In 1983 the upstart United States Football League (USFL) had the audacity to challenge the almighty NFL. The new league did the unthinkable by playing in the spring and plucked three straight Heisman Trophy winners away from the NFL. The 12-team USFL played before crowds that averaged 25,000, and started off with respectable TV ratings. But with success came expansion and new owners, including a certain high profile and impatient real estate baron whose vision was at odds with the league’s founders. Soon, the USFL was reduced to waging a desperate anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, which yielded an ironic verdict that effectively forced the league out of business. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Mike Tollin, himself once a chronicler of the league, will showcase the remarkable influence of those three years on football history and attempt to answer the question, “Who Killed the USFL?”

En 1983, la nouvelle United States Football League (USFL) a eu l'audace de défier la toute-puissante NFL. La nouvelle ligue a fait l'impensable en jouant au printemps et a arraché trois vainqueurs consécutifs du trophée Heisman à la NFL. Par la suite, l'USFL a dû engager une action désespérée antitrust contre la NFL ayant abouti à un verdict qui lui a forcé à fermer ses portes. Près d'un quart de siècle plus tard, le réalisateur nominé aux Oscars et lauréat du Peabody Award, Mike Tollin, lui-même autrefois chroniqueur de la ligue, tente de répondre à cette question : Qui a tué l'USFL?

Em 1983, a emergente USFL contratou três tricampões do Heisman Trophy e futuros astros da NFL: Steve Young, Reggie White e Doug Flutie. Com diversão e exageros, a nova liga teve média de público de 25 mil pessoas. Mas, com o sucesso, veio a expansão e novos proprietários, como um magnata imobiliário cuja visão entrava em conflito com os fundadores.