On March 6 1983, the new United States Football League (USFL) season kicked off with a plan to bring American football to springtime. What unfolded was a wild tale of early success, crazy players and crazier owners, and the undoing of the entire league by a little-known property developer from New York, Donald J Trump. Titus O'Reily and Mick Molloy begin their three-part look at one of the wildest leagues in history, a league that featured ex-criminals, a defensive end who gained fame for trapping his head in the sunroof of a car, and the bodyguard of Rick James. Titus O'Reily and Mick Molloy are excited to announce the launch of Bizarre Plus, the new Membership program for even more Sports Bizarre. As a member, you’ll get: A weekly bonus podcast Exclusive behind-the-scenes access A fortnightly newsletter Access to the members-only chatroom Ability to vote on future episodes Early access to any live show tickets Click here to join today Research I went wide researching this, but I kept coming back to Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL by Jeff Pearlman. If you don’t know his work, Jeff Pearlman is one of, if not the best sports writer of his generation and I’d recommend any of his books to you.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.