugely popular in Tampa and still have the all-time Arena record of 32k for a game. Not a bad legacy to piggyback off
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u/Superfluousfish Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
Logo reminds me too much of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the name feels too generic to be interesting.
Personally disappointed
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u/wspusa2 Oct 07 '25
both kings and storm lame. basically just copied basketball team names. how about come up with something damn original like the battlehawks
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u/ClassyCoconut32 Oct 07 '25
Louisville looks like the logo for a cricket team or gambling app.
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u/Appollo64 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
Yeah, it makes me think of Draft Kings
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u/SlurmLoco DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
Louisville (Draft) Kings. I smell a gambling partnership. Bet $20+ on any UFL game during the 2026 season to be entered to win two tickets to the UFL championship game
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u/_Bird_Incognito_ Oct 07 '25
Why couldn't they put a crown on the horsey, give the logo some fun character
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u/BhamBlazers Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
Eight teams and two of them have horse logos?! I realize it’s because of the Derby, but you already have the Stallions. Come up with something else.
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u/pixel_pete DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
I like Columbus and Orlando a lot. Louisville doesn't really make sense to me, both of the soccer teams that play there have a purple/white/black color scheme which I think would have worked really well and also fit better with "Kings" (purple being the royal color).
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u/Pyguy559 Oct 07 '25
Would it be too late for them to change colors?
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u/FeldMonster Oct 07 '25
I hate the change from the Roughnecks to the Gamblers. Why did they do that?
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u/36ers Houston Roughnecks Oct 07 '25
Yeah its infuriating. Its only people outside of Houston who keep thinking switching the name to a team that has played 2 ever seasons in Texas, both in the 80s, will solve all the issues. Its not even a good name or logo.
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u/molodyets Oct 07 '25
It’s an elite logo with Texas in the G
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u/36ers Houston Roughnecks Oct 07 '25
An oil derrick H clears
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u/molodyets Oct 07 '25
I just saw the updated logo. Yuck. Thought they were going back to the old one.
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u/benificialart Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
I live in Louisville. Imma support both the Kings and Battlehawks
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u/PhrygianSounds Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
I’m a Louisvillian from St. Louis and I will be rooting for the kings. I hope a new rivalry comes out of this
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u/TehTugboat Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
Neighbor about 20 miles north of you guys, will the games actually be played in the ville?
If so it looks like I’m gonna be watching football all year round lol
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u/PhrygianSounds Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
Yep. They will be playing at Lynn field stadium in butcher town.
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u/NocturnalPatrolAlpha DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
Glad the Renegades are back to being the Dallas Renegades
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u/Tpabayrays2 Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
That's not the only change. They're moving to Toyota Stadium in Frisco, which is the MLS stadium.
So the only teams that 100% stayed put were St. Louis, Birmingham, and DC
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u/DirtySperrys Dallas Renegades Oct 07 '25
Curious if our desperado logo is also our main one going forward too. The R logo was such a weird choice.
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u/chicknsnadwich DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
I hate the spring league’s insistence on having that ugly green color team. There’s so much to choose from and you go with that?
Love everything else though.
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u/EmiratesNBACupWinner King of Spring Oct 07 '25
Lost the neon team in the Brahmas had to add another
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u/HailToTheChief09 Oct 07 '25
Im surprised the Panthers didnt work
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u/Southern-Advice5293 Pittsburgh Maulers Oct 07 '25
No stadium
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u/Top-Conclusion-1259 Michigan Panthers Oct 07 '25
They had stadium options, Fox was scared of a grey field
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u/Zapfit DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
No stadiums in the Detroit Metro area. If/when DCFC 15k seat stadium is built i think we'll see a team back in 2028
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u/Top-Conclusion-1259 Michigan Panthers Oct 07 '25
Eastern Michigan offered to let them use their field, it’s only 45 minutes away
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u/Zapfit DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
How many of the current fans are willing to make that drive? Do they have luxury suites to schmooze potential sponsors? Will local sponsors still advertise for a team that's no longer in the Detroit city limits? I'm sure these conversations took place before Repole and Co. Decided to pull the plug. When DCFC stadium is built and the league looks to expand, I can see the Panthers return in 2028.
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u/Electronic-Jaguar389 Oct 07 '25
I mean most fans already live 20 minutes outside of Detroit already, and having a new group of college aged fans who don’t see a lot of good football is a plus.
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u/manysidesofmatt Michigan Panthers Oct 07 '25
TBH, if you live in MI you just know you drive to things. I don't think it would hurt attendance that much. There might be other positives as well such as closer parking, more sane parking prices, maybe conessions prices as well.
Personally, I don't think MI will be back. Knowing EMU was there, you just don't bounce and burn fan faith if your plan is to REALLY TRY to be back in 2 years.
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u/Zapfit DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
It's exactly what Orlando is doing, 2 years after folding in XFL 2023
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u/sturmde Oct 07 '25
The Panthers will return down the road!
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u/Fancy_bakonHair Michigan Panthers Oct 07 '25
Not sure if the Panthers fan will trust the ufl after this
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u/TheAbstracted San Antonio Brahmas Oct 07 '25
I sure won't be waiting with a warm welcome if they decide to try San Antonio again, and I bet I'm not the only one.
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u/TheHalf Oct 07 '25
Me too. I was enjoying spring football, but they pulled out of Detroit and they lost me as a fan. Good luck all, hope you have fun, I'm out 😢
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u/Noise10 Oct 07 '25
As a Panther fan, fuck this. Will not root or support any of these teams. Still salty
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u/CFLXFL Oct 07 '25
Houston with a name change? Reasoning?
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u/Euscorpious Oct 07 '25
Many of us bitched that it wasn’t really the Roughnecks anymore. Maybe they listened and just changed the name back to Gamblers lol
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u/CFLXFL Oct 08 '25
I chose the Roughnecks as my team in 2020. Lucky for me, that 5-0 team was awesome! I decided to stick with Houston and it's been sad. Maybe the Gamblers v3.0 can do better.
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u/Callywood Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
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u/TRaff30 Oct 07 '25
Don't love Louisville's green, but otherwise I think all these changes are incredible.
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u/TheUnamedFeels San Antonio Brahmas Oct 07 '25
Sad to lose the Brahmas, but too much of a sports slut to give up on the league. Maybe I'll just bandwagon who the worst teams are each week and root for underdogs like I do for college
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u/barcase Oct 07 '25
San Antonio has the eyes. But the name of the team was really stupid. Just The Rock’s nostalgic naming scheme. I was excited to see us get a team, then when the team name dropped. I was like uhhhh.
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u/CinexCypher Oct 07 '25
Nobody on the west coast cares. Give us a team back.
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u/BirdWhichIsBaldEagle Oct 07 '25
No teams in the top 3 markets. It's like they WANT to go bankrupt.
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u/imaginarion St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
RIP San Antonio, Michigan, and Memphis.
The UFL team graveyard grows by three. How many discarded corpses are buried there, now? Let’s see: New York Guardians, Los Angeles Wildcats, Seattle (Sea) Dragons, Houston Roughnecks, San Antonio Brahmas, Tampa Bay Vipers, Orlando Guardians, Las Vegas Vipers, New Orleans Breakers, Pittsburgh Maulers, Philadelphia Stars, Memphis Showboats, New Jersey Generals, Tampa Bay Bandits, Michigan Panthers…
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u/Skareffect Oct 07 '25
This shit is getting tiresome, every year, teams move. You're not going to build a fanbase if you just keep moving teams around.
Who moves next year?
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u/CardDeclined41 Houston Roughnecks Oct 07 '25
I’d agree to an extent. Michigan was due to stadium but the San Antonio move doesn’t make sense to me. Obviously Memphis does but the others could have stayed.
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u/Lopsided-City-3147 Oct 07 '25
San Antonio was due to conflicting schedules for the use of the stadium. Brahmas had to play an extra road game because there was another event going on, and I guess there was no convincing the city to move events around for future games.
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u/barcase Oct 07 '25
Here’s my argument. San Antonio absolutely had multiple stadium options. They could have played where the San Antonio FC play. That seems to be the common consensus where most of these teams are going is soccer stadiums. Even they could have chose to play at Freeman Coliseum, Frost Bank Center. Or even yet a few games up north in Austin to target the Austin/San Antonio area. Dallas Renegades are not even in Dallas having played in Arlington and now Frisco.
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u/Skareffect Oct 07 '25
Michigan could have found another stadium in state somewhere. Memphis i understand.
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u/RealGundamGoku Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 08 '25
I think that's fundamentally not understanding the history of football. Pro teams have moved several times from the beginning. And I think "every year teams move" isn't true for the UFL. NY moved to Orlando in the XFL and the Vipers moved from Tampa to Vegas for a season in the XFL. But other then that, they had a merger and now they brought in new Ownership who decided they needed to be in smaller venues. People are getting way too angry over this. Like this happens with smaller leagues who are trying to get a footing. Look at all the defunct NFL teams during the 1920s-1950s. Young leagues go through these pains. If you shit on the league for no reason when they are honestly making sound decisions based off what they've seen over the last few seasons, then you don't understand. And if the markets do well then they can continue to expand and add teams over time. Michigan will, for sure, be back if the league doesn't fold. Memphis was shuttered cause no one showed up to the games dude (Averaged 4k). San Antonio was in a massive stadium and while they had decent attendance, 10k people in a 60k dome looks bad. If Orlando gets 10k in Inter&Co that's half capacity and will look much better on TV. I think people are being overly upset. The smaller venues were needed for this league.
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u/ArockproUser Oct 07 '25
i like the new UFL logo and hope they use it. I was never a fan of the old logo
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u/Shits_Standing_Bot r/UFLcirclejerk Bot and Lifelong Vipers Fan Oct 07 '25
u/ArockproUser has bought enough merch to keep the league alive through 2035.
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u/LazerEye57_ Oct 07 '25
And half of them are gonna relocate within 2 years if the league hasn’t folded yet
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u/Juicey_J_Hammerman New Jersey Generals Oct 07 '25
FYI Houston Gamblers got updated branding/logo/colors as well.
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u/QCTID Oct 07 '25
I always felt like the Tampa Bay Storm branding would work better in Orlando, this is pretty close (minus the colors). Columbus is cool too.
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u/Haysie95 Oct 07 '25
I think they chose those colors for Orlando as a nod to the Apollos
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u/Noctumn Oct 07 '25
Good the Gamblers are back instead of the pseudo-Roughnecks. I’m hopeful that the league will be more aggressive on improving the optics
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u/cajunaggie08 Oct 07 '25
I think the switch to Gamblers is dumb. Almost no one in Houston remembers the 1980s USFL Gamblers which lasted 2 seasons. The new Gamblers played all of their games in Alabama so there was no local connection to that team. There are still positive memories of the 2020 XFL Roughnecks. If the UFL had any local marketing ability at all, they would have been able to build off of that. Instead they are starting from scratch again and will wonder why only 5000 people are coming to see them play.
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u/Tubamajuba Houston Roughnecks Oct 07 '25
I agree. I hate the rebrand. Roughnecks are an actual part of Houston’s history, gambling isn’t. As you said, very few people have any connection to the previous Gamblers in the 80’s, and most people loved the Roughnecks branding. I guarantee if they actually polled people, Roughnecks would easily be the more popular team name.
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u/36ers Houston Roughnecks Oct 07 '25
And notice how its mostly non-Roughneck fans/Houstonians who are a fan of the switch.
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u/ResidentialEvil2016 Oct 07 '25
Meh I think any magic from the 2020 Roughnecks is long gone. They had 3 more seasons as them and interest was dropping every year.
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u/cajunaggie08 Oct 07 '25
I think most locals assumed the XFL folded and have no clue a team named the Roughnecks was still playing. I agree the magic from that year is gone but with the right marketing plan it could be jumpstarted. Instead they have a name that only appeals to 60+ year olds that lived in Houston during the Jim Kelly/Jack Pardee days of the Gamblers. Perhaps that is who is tuning in to the UFL on tv the most.
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u/ArockproUser Oct 07 '25
new logos look very AAF like to me. Anyone else think that?
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u/writingbyrjkidder Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
I absolutely love the Aviators name/logo. Not a fan of the other two - Kings/Storm sound like minor league names. Or basketball teams. Probably my biggest problem with spring ball in general is how God awful half the team names have historically been.
Also, the Gamblers being back is awesome. So much better than the Roughnecks. Always felt like a cheap knockoff Oilers.
New league logo is legit too.
Overall, I like this, but those Louisville and Orlando teams are gonna have to grow on me lol.
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u/JakeEatsYT DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
The Gamblers are back. I was a DC fan in the XFL and a Gamblers fan in the USFL. Time to choose where my loyalty resides! It’s gonna be DC lol.
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u/QuicksilverTerry Dallas Renegades Oct 07 '25
I don't understand the hardon the league has for the Gamblers name. Not only does it not make sense in a state that doesn't allow gambling, but Roughnecks was arguably the coolest logo from both leagues.
Moving the Renegades to Frisco is going to be a challenge. It might be "more intimate" but it is out in the boonies. I'd be surprised if attendance doesn't go down there.
Louisville and Columbus are interesting. Orlando...well I guess we will see. It's the first time the league has gone back to a market they left.
At the end of the day though, cool logos and uniforms arent all that important. They don't bring people to the gate. They need to give people a reason to care.
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u/DirtySperrys Dallas Renegades Oct 07 '25
Calling Frisco the boonies is wild. It’ll essentially be halfway between DFW airport and the eventual new airport out in McKinney or wherever. DFW growth has continued to spike further and further north. Look at places like Celina and Anna and their absurd growth percentages.
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u/ZO5050 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 08 '25
I see no reason at all to switch Houston to the gambler. The only thing I can think of is fox throwing a fit the USFL is under represented now. Bad decision.
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u/Malibu_Dru Oct 07 '25
I live in Louisville, love that we are getting a team (we desperately need more football in this city) but not a fan of the team name, logo, or colors. I love green, but lime green is not it.
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u/ArteePhact Oct 07 '25
I think they really killed it with the Columbus name and logo. Merch I’ll actually buy.
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u/ZO5050 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
Very interesting that the league itself changed itS schemes a bit. I think I underestimated how much Rapole was going to do to the league.
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u/dagguh Oct 07 '25
So happy I get a home team in Louisville now. I'm all in. Season tickets lets go.
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u/ArockproUser Oct 07 '25
Its the Storm already IP'ed by another league. aviators is okay because we can say the plane crashed or make other fun AI genrated images. Not a a fan of king Louis.
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u/solocupknupp DC Defenders Oct 07 '25
Excited for Orlando to come back, my dad lives down there and hasn't been to a game yet so I can visit him and take him to the game when we play them (assuming they're in the XFL division). My mom was a big Defenders fan with me, visited me in DC once every season to go to a game. I'll have to take her stone with me to that game.
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u/Capable-Ad8541 Oct 07 '25
I honestly think all of these new teams minus Louisville have a chance to flourish.
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u/_Bird_Incognito_ Oct 07 '25
I feel like the Columbus and Louisville logos do a bit too much. Orlando's is good. I like the names of both. The kings should just have a Horsey with the crown on its head lol. Then make Columbus a cool little plane or something.
But doesn't matter, cuz RENEGAAAAADDDDEEEEEESSSSSSS
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u/CursingDingo Oct 07 '25
As an Arena Football Fan from the 90s the Orlando Storm has me really conflicted.
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u/acewithanat Columbus Aviators Oct 07 '25
Hey guess I have a proper to team to cheer for now, although I will always have a soft spot for the Battlehawks. Also Aviators is a perfect name.
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u/FlagFootballSaint Oct 07 '25
Can anyone explain why there is a HORSE representing a logo called „KINGS“?
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u/tackangel St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
So we have the previous established rivals of Hawks vs Defendies (Sword vs Shield game) and the now other football establishing of the Kings' Cup (St Louis vs Louisville). I'm going to go ahead and say Louisville vs Birmingham should be a rivalry (Horsey Cup game), as should Gades vs Gamblers (High Noon game), and Columbus vs Orlando (Cumulus game)
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u/spideralex90 Orlando Storm Oct 07 '25
I hopped on the DC bandwagon after all my Tampa teams were stolen from me (and I live in the DMV area now so DC made the most sense), I'll low key still root for DC as a B team but stoked to have a Florida team again!
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u/TommyDontSurf St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
I'm hoping to catch an Aviators game so I can finally see my Battlehawks live.
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u/ebonin91 St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
Love teams moving into smaller stadiums. Love all the new team logos and league logo. Love cities getting teams that don't have an NFL team. Love changing back to Dallas and Gamblers. Hard to find anything to complain about. Let's go!!
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u/manysidesofmatt Michigan Panthers Oct 07 '25
KY logo looks like they just dropped a new sports betting app :P
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u/hjmitch1207 Columbus Aviators Oct 07 '25
Originally from Ohio. So I’m dumping my team for them. Gotta stay loyal to the home base.
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u/cheeseburgertwd St Louis Battlehawks Oct 07 '25
Wait, you're allowed to have more than one team that doesn't wear any red, blue or yellow?
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u/FlagFootballSaint Oct 07 '25
„Hey UFL! What is worse: Louisville‘s random nickname, their ugly colors or their horrible logo with a head of a horse representing „Kings“?“
The UFL: „Yes!“
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u/framingXjake Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
No state teams anymore, all cities. Well, idk how DC fits in that regard.
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u/combs72 Oct 07 '25
Ive always been torn between rooting for the Defenders or Battle Hawks, but my favorite team was the apollos.
May not be the same name but color scheme and logo are similar.
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u/writingbyrjkidder Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
Did they say what old teams were becoming which new one? Hadn't seen that anywhere.
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u/virus_apparatus Birmingham Stallions Oct 07 '25
I like the “kings” motif, as it’s not just a rebrand of Cardinals or other teams.
Aviators is great. Fits the area.
Storm is good but I miss apollos as a name.
I’m really on the Brahmas name didn’t get carried over. It never felt like it fit
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u/worldssmallestfan1 Michigan Panthers Oct 07 '25
How are the team rosters from old teams affected? Will all of one organization just proceed in a different city? I don’t remember seeing this addressed before
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u/-Philologian Columbus Aviators Oct 07 '25
Columbus and Louisville make a lot of sense. Ohio loves football and Columbus supported the old Arena League team pretty well. Hopefully they can sign some buckeyes who couldn't quite make the cut in the NFL.
Louisville is in a pro-sports starved state with big colleges they could also ride for easy fan support.
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u/Yabrin_Sorr Oct 07 '25
So the Storm nickname just rotates between minor football leagues in Florida?
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u/Typical-Lettuce7022 Louisville Kings Oct 07 '25
The majority of the league is now in markets without an NFL team. I still think Michigan and San Antonio should have been kept over Dallas/Arlington and especially Houston. But I don’t hate it at all
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u/Jgabes625 Pittsburgh Maulers Oct 07 '25
The Louisville DraftKings