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Some sports leagues have come and gone before you may have even known they existed. In America, countless sports leagues from the past have either dissolved completely or merged with a larger one.
It’s odd to think that there were many attempts to create leagues other than the NHL, NBA, MLS, NFL, MLB and others. However, it took constant reformation and conjoining of leagues. In this article, we’ll discuss five of the best American sports leagues that used to exist but no longer do, including when the league started, how long it lasted, and what caused it to go out of business.
Starting this one off is the famed AFL-NFL merger in America’s favorite sport, football. In 1959, the AFL began as one of the most prominent football leagues in the country, rivaling the 1920-constructed NFL.
Essentially, the league competed to draw more views than the NFL, and it wasn’t until 1967 that championship games between AFL and NFL champions occurred, leading to the formation of the Super Bowl Championship. By 1970, the AFL merged into the NFL, creating the most popular American sports league we know today as the NFL.
The World Hockey Association was one of the building blocks of modern hockey and the current NHL. Operating from 1972 until 1979, this was one of the few leagues that rivaled the NHL since the dissolution of the Western Hockey League in 1926.
Originally, the idea was that WHA teams would offer higher pay to players than the NHL, making it more attractive and gaining new teams in popular American and mid-level Canadian cities. In the first year, the WHA stole 67 NHL players, even signing a $2.75 million contract with stars like Bobby Hull. In the end, though, the league was financially unstable, and franchises considered relocating or bailing in the middle of the season, to which the WHA merged into the NHL in 1979.
Attempts to make soccer popular in North America have happened more than once. However, the formerly known North American Soccer League was a driving factor for increasing soccer popularity in America, even before the MLS.
Founded in 1967, the league was the first successful United States-based professional soccer league governed by the CONCACAF Confederation. It had a Soccer Bowl playoff structure introduced in 1975 until the league’s final year in 1983. From these American soccer trials, the country eventually hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, paving the way to the 1996 Major League Soccer.
The old-time American Basketball Association was one of the first American pro basketball leagues created in 1967. The league had 11 teams, most of which merged into the NBA after the league’s merger in 1976.
The ABA was very popular, sometimes receiving higher attendances than NBA games, however, they did not receive the same national television coverage, eventually leading to their financial downfall by 1976. With the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, the more established NBA league began looking to invest in teams from the ABA, leading teams like the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets to eventually merge into the current NBA.
One of the oddest football phenomenons to come and go, the XFL, was truly a spectacle to behold during time running. Founded as one of the more recent leagues in 2018 by WWE executive Vince McMahon, the XFL was constructed to rival the NFL and provide a league with less off-field controversy and faster play.
Originally, just eight teams made up the league, with the season running for 10 games from February to May. After playing for just five weeks in the inaugural 2020 season, the league was halted due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, causing them to file for bankruptcy later that year. By January 2024, the XFL merged into the United Football League (UFL), which is considered a newer high-level minor football league.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.