(S31) Ultimus Week

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13. Expansion Expansion Expansion! The league seems to love talking about it, but it has still not happened. Tell us why it should happen / should not happen soon?

Any league should always have its eyes open for and be ready to expand. That is doubly true for a league as relatively small as the ISFL. Luckily for the ISFL they are already well represented through most of the world. Across the ISFL and DSFL, we have teams in Canada, the United States of America, Mexico, Australia, and Germany. That is a great place to be but of course there are a couple huge blind spots in locations.
The biggest blind spot for locations is of course Asia. From a pure numbers perspective it is a no brainer to establish a team here. The best place to establish a team in China would be China, most likely Beijing. The population of China paired with its growing middle class and the disposable income that comes with it make it an ideal location. Of course the league would have to be worried about how to deal with the Chinese government and the huge amount of egg shells that every player would need to walk on in order to keep them happy with the team and league. All things considered the long term numbers would probably show that expanding into China is a mistake.
A better alternative would probably be expanding into South Korea. South Korea is comparatively dwarfed by China but still has a population of 50 million to support the team. In addition to that is the large United States Armed Forces in the country that would pretty much guarantee a dedicated fan base off the bat.
Another spot that could be a great place for the league to expand into would be Brazil. The Tijuana Luchadores have already proved that football has room to grow south of the border. We all know that football is king in Brazil. Unfortunately, it is the wrong kind of footy. With a concerted effort the ISFL should be able to grow a loyal following. It would probably pose the largest risk but could possibly reap the greatest rewards given how nuts Brazilians are about soccer. It would be up to the league if they wanted to risk setting up an ISFL team in Brazil or go with the safer option in establishing a DSFL team instead.
Regardless of whether any of these spots are chosen for expansion, the league needs to be thinking about expanding. Expansion is the tool that we can use to make sure that the ISFL becomes a truly global phenomenon.

(411 words)

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19. If your player had a show starring them, what would the plot be? Graphic Option: Create the cover art for your player’s show

The hot new reality TV show sweeping the nation has none other than Austin Copperhead’s disappointing rookie wide receiver Cliff Burton. The title of the show is “From Head Banging to Head Hanging.” The show follows Burton throughout his rookie season and beyond in the ISFL. The first season is an alcohol fueled depression fest. Cliff Burton went from a stud among studs in the DSFL with the Dallas Birddogs to a who the hell is that guy with the Austin. Burton channels his pre football hard drinking hard rock lifestyle week after week. Watch in near real time as a former bright eyed youngster slowly comes to the realization that he is the 2nd worst wide receiver in the entire league. The show gives audiences a real raw look into how the stresses of being a professional athlete affect a person. Will Burton be able to recover from a terrible rookie season and what one would imagine is the world’s worst hangover? Will Burton bankrupt himself on plastic jugs of Ron Roberto rums? Only time will tell. For a closer look into the delicate psyche of a young and struggling football player make sure that you tune in to From Head Banging to Head Hanging every Monday at 8 o’clock eastern.

(212 words)


31. PBE Affiliate