United Baseball League (proposed)

The United Baseball League, also known simply as the United League (UL), was a planned third major league that was formed in 1994, but folded in 1996 without playing a game.

First announced on November 1, 1994, the UL founders were Bob Mrazek, a former five-term Congressman from Long Island; John Bryant, a Congressman from Dallas; Richard Moss, a player agent, and Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College.^[1]

By August 1995, the league introduced former Texas Rangers president Mike Stone as its CEO, Curt Flood as its commissioner and eight franchises (seven in the United States and one in Canada):

• Long Island (using a proposed stadium at Suffolk County Community College);
• Los Angeles (using the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum);
• Washington (projected to play at R.F.K. Stadium^[2]);
• New Orleans (projected to play in the Superdome);
• Central Florida (projected to play at the Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.^[3]);
• Puerto Rico (presumably to play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan);
• Portland, Oregon;
• Vancouver (projected to play in B.C. Place).

The league also announced a twenty-year TV contract with Liberty Sports and a 154-game schedule to begin in 1996.^[4]

On April 12, 1996, just before its scheduled debut, the UL ceased operations, citing stadium problems. Also, Liberty Sports had merged with the Fox Television Network, who promptly announced a deal with Major League Baseball starting in 1997.^[5]

References