In professional sports, if an athlete wants to survive the competition, it’s either eat or be eaten. North America has four professional leagues (Big Four): NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.
However, there are smaller, professional, lesser-known leagues where athletes can begin their sporting careers or better hone their skills to work up to the top.
Some of these leagues have good resources and stick around for the long haul, while others lose their financial footing and end up defunct. Here at TPS, we will shine some light on the once-promising, yet now-defunct leagues.
Here are 10 Sports Leagues that NO LONGER Exist:
Alliance of American Football (AAF) (2019):
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was formed in 2019 by Charlie Ebersol, the son of former XFL co-founder, Dick Ebersol, and former Indianapolis team president, Bill Polian. The AAF was founded as a developmental football league for those athletes with promise, but, who failed to make it into the NFL. Eight teams in the AAF were intended to compete in a 10-week season. However, the AAF filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy and concluded after eight weeks of play. Players miserably learned about the league folding from the internet, before their coaches told them. Notable NFL players who played in the AAF include, Trent Richardson, Nick Folk, Younghoe Koo, and D’Ernest Johnson, to name a few.
XFL (2001):
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Vince McMahon and Dick Ebersol founded the first rendition of the XFL as a league that would play professional football immediately after the conclusion of the NFL regular season. After the first week, the XFL had very high viewership ratings, but ratings plummeted quicker than the Atlanta Falcons nose-diving away a 25-point lead in Super Bowl 51. This league was nicknamed the “extra fun league” by McMahon and had athletes’ dawn jerseys with nicknames on the back. One of the most memorable XFL players who made a career for himself in the NFL is Rod Smart, also known as “He Hate Me”.
Unfortunately, the XFL ceased to exist after May 2001 due to the league making outlandish demands, and NBC (the XFL broadcast platform) lost $35 million in revenue, due to low viewership. Fan attendance at XFL games was also poor, due to the lack of great play and star power, on the field. The XFL was revived in 2020 but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson bought the XFL from Vince McMahon and helped with the merger between the XFL and the more recent USFL to form the UFL.
American Basketball Association (ABA) (1967-1976):
The American Basketball Association was founded in 1967 when new leagues such as the American Football League emerged to compete with the NFL and NBA respectively. The ABA introduced the basketball world to a wide play style, including slam dunks and the three-point shot. Although the league was very popular, the ABA was not financially sound, in part due to a lack of national TV deals. The ABA ended up merging with the NBA and four ABA teams (the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Nets) joined the NBA. The rest of the ABA teams folded and the league became defunct, as the NBA grew and became more successful, as well as adopting the three-point shot and slam dunks.
Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (CANAM League) (2005-2019):
The Can-Am League was an independent baseball league, not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) or Minor League Baseball (MiLB) from 2005 until 2019. The league had four teams in the United States and two Canadian provinces and ultimately merged with the independent Frontier League after the 2019 season, but didn’t begin play until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other teams in the league had short stints but went defunct for a variety of reasons.
Teams that were in the CANAM League included the Sussex County Miners, the New Jersey Jackals, the Ottawa Champions, Québec Capitales, the Rockland Boulders, and the Trois-Riviéries Aigles. Out of the six teams, the Ottowa Champions are the only team that disbanded. The Québec Capitales have the most championships with six while the New Jersey Jackals won the last CANAM League Championship in 2019. Notable MLB players who played in the CANAM league include Craig Breslow, Luis García, and Raúl Valdés, to name a few.
United Football League (UFL) (2009-2012):
The United Football League was a professional football minor league, that lasted from 2009 until 2012. The league had athletes who used to play in the NFL like Josh McCown, Scott Player, Kevin Jones, J.P. Losman, and Dominic Rhodes. Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, was also involved with the UFL, but backed out and loaned the league money and then sued the league after they defaulted on payment. The UFL had a lot of financial problems which led to a very short four-game season in 2012 which speeded their way to their demise.
The UFL also competed in the fall when the NFL usually plays in which didn’t help the league by any stretch. During the UFL’s final season in 2012, players weren’t paid, attendance was extremely scarce, and the season was suspended in 2012 after four games and never returned. The UFL was another startup football league, with great potential, ended up in the graveyard of failed football leagues way too soon.
Western Baseball League (WBL) (1994-2002):
The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league that lasted from 1994 until 2002. The league started with eight teams, but due to financial reasons, many teams in the WBL went defunct, while other small teams took their place. Notable MLB players who played in the WBL included Donald Harris, Carl Nichols, Jim Rushford, Ryan Bowen, and Jeff Harris.
The WBL’s last champion was the Chico Heat, in 2002, before the league completely went defunct, immediately after the championship. The team that lasted the longest from the WBL, and survived in other independent baseball leagues, was the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox, who relocated, and had their name changed seven times, and played in four other leagues, before going defunct in 2022.
United States Basketball League (USBL) (1985-2008):
The United States Basketball League was a spring league that lasted from 1985 until 2008. The USBL was a developmental league that helped athletes get to the NBA, as well as play professionally in Europe. The USBL’s motto was “The League of Opportunity.” Notable NBA Players who played in the USBL included John “Hot Rod” Williams, Don Collins, the late Roy Tarpley, and Devin Brown, to name a few. The USBL’s demise slowly began with rival leagues popping up, as well as having a tough time replacing teams that folded.
The teams that lasted the longest in the USBL were the Long Island Surf (from 1991 until 2001) and both the Kansas Cagerz and Brooklyn Kings (from 1999 until 2007). After the Cagerz won the 2007 USBL title, the league suspended operations, in 2008, and never returned to action as of 2010.
World Hockey Association (WHA) (1972-1979):
The World Hockey Association began play in 1972 as a direct competition to the NHL (which began expanding and becoming more popular, at the time). The WHA was the most successful competition to the NHL, in the modern era of hockey, with teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Cougars, New England Whalers, and Phoenix Roadrunners. Notable NHL players who played in the WHA include the great Wayne Gretzky, Mark Howe, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, and Rod Langway- a few Hockey Hall of Famers who played in the league. However, teams in the WHA started to fold, as the league became cash-strapped and couldn’t make payroll.
The only thing that could save the WHA was for it to merge with the NHL, but league President, Clarence Campbell, was against a merger at the time. Ultimately after years of negotiations, both the WHA and NHL merged. The WHA teams to merge over include the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers, the original Winnipeg Jets, and the Quebec Nordiques, becoming NHL franchises. The most successful former WHA team is the Oilers, who won five Stanley Cups in the 1980s and in 1990 (four of which were won thanks to the play of Gretzky).
World Football League (WFL) (1974-1975):
The World Football League had ambitions of introducing football to different parts of the world, even though all of its teams were based in the United States. The effort only lasted two seasons. The league got its start from businessman Gary Davidson, who was also a co-founder of the American Basketball Association and the World Hockey Association. Davidson was also the president and commissioner of the new football league at the time. However, unlike the ABA and WHA, which had teams merge into the NBA and NHL respectively, the WFL did not have any surviving teams merge into the NFL. Notable NFL players include Calvin Hill, Craig Morton, D. D. Lewis, and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Paul Warfield, to name a few guys, who played in the WFL. The WFL lost an estimated $20 million during its first season but folded during the middle of the league’s second season.
The WFL also had teams with mid-season shutdowns and additional teams relocate. The only champion from the league was the 1974 Birmingham Americans. The WHL had teams in Jacksonville, FL, and Charlotte, NC which the NFL eventually expanded into during the 1995 season, with the arrival of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers, respectively, as well as had weeknight football, which the NFL adopted in 2006, with Thursday Night Football.
United States Football League (USFL) (1983-1985):
The original United States Football League was a spring and summer football league that had some success during its three-season run, from 1983 until 1985. This league was considered the strongest rival to the NFL since the American Football League was founded in 1959. Notable players to play in the USFL included Steve Young, Herschel Walker, Reggie White, and Jim Kelly. Under the direction of the New Jersey General owner, Donald Trump, yes former President Donald Trump, the USFL voted to have their next season be played in the fall to compete with the NFL and force a merger between the two leagues.
The USFL filed an anti-trust suit against the NFL. The jury concluded that the NFL violated anti-monopoly laws at the time. Unfortunately for the USFL, the league only won $1 under the anti-trust laws which ended the league’s existence. They never played their planned 1986 season. The USFL also lost $163 million, at the time. The USFL was rebranded in 2022 and ultimately merged with the XFL forming the UFL for the 2024 season.
