“We originally moved up our season to meet fan demand during the slow month of August,” said UFL Commissioner MICHAEL HUYGHUE.  “We felt, and still feel, that playing meaningful games during August would benefit the UFL.  Unfortunately the uncertainty gripping pro sports given the NFL and NBA lockouts created a destabilizing impact throughout the industry.  Ultimately this delayed our ability to secure television agreements and other related business matters.

“We believe though that the added time will allow for some necessary housekeeping that will strengthen our product and our brand.  Any time you have to change your plans midstream it is obviously disappointing.  As such, we have decided to resume our normal game schedule.  This will allow us the necessary time to finalize our television agreements and other critical business affairs.”

Although players have reported to training camp, they will return home at league expense and return to camp in mid-August with the season opener slated for mid-September.  Several players will remain in each market to promote their teams.  All team coaching staff will remain in place.

UFL owner and founder BILL HAMBRECHT said: “Our ownership group is committed to funding our 2011 season.  Uncertainty and instability in professional sports, notwithstanding, we believe fully in our investment, our product and the UFL mission.”

Season ticket holders may receive a full refund for any tickets they wish to return, while existing tickets will be honored for corresponding revised home games.  Information for fans and season ticket holders regarding the new game schedule will be posted at www.UFL-Football.com.  When a new opening weekend date has been confirmed, the Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locos, Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions and Virginia Destroyers will reschedule training camps accordingly.

Letter from Commissioner Huyghue

Dear Fans,

Today we announced that the 2011 United Football League season will now kickoff in mid-September as opposed to August 13 as originally announced. At the conclusion of last season we announced that we would play in August because we believed then, and now, that playing in August provides a compelling opportunity for us to offer meaningful games during the NFL preseason. At the time we could not have predicted that the uncertainty of the NFL and NBA lockouts would create a destabilizing, negative impact throughout the professional sports industry.

The uncertainty that gripped pro sports delayed many essential business agreements until late in the offseason. In order to provide the product that UFL fans have grown to expect after two seasons we decided it was in the best interest of our fans, our players, our staff and our brand to push back kickoff. Our ownership group, our staff and the entire UFL family remains committed to providing a great 2011 season.

Players and Coaches had arrived in our cities to prepare for the season. Many of them will now depart for a few weeks at league expense. We will announce a new training camp and season schedule shortly which will provide a timeline for their return. Some players and coaches will remain in our cities to help market their team.

We are appreciative of your support. We began this venture during the worst economy of our lifetime. In recent years the economy has shown little improvement and, even during a time of hardship for many of you, it is your support that has sustained us. More than 400,000 of you have attended our games. Many more have tuned in to our telecasts. We intend to provide the same great football and experiences that you have supported through our first two seasons in 2011 and beyond.

We will offer refunds for those who may not be available to attend all of our games given the new schedule. We will reward your loyalty with a great product, a great experience and additional incentives to thank you for your loyalty. We know that no incentive can match your dedication but we want you to know how important you are to all of us here at the UFL.

I look forward to seeing you at our games beginning in mid-September. Our Coaches and our players are fired up and ready to provide you with great games throughout the season and I cannot wait to see which team ends up winning the UFL Championship Game this season.

Photo Courtesy of www.ufl-football.com

Source: http://www.ufl-football.com/news/ufl-moves-2011-season-game-schedule-september-through-november

It’s not too late to catch the third installment of MuscleSport Radio, the weekly Internet podcast bringing you the best of bodybuilding, pro sports and anabolic steroids. This week’s special guest was none other than Gunter Schlierkamp, who speaks frankly about some of the frustrations he faced in bodybuilding and why he has turned to acting the past two years and not the Olympia stage. Gunter also comments on the passing of the great Ben Weider and what the entire Weider family has meant to his career.

The World Series and the bad weather effecting it is also discussed on this show, as well as the seven NFL players testing positive for the diuretic Bumetanide.

All past broadcasts are archived and can be heard via MuscleSport Mag, Blog Talk Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com) and iTunes.

Please be advised that we have already scheduled our special guest for the Tuesday, November 18 show – legendary bodybuilder Boyer Coe.

Be sure to listen live every Tuesday afternoon from 3 to 4 pm (Eastern time). Our call-in number is (347) 884-8157.

The recent announcement by Lance Armstrong that he will be returning to professional cycling has once again opened the door to speculation that he cheated his way to seven Tour De France victories. Having previously sued journalists for publishing circumstantial evidence regarding his use of performance enhancing substances, Armstrong has now surrendered himself to an aggressive new screening program under the direction of renowned anti-doping scientist Don Catlin.

However, Catlin (who assisted in exposing the BALCO doping ring in 2003) admits that the tests offer no guarantees in terms of tracking an athletes drug use and, of course, will do little to remove the suspicion of Armstrong’s past use of performance enhancing substances. The tests themselves will be as accurate as technologically possible though and Catlin feels they will be very hard to beat and any athlete trying to do so will be very foolish indeed. The results of Armstrong’s blood and urine tests will be posted on line and the urine will be frozen and stored for future re-testing.

The fact that Armstrong will be paying Catlin for the work out of his own pocket has of course given rise to speculation that he may have an influence on the results. However, he has dismissed such claims by saying, “There’s not enough money anywhere to potentially buy out Don Catlin.” Referring anyone who questions the integrity of the tests to Catlin himself for reassurance.

In conclusion Armstrong has stated that although he has promised to compete in January’s Tour Down Under in Australia and the Leadville 100 (an endurance event in Colorado) his goal is not to win an eighth Tour De France. His main focus for 2009 will be to raise cancer awareness, using his celebrity and return to pro sports to draw attention to this illness from which he once suffered. The fact that he claims an eighth Tour win is not on the agenda also serves as a convenient escape route if he turns in a lack luster performance (oops, did I say that?).

Leigh Penman, in addition to be a staff writer at MuscleSport Mag, has been writing for bodybuilding magazines, websites and nutritional supplement companies since 1985. Whilst residing in the UK, she earned the reputation of being one of the top female writers in bodybuilding-related media. Her credits included being a contributing editor on all the magazines in production as well as filling the shoes of Ladies Editor and Showbiz Editor on two publications (the later being on Arnold’s sanctioned magazine, ‘Bodypower’). During this time she also competed successfully on four occasions (placing in the top four in all contests).

Leigh has been working out for close to thirty years so she is clearly a writer who ‘walks her talk.’
She can be contacted personally at zeal2heal@yahoo.com or you can also check her out at New York’s favorite metaphysical store www.stickstoneandbone.com.

In today’s society, the use of performance-enhancing drugs has taken center stage and many of the reasons why athletes have decided to go that route are unknown. In the world of competitive bodybuilding, the use of these drugs have been obvious and, quite frankly, accepted as ‘the norm’ and overlooked. That is a fact, and the sport has grown because of it.

When you look at the NFL or Major League Baseball, people are shocked because the players have decided to use the type of drugs that have worked for their brethren in other sports. It has been a part of competition since the original Olympic games in ancient Greece to get an advantage over your opponent, so the surprise for team sports should not be that they are using, but what took them so long to find that advantage. And now that they have, how quickly it has become ‘taboo’ to do so.

We will take a look at so many of the issues out there and also bring you interviews with the superstars of bodybuilding and the pro sports and their opinions on the subject.