The Continental Gridiron Alliance

Identity Presentation: Toronto Tops

Identity Presentation: The Denver Drillers

I randomized the design order (the video is supposedly uploading, but has been stuck for a while. Will link to it here when it's done), and here it is:

Denver Drillers Mexico City Aztecs Lincoln Zephyrs Fremont Trolls Kentucky Mashers Memphis Kings Toronto Tops New York Griffins

Scheduled unveilings:

Feb. 11, 2014 Denver Drillers design unveiled.

Feb. 18, 2014 Mexico City Aztecs design unveiled.

Feb. 25, 2014 Lincoln Zephyrs design unveiled.

March 4, 2014 Fremont Trolls design unveiled.

March 11, 2014 Kentucky Mashers design unveiled.

March 18, 2014 Memphis Kings design unveiled.

March 25, 2014 Toronto Tops design unveiled.

The Original Eight nicknames are finalized!

Jan. 30, 2014 Recruitment begins.

Jan. 31, 2014 Retro logo designed. League History Part 1 written. Original Eight league owners set. Regional draft held.  League logo designed. League colors set.

Feb. 1, 2014 Original Eight cities selected. Nickname voting begins.

Feb. 2, 2014 Deadline for nickname candidate submission.

Feb. 4, 2014 Deadline for nickname voting among original eight.

Feb. 5, 2014 Nickname announcements made. Original Eight color draft held.

Feb. 7, 2014 Deadline for submission of color package to commissioner.  Original Eight design order randomized and set.

Feb. 11, 2014 First Original Eight design unveiled.

Feb. 18, 2014 Second Original Eight design unveiled.

Feb. 25, 2014 Third Original Eight design unveiled.

March 4, 2014 Fourth Original Eight design unveiled.

March 11, 2014 Fifth Original Eight design unveiled.

March 18, 2014 Sixth Original Eight design unveiled.

March 25, 2014 Seventh Original Eight design unveiled.

Nickname Quest - Louisville

Please vote for your favorite.

Kentuckiana Contenders

Kentuckiana refers to the Louisville metro area which extends across the border into Indiana, Contenders refers to Louisville being the birthplace of 4 heavy weight champions including Muhammad Ali.

Kentucky Mashers*

Corn Island is the location of the first European settlement in the area that is now Louisville (the actual island no longer exists) and Mashers along with Corn in the location refers to the Louisville’s status of the bourbon capital of country, while sounding sufficiently aggressive.

Kentucky Coal Cutters

A little nod to Kentucky’s Coal industry. Team background would most likely involve a move from one of Kentucky’s more eastern cities to Louisville to capture a wider market as the league grew.

Kentucky Peak Blasters

Same as the previous, more dynamic but less alliterate.

Louisville Bluegrass Gliders 

The mascot here would be a flying squirrel. No real explanation.

Nickname Quest - Omaha/Lincoln

Please vote for your favorite.

Omaha Sound

Little nod to the music scene that started in the 30’s and runs into today.

Lincoln Zephyrs

Other than a tip to the hat for the car, really love the name and rolls off the tongue pretty well.

Omaha Beers

Is in reference to the brewing industry located around Omaha, that and I think it would be awesome to have an overflowing beer mug as a mascot and logo.

Lincoln Cougars

There really should be a professional team named the cougars.

Omaha Rails

Nickname Quest - Denver

Please vote for your favorite.

Denver Drillers.

Colorado is booming. Also a nod to the Colorado Rockies minor league team.

Colorado Oilers.

Sameish idea.

Rocky Mountain Miners.

We have mines.

Denver Moose.

Nickname Quest - Seattle

Please vote for your favorite.

Seattle Sea Lions

Lots of sea lions in the sound and surrounding area and the Seattle aquarium was the site of the first line sea otter birth in captivity. Sea Lions sound more fierce though. 

Fremont Trolls

There is an 18 foot tall statue of a troll under the aurora bridge in the Fremont district of Seattle. He's clutching a vw bug in one hand and has a hubcap for an eye. Would make for a cool logo and is only 2 blocks from my apartment. 

Seattle Sasquatch

Rumored to dwell on the peninsula and well connected to Pacific northwest lore. 

Emerald City Orcas

Nickname Quest - Toronto

Please vote for your favorite.

Toronto Thunder

Lightning. Thunder. Hammers. All right.

Toronto Goats

Short for greatest of all time, but also, just...GOATS. I would likely work these guys into the identity and explanation. Thor's goats best goats.

Toronto Razorbacks

Toronto's nickname is "Hogtown," and this name rolls off the tongue rather nicely.

Toronto Dons

If you say it quickly, it sounds like "Pteranodons" and pteradactyls + pin stripes would be awesome. Story would be that they rebranded to the pteradactyls, moving away from an original mobster-styled branding. The Buccaneers were almost the Tampa Bay Mafia, there were two football teams in California named the Dons, including the L.A. Dons, and so on. It's a real nickname, but since glorifying crime and being anti-Italian would have been an issue by the time we got to the 1990s, this team would have moved toward a pteranodon branding and away from the mafia theme.

Toronto Tops

Same sort of idea as the Dons, with a triceratops as the mascot / logo. Originally, it would have been along the same lines as all the teams that named themselves the "Stars" or "Supers" or "Pros," but took on the new idea of triceraTOPS when rebranded.

Toronto Monsters

Nickname Quest - New York

Please vote for your favorite.

New York Centaurs

 Mythical creatures - half beast and half man - have taken to the Gotham gridiron. Possessed of brute strength and keen intellect, they prove formidable opponents to those who dare challenge them. Fierce and valiant, noble and wise, they inspire awe in all those who bear witness to their exploits. Join the thundering stampede: New York Centaurs football! New York Griffins

Powerful and majestic, courageous and bold, the legendary Griffin is thought to be the king of all creatures and guardian of the realms of the divine. Half lion and half eagle, the spirit of this mythic creature inspires Gotham's gridiron greats. All hail the New York Griffins!   New York Knights

 Elite warriors, sworn to uphold the values of courage, honor and loyalty. Protectors of the realm and defenders of the faith. Armored combatants engaged in conflict on a 100-yard battlefield. Who said chivalry's dead? It's alive and well on the Gotham gridiron. New York Knights football!    New York Kongs

Nickname Quest - Mexico City

Please vote for your favorite.

Mexico City Aztecs

Centuries after they were thought to be lost, they've returned. 

Mexico City Conquistadors

It’s more than a game to them. 

Mexico City Pumas

On the prowl and hungry.

Los Diablos de Mexico

Sure their name sounds like that of a baseball team, but it’s all a part of a devilish plot to catch you off-guard.

Mexico City Feathered Serpents

Nickname Quest - Memphis

Please vote on your favorite.

Memphis Express

A nod to the steamboats that have been made famous by Memphis. 

Memphis Steamers

Same as express. 

Memphis Kings

Goes to both Elvis and the Egyptian part of Memphis. King Tut if you will. 

Memphis Wolves

just a fun name

Memphis Blues

Goes to the tradition of Memphis with the music. 

Memphis Hounds

Regional Draft Results -- The Original Eight Brian chooses New York. Dan chooses Denver. Doug chooses Seattle. Christopher chooses Toronto. Tucker chooses Louisville. David chooses Memphis. Bhavin chooses Mexico City. Jeremy chooses Omaha-Lincoln.

The above map will be updated with the cities as soon as they are all chosen.

OWNERS: In the next day or so, please come up with at least four but no more than six possibilities for nicknames / mascots and get them to me, either by messaging me or posting them here. I will create posts here for each set of options and all eight of us will vote among the choices you give us. This replicates public feedback on team names. Each person gets one vote for each of the other teams and two votes on their own. Note: These nicknames are rather flexible. Doug contacted me about not necessarily using "Seattle" in his team's name. Some options include Seattle, Puget Sound, or Washington. However, as each of you know the cities included in your region, please refrain from names that would cover more than one city. For example, I asked Doug not to use "Pacific Northwest," as there are several other cities that fit that description.

Another Note: Please refrain from choosing nicknames that are already in use in the NFL or at the professional or college level in the city you've chosen. Also, please remember that you could get "stuck" with any of your options, so be sure to come up with a list of names you'd be happy with.

Another Another Note: If you're having troubles thinking up names, here's a big old list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_sports_team_nicknames

The first regional draft order is randomized!

We will choose our regions in this order:

Brian

Christopher

Doug

Daniel

Tucker

David

Bhavin

The History of the Continental Football Alliance, part 1: The Continental Football Conference

On January 25, 1987, the Continental Football Alliance was officially chartered as the Continental Football Conference. The announcement came a day later in New Orleans in an attempt to take advantage of the media coverage of Super Bowl XX and show that the league was serious about directly competing with the NFL. After the collapse of the USFL the previous year and in anticipation of the expiration of the 1982 NFL CBA, the league was formed as a direct competitor to the NFL with an eye on eventually merging with the older league. When the announcement of the league’s formation, meant to be an event seen around the world during Super Bowl coverage, the CFC was almost entirely ignored, as the excitement surrounding Super Bowl XX and the lingering disappointment in the USFL combined into media apathy for the new league. As the owners left for their home cities and the auspicious announcement stage was torn down and packed up, the NFL’s Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46-10. It would be the last Super Bowl for more than two years, as the 1987-88 NFL season was cancelled after seven games played by non-union replacement players. Due to a combination of an expired collective bargaining agreement that lead to a labor strike, an unwillingness on the part of NFL players to cross the picket lines, in part itself because of the perceived disrespect of using replacement players, and the CFC’s willingness to negotiate with and sign star NFL players, the CFC quickly built itself as a money-losing but legitimate competitor to the NFL during the 1987-88 season.

The CFC became the CFA on April 24, 1993 after merger negotiations broke down with the NFL. As evidenced by its original name, the league was intended as a third conference for the NFL and owners were confident that such a merger would come quickly once it was clear they were willing to lose money in the short term in order to compete with the NFL. With the perfect storm of the strike, the replacements, and the deep pockets of the CFC owners, respectability and competition came quickly for the league.

This first major break for the league came in week 4 of the 1987 season, as CBS began airing NFL games on tape delay in a negotiation tactic. CBS claimed that the ratings for the replacement games were so low that the NFL owed restitution due to language in the broadcast contract. By week 6, CBS had negotiated a low-value but highly publicized one-year deal with the CFC to air CFC games in the time slots usually occupied by NFL games. Meant to be a negotiating tactic against the NFL, ratings were soon high enough for CFC games, featuring former NFL stars such as John Elway, Joe Montana, and Lawrence Taylor, that the contract was extended through the next season at a 300% increase, with CFC games planned to be aired that next season on Sunday evenings after the day’s NFL games. When the NFL’s week 7 games were aired on CBS at as late as 3 a.m. Monday morning in East Coast markets and it became clear that a lengthy legal struggle with the network would be extremely costly and that the striking players would not return to work without a new CBA, the NFL cancelled the rest of its season.