Spotlight

Chicago Feds opening day ad

Chicago Whales – Chicago Chifeds (1913-1915)

May 22, 2026 No Comments

The Chicago Whales were established in 1913 as the Chicago Feds in 1913, charter members of the Federal League (FL). The FL was an attempt to start a third major league to compete with the established American and National Leagues. The circuit was done after three seasons, the last two as a major league. The most recognizable piece of the league’s legacy is Wrigley Field, opened as Weeghman Field, the Whale’s home in 1915, later taken over by the NL Cubs.

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historic Football

1974 Florida Blazers media guide from the World Football League

Florida Blazers

February 20, 2015 No Comments

The 1974 Florida Blazers enjoy a something of a cult following among pro football history buffs.  Fearsome on the field, the franchise was a train wreck in the front office.  The Blazers were put together by Rommie Loudd, a 41-year old former AFL linebacker and New England Patriots executive.  Loudd is occasionally cited as the first African-American owner of a “major league” American sports franchise for his time with the Blazers. But the main money man was a central Florida Holiday Inn franchisee named David Williams.  By December 1974, the Blazers were in the World Bowl championship game of the World Football League, the team’s best player had played the entire season without a paycheck, and Rommie Loudd was under indictment.

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Honoring the Negro Leagues

Cleveland Buckeyes

Baltimore Elite Giants (1938-1951)

February 27, 2026 No Comments

The Baltimore Elite Giants got their start in Nashville, before moving to Columbus, Ohio for one year, then to Washington, D.C. They moved down the road in Baltimore in 1938 and played there until 1950, before spending their final season back in Tennessee.

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Retro Hockey

Winnipeg Jets program

Winnipeg Jets (1972-1996)

March 6, 2025 2 Comments

The original Winnipeg Jets were charter members of the WHA in 1972. They moved to the NHL in 1979, along with three other WHA squads. In 1995, they were sold and moved to Phoenix for the 1996-97 hockey season. The name was revived when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Manitoba in 2011 and assumed the Jets name but not their history.

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baseball History

1998 Atlantic City Surf baseball program from the Atlantic League

Atlantic City Surf

December 31, 2017 2 Comments

The Atlantic City Surf were one of the six original franchises in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Atlantic League was (and remains) the most ambitious league to arise out of the independent baseball boom of the 1990’s. The Surf played at the Sandcastle, a 5,900-seat ballpark built on the grounds of Atlantic City’s municipal airport, Bader Field. The stadium was built with $11.5 million in Casino Reinvestment Development Authority funds and $3 million in taxpayer bonds.

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Soccer Indoor and outdoor

1978 Super Soccer League Franchise Prospectus & Operations Manual

1978 Super Soccer League

January 13, 2014 8 Comments

SUPER SOCCER LEAGUE Announced: January 5, 1978 Vanished: Summer 1978 Founders: Dennis Murphy, Jerry Saperstein, Richard Ragone, Norm Sutherland, Fredric Wise & Dr. Elliott Gorin   Background Periodically, some persuasive entrepreneur claims to have developed the sport of the future.  And from the 1960’s to the 1990’s that man was

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Arena Football

1988 New England Steamrollers Media Guide from the Arena Football League

New England Steamrollers

February 17, 2012 2 Comments

As New York had its baseball and football Giants and Brooklyn had its multi-sport Dodgers, so the citizens of Providence, Rhode Island cheered on their Steam Rollers in various incarnations for the better part of a century. In their heyday, the Steam Roller played in the National Football League from 1925 to 1931, winning the NFL championship in 1928.  The name was resuscitated for various minor league and semi-pro football clubs from the 1940’s to the 1980’s.  In addition, Providence’s early entry in the National Basketball Association adopted the Steamrollers nickname during its three-year run from 1946 to 1949. The last (or perhaps most recent) team to take up the Steamrollers identity was the New England Steamrollers of the Arena Football League.

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Pro Basketball

1970-71 Sporting News American Basketball Association Guide

American Basketball Association (1967-1976)

March 25, 2012 No Comments

The American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed in 1967 as a competitor to the established National Basketball Association (NBA). It started with 11 teams, and within a few years was angling for a merger with the older league. In 1976, the NBA took in four ABA teams, while three other surviving teams disbanded.

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Canadian Football League

Shreveport Pirates Canadian Football League

Shreveport Pirates

September 27, 2019 4 Comments

Yes, strange as it sounds, but the small, poverty-stricken city of Shreveport, Louisiana once had its very own Canadian Football League franchise: the Shreveport Pirates. The Pirates’ shambolic leadership made a series of head-scratching personnel moves, including the signings of troubled over-the-hill NFL stars Dexter Manley and Mark Duper, and fired the team’s first head coach before taking a regular season snap. Meanwhile the team staggered to a two-year record of 8-28 in the CFL before going out of business at the end of the 1995 season.

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