re: For the older gen, which was more fun? WFL, USFL, WLAF, CFL, XFL, AAF, USFL2, or Arena?

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Original USFL was amazing. There were teams that could have jumped to the NFL, and won playoff games. Incredible talent, including some of the coaches.

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That might be exaggerating a little bit, but not too far off. I think the Philly/Baltimore Stars might have been competitive had they moved to the NFL, although their QB Chuck Fusina never did anything in the league.

There were obviously quite a few guys who already had NFL experience in the USFL, as well as several who would go from the USFL to the NFL. But the depth was not there for most teams.

One advantage that the USFL had then, compared to current leagues now, is that the idea of the NFL being a full-time, year around occupation was just really starting to take hold in the early 80s. Guys still worked jobs in the “offseason” and used training camp to get into shape. The gap between college and pro wasn’t as great. NFL salaries weren’t so high that the USFL couldn’t outbid them for a few star players.

Getting to the OPs question, the USFL was very fun because it was innovative and exciting. The quality of the product was not that far off from the NFL. The infusion of college stars, including three Heisman winners, brought credibility to the league. Id go far as to say that the USFL was pretty key in shaping the NFL into what it is today.