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From Wondry, I'm David Brown and this is Business Wars.

Today we wrap up our series on the grudge match between the USFL and the NFL.

The United States Football League Championship Game 1985.

We took you back to the 80s when an upstart spring football league came along and tried

to score on the NFL's turf. The USFL, backed by a new set of owners,

including the likes of Donald Trump, attempted to change the face and feel of America's

most popular sport. In the end, the USFL folded, but the league did have a lasting impact on the game.

Many of its players and coaches went on to NFL Stardom and rules first initiated by the USFL like

the two-point conversion and the coaches challenge are now staples of the National Football League.

Today, the NFL faces new business challenges. There are new concerns about football injuries

after another tough hit in the NFL overnight. There you see Brandon Limson, the coals,

helmet on helmet hit. He was taken off the field of concussion.

Wide spread criticism over the safety of the sport and the league's response to players

kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice have sports watchers questioning

the future of the NFL. Mike Pasca is a longtime sports journalist and podcaster for Slate and

before that for NPR. He is host of the Slate Daily Podcast The Gest and author of the new book

Upon Further Review, the greatest what-ifs in sports history. We're bringing him on the show to

talk about some of the biggest uncertainties around professional football today. We talk about

risks facing the NFL whether a new league could make it today and what our culture would look like if

football never took off in the first place. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

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