Long before Donald Trump set his sights on the Oval Office, he wanted to diversify his financial portfolio by folding a professional sports team into his roster. You'll never guess how it all fell apart.
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00:00Long before Donald Trump set his sights on the Oval Office, he wanted to diversify his
00:04financial portfolio by folding a professional sports team into his roster. You'll never
00:09guess how it all fell apart.
00:12When the United States Football League got its start back in 1982, it was aiming to be
00:16a springtime option for football fans who wanted to watch the sport year-round. Hoping
00:21to get in on the action, Donald Trump paid his way into becoming the owner of the New
00:25Jersey Generals in 1983. Given that the USFL was still in its infancy and desperately in
00:31need of funds, the organization was more than glad to accept his money.
00:35In true Trump fashion, Donald announced his $10 million investment from his then-brand-new
00:40Trump Tower in New York. Trump Tower would even be where the New Jersey Generals would
00:44hold tryouts for their cheerleading squad — something that was overseen by Trump's
00:48then-wife, Ivana Trump, and, strangely, artist Andy Warhol, according to Sports History Weekly.
00:54Yeah, I'm not sure what that's about."
00:58Started by businessman David Dixon, the USFL was meant to be a professional league that
01:02ran during the NFL's off-season. It was a novel idea that launched to moderate success
01:07with strong talent and decent ratings, which is why it caught the eye of a young Donald
01:11Trump. However, at the time, the funds were beginning to run out for the league, meaning
01:15that keeping talent and discovering emerging players was limited by the USFL's budget.
01:20When Trump came and pumped millions into the New Jersey Generals, it also elevated
01:24the league's standing within the public and on television. However, the USFL was still
01:29struggling with several teams shuddering by midseason. This allowed Trump to do what he
01:33does best — turn it into a media spectacle.
01:37Wanting to take on the National Football League, Trump snaked star linebacker Lawrence Taylor
01:41from the New York Giants and signed him onto the Generals before returning him to the Giants
01:45in a back-and-forth deal that ultimately made Trump money. The fact that a star NFL player
01:51could be so easily wooed in the short term definitely made the NFL nervous. Trump's New
01:55Jersey Generals were having fantastic seasons, which seemed to whet Trump's appetite for
02:00more.
02:01The USFL decided to go on the offense against the NFL, eventually filing an antitrust lawsuit
02:06claiming the NFL was hogging all the TV broadcast rights to football games and holding stadium
02:11venues captive. When the trial made its way before a jury, Trump testified on behalf of
02:15himself and his team. He also reached out to his connections in television and brought
02:20in executives and sports commentators to take the stand.
02:23The trial ended in July 1986, with the jury finding the NFL guilty of monopolizing professional
02:28football. However, the USFL was only awarded $3 in damages, as the court ruled that the
02:34NFL didn't hold any television airwaves hostage.
02:39Without the lucrative media market that the NFL occupied, the USFL had to shut down.
02:46Trump never actually let his dream of being involved in professional football die. In
02:502014, Trump floated a $1 billion offer to purchase the Buffalo Bills, but was ultimately
02:55outbid by current Bills owner Terry Pagula. Since then, the Bills have gone on to bounce
02:59back from a history of defeat and might even see a Super Bowl appearance in their future
03:03— if only Josh Allen and the boys can find a way to stop letting Patrick Mahomes have
03:07the last laugh in those nail-biting overtime games.