USFL-NFL

The intersection of politicians and businessmen associated with the sporting world has always been a captivating arena, and few figures have embodied this dynamic as distinctly as Donald J. Trump. The 1980s saw Trump enter the world of American football, with the acquisition of the New Jersey Generals in 1983 for 10 million dollars. This period of time was the inception of the USFL and the league looked very promising as it was complementary to its NFL competition with opposing seasons.

Trump was hot on the heels when it came to securing talent as the New Jersey Generals and other teams recruited star talent from the NFL throughout the mid-1980s. In 1983 Trump signed off on arguably the era’s hottest talent Hershel Walker for an exclusive 5 million dollar, 3-year contract securing one of the league’s top quarterbacks of the era. Brian Sipe was another big NFL name that Trump managed to sign for the 1984 USFL season. Trump also had productive discussions with New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor that would have potentially seen Taylor switch to the USFL by the late 1980’s.  

Trump’s vision would not be limited to the Generals however as his stern approach directed at taking the USFL to challenge the NFL in an effort to give American football some serious competition. Trump managed to convince the USFL league in 1984 to switch from a spring schedule to the fall, taking the competition right to the NFL.  This decision led to the two leagues squaring off, an unprecedented move that rocked the sporting world and that sought to transform professional football in the USA. However, it was not a fruitful venture with the NFL sabotaging the USFL with a monopoly of televised networks that effectively shunned the future of the start-up league.

Trump led the fight representing the USFL in an antitrust lawsuit directed at the NFL. The antitrust case was conducted under the Sherman Act where Trump sued the NFL for conspiracy to put the USFL out of business and for monopolizing televised networks in relation to sports coverage involving American football. The USFL sued for damages of 567 million dollars, which was in practice, over 1.7 billion dollars due to the case structure.

The final verdict in July 1986 saw the Trump-led lawsuit victorious in his favor, with the jury finding the NFL used predatory tactics in monopolizing professional football. The results however were less than victorious with the deliberation ruling only nominal damages of 1 dollar. The total damages awarded a sum of $3.76 after all factors and adjustments had been settled. Despite a victory in recouping the legal costs of the proceedings this ultimately ended the future of the USFL with the league effective folding in August 1986.

Source: USFL