Suspending Operations Immediately
http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26423928/source-aaf-immediately-suspend-operations
http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26423928/source-aaf-immediately-suspend-operations
The AAF is Kaput!!!
- Thread starter king ward
- Start date
I never really expected it to last, but I never thought it wouldn’t survive its first season. If I were Vince McMahon, I’d go ahead and pull the plug on the XFL reboot now.
XFL is at least interesting because they aren't going to adhere to the same age restrictions as the NFL and will target those 18 - 21 year olds who don't want to play in college.
Spurrier feels betrayed.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/spo...erations-spurrier-apollos-20190402-story.html
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/spo...erations-spurrier-apollos-20190402-story.html
Wish CT was still up and running. I predicted it would last less than 3 years at the absolute best. Guess that was being overly generous in hindsight.
People just aren't interested in minor league football.
I had actually totally forgotten about the AAF and then happened upon a game this past week between San Diego and Utah. Pathetic. Most high school games are livelier atmospheres.
It will just never work. There is no format that can get people interested in washed-up has-beens.
People just aren't interested in minor league football.
I had actually totally forgotten about the AAF and then happened upon a game this past week between San Diego and Utah. Pathetic. Most high school games are livelier atmospheres.
It will just never work. There is no format that can get people interested in washed-up has-beens.
I think that people really love American football - until and unless they mess it up with all sorts of emasculating rule changes. But tickets are high, HDTV is great, leisure-time options are plentiful, and like it or not, people adhere to seasons.
I think the thing that throws you is that the people who spawned this thing are supposed to be smart guys.
Can’t say I didn’t call it. So much for the “business model” people speaking out of their rear end. The facts are the facts. This league didn’t have enough money to complete one season. It flopped more than the XFL.......
I think people would watch minor league football if given the opportunity. I think the problem is people really weren’t given the opportunity. Outside of the first week there was really no TV and that is going to be the key to making things work. Even teams and leagues that sell out their stadiums would struggle to survive without TV rights fees and the publicity that comes along with it. I think Ebersol thought his name would be enough to ink the TV deals and that didn’t pan out.
The XFL may be different since McMahon already has TV connections with Fox and Universal so who knows if something is already in place for them.
The XFL may be different since McMahon already has TV connections with Fox and Universal so who knows if something is already in place for them.
I’m sure the “money lost” is not being absorbed by the owners or commissioner. Likely nothing more than a much needed tax shelter.
For a minor league football professional league to work it’s going to have to be in collaboration with the NFL from day one. Ticket prices need to be dirt cheap. It needs to model minor league baseball.
It’s not about the players, coaches or team. It’s about creating a great experience for fans that make them want to spend money and come back for more. This league never seemed to get that....
I’d like to see a league that runs June-August. Dog days of summer. Only sport competition is MLB. People are off more and more willing to go to a game. If players do well, they could immediately latch on to an NFL team in time for preseason games.....bodies might take a beating, but realistically maybe 1 guy in this entire league was going to make it to the NFL and play consistently anyway.
Not a big fan of summer football, but maybe somebody could find a formula to make it work.
Well, at any rate, the guy who lost the most could also afford it the most - tax considerations aside.
Well Spurrier became the all-time winningest coach in that league too. 7 wins, but a record is a record!
USCBatgirl21
Well-Known Member
I was thinking, if they have already cast a championship trophy, maybe they should send it to him.
I would almost guarantee what Vince and Oliver Luck are going to do is make some offers to a few top tier 2020 high school players and college freshman and sophomores. If you're a top QB, you could head off to college, or stay at college, or immediately make $300,000 in the XFL. If you're a rated running back or linebacker, you could beat yourself up in college, or make $150,000 in the XFL. Just takes a couple real NFL prospects coming from high school or giving up a year or two of eligibility to get people talking about the league. Plus, with Vince being a minority owner of draftkings, they'll probably do all the fantasy and gambling pieces correctly.
I'm for anything that leads to eliminating the feigning of interest in college when players really don't care. That includes basketball also.
I doubt Dundon paid out more than 10-20% max of his $250m commitment. He took ownership when he allocated his money and that was just a few wks ago. Don't forget AAF had CBS TV money, ticket sales and other investors. Dundon obviously wanted it shut down before he got too deep into his pocket. $20mil would pay a lot of players annual salaries at $80k, I can't believe they would not have profited in the final 2 playoff games since most the annual salaries would have been paid at that point.
What I'm shocked about is that the founders didn't have a 3yr business model at the start that should have got them through at least 2 seasons!
Unfortunately, I enjoyed the games I watched just wasn't that many because lack of advertising to remind me of when they were on.
Is he the one with the boobs? Hard to tell anymore.What fools gave Charlie Ebersol their money? That guy is sketchy.
They really burned through that money fast. Was this league run by former Solyndra executives?
It runs out fast when you have a hungry resource that's eating all the time and only a pittance coming in.
They wasn’t ready Financially but they decided to start it up anyway, and my belief is they did that to get a jump on Vince McMahon’s XFL. Sadly it backfired in a big way on them, and It looks to me that they was getting paid weekly from advertisers and TV which should’ve been paid up front before the season started. That’s how the NFL operates and so does MLB: I don’t know about the NBA but they probably do because the players salaries are guaranteed. I was skeptical about the money part of the league, when I found out that Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian was running it. Neither of those guys are billionaires so I was wondering how this thing was gonna be paid for, if the TV money and ticket sales didn’t come through. I just found out that the league was paying for their games to be broadcast because the “networks” was not willing to lose money on the deal, Man that is crazy theirs no way they should’ve agreed to that.
That's right. ALL games were televised - a combination of the NFL Network, CBS Sports Network, TNT, and a game or two over-the-air on CBS. Most of what I watched were 10-minute game highlights available on YouTube.
Why is that anymore interesting? Watching a bunch of HS kids who you have never heard of play for teams you've never heard of?
Any college kid that would choose playing in the XFL over an established organization like CFB is really taking a huge risk. What happens if the kid gets to the XFL and it folds after a half a season? CFB isn't folding, programs are established, you have better facilities, better coaching, better training, an education, and a better overall experience
Absolutely agree about the seasons aspect. Football season is hard-wired into the brains of most fans. As much as it sucks when college football season is over and as much as I can't wait for the season to begin again, my brain knows spring and summer are not football months. It's kind of like Christmas. You can be into super into Christmas and listen to Christmas music all year, but when it's actually Christmas season, it's totally different.
When I come across any football game during football season, I can usually sit back and watch the game, even if I don't give a hoot about the teams playing. I really tried with the AAF game I came across this past week, but it just didn't work. My brain knew it wasn't real football.
Doubt it. A top player would still get WAAY more exposure at a school like Alabama or Clemson than in the XFL. And you get to play with other really good players in college, not washed up has beens. Also, playing in the XFL would take away opportunities for pro days, combine etc.
He probably just hates it for the players. Its not like he needed the money. The guys who strapped up to play are the ones who were left high and dry.
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