AAF may fold

bamamick

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How many hundreds of coaches, players and staff will lose a paycheck over this? How many fans will be disappointed? Some people just really don't mind screwing over others for their own benefit. First Trump and now this guy.

rtr
 

KrAzY3

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While this might have been the result of a raid on their assets, the door was opened when the league was having trouble making payroll. This venture never had solid financial standing.

First Trump and now this guy.
Really? I see no similarities.
 
Last edited:

81usaf92

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How many hundreds of coaches, players and staff will lose a paycheck over this? How many fans will be disappointed? Some people just really don't mind screwing over others for their own benefit. First Trump and now this guy.

rtr
Tbf to Trump, he did try to do something that was trying to get the league to prominence but it just failed. I think the best way to go is to have some hard core investors that are willing to give it 3-4 to see if it has profit. That’s why The xfl will probably survive this time for at least 3 years. The AAF just took the wrong money in a desperate situation.
 

bamamick

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While this might have been the result of a raid on their assets, the door was opened when the league was having trouble making payroll. This venture never had solid financial standing.


Really?
I know that the USFL had it's problems (I think one franchise went from Boston to New Orleans to Portland over the three seasons of the league), but there was some solid core there that I really wanted to survive, and Trump, somehow, killed the league. What can I say, I was a big Stallions fan.

rtr
 

Bazza

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Orlando Apollos coach Steve Spurrier laments AAF's demise, says league founders were not truthful


“Everybody wanted to play out the season and everybody is disappointed,” said Spurrier, who came out of semi-retirement and was the first head coach named by the AAF. “Everyone was led to believe that the Alliance was well funded and we could play three years without making and money and this, that and the other. Obviously, everything that was said was not very truthful.”

Spurrier added the league hasn't officially shut down yet.
“It isn't official until it's official,” Spurrier said.
The league is expected to make an announcement about its future at 5 p.m.
If it shuts down, Spurrier said the team has already said its goodbyes.
 

KrAzY3

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I know that the USFL had it's problems (I think one franchise went from Boston to New Orleans to Portland over the three seasons of the league), but there was some solid core there that I really wanted to survive
I posted some thoughts a while ago about the AAF and how I thought it couldn't possibly succeed with the way they were doing things (without external help). I have some interest in semi-pro football, I've got some memorabilia, I've had season tickets to the Rhein Fire, I'm not a massive fan but I've also looked up attendance and finances and what not. No one would really explain to me how it was going to work this time, so I could only conclude it wouldn't unless the NFL infused it with funds.

The only leagues with any sort of staying power have been the CFL, which operates outside of the United States, the Arena league and offshoots (which has still had plenty of trouble, but the arena format seems to help keep costs down), and really I'd say the NFL Europe. It was backed by the NFL and has some of the best attendance numbers, sustaining over 20K, but even then the NFL pulled the plug.

I still don't see where the money is coming from. In this case there was some gambling tech which might have been more valuable than the league itself, but that doesn't change the fact that the league was on bad economic footing. Similarly from what I've seen high costs and falling attendance undid the USFL.

The thing that surprises me in all of this is that they keep trying to make these leagues, even if there doesn't seem to be the market for it. Once novelty wears off, there's really not a whole lot to hold people's attention. I don't see how the XFL succeeds unless someone goes big on the content for their streaming service, overpaying to get a piece of the action, and even then that seems like a temporary reprieve. It will take something special to make this work, so I'm not pointing fingers when a league fails, except at the people who seemed to think it wouldn't.
 

81usaf92

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I posted some thoughts a while ago about the AAF and how I thought it couldn't possibly succeed with the way they were doing things (without external help). I have some interest in semi-pro football, I've got some memorabilia, I've had season tickets to the Rhein Fire, I'm not a massive fan but I've also looked up attendance and finances and what not. No one would really explain to me how it was going to work this time, so I could only conclude it wouldn't unless the NFL infused it with funds.

The only leagues with any sort of staying power have been the CFL, which operates outside of the United States, the Arena league and offshoots (which has still had plenty of trouble, but the arena format seems to help keep costs down), and really I'd say the NFL Europe. It was backed by the NFL and has some of the best attendance numbers, sustaining over 20K, but even then the NFL pulled the plug.

I still don't see where the money is coming from. In this case there was some gambling tech which might have been more valuable than the league itself, but that doesn't change the fact that the league was on bad economic footing. Similarly from what I've seen high costs and falling attendance undid the USFL.

The thing that surprises me in all of this is that they keep trying to make these leagues, even if there doesn't seem to be the market for it. Once novelty wears off, there's really not a whole lot to hold people's attention. I don't see how the XFL succeeds unless someone goes big on the content for their streaming service, overpaying to get a piece of the action, and even then that seems like a temporary reprieve. It will take something special to make this work, so I'm not pointing fingers when a league fails, except at the people who seemed to think it wouldn't.
1) the XFL has a huge advantage in that Vince has already put 275 million dollars in to pay players for 3 years regardless of profits. The AAF trusted a snake and didn’t hold him to a firm pledge.

2) the gambling technology in terms of the product IS a very lucrative property. Otherwise Dundon would’ve never “invested” in the first place. Vince is trying to hit it big on the same idea. No it can’t save a league, but it’s a property that everyone in sports is trying to figure out, and Vince and Ebersol May hold the two best ideas.

3) the goal is to form a relationship with the NFL. The reason NFL Europe folded wasn’t financial reasons. It was with the NFL teams gaming the idea by getting players more pt in a league made for scrubs. Point being, “ you can’t tell me James Harrison should’ve ever played for the Rhein Fire with a straight face”.

These leagues are really not geared around making money is the point. They are trying to be that “feeder” or “expiremental” league that has NFL backing.

4) The real crime with the AAF is not finishing the season. Dundon is a real tool bag for making that decision. Had he done this after the season then it would’ve been a more positive image on him.
 

lowend

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Feb 20, 2005
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Dear Phil Savage,

Please come home. Eli needs you. We do too.

Sincerely,

Someone that still misses Snake, but you're really good too.
 

bamamick

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Feb 22, 2005
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I am not sure how this happened, really? Ebersol and Polian should have never allowed this to go forward if they had to bring in a money many a couple of weeks into the season. I am sure they were out trying to sell sponsorships and investors, but to give the league to one guy was very short sighted on their part, and that was what was necessary they shouldn't have ever started to begin with.

I am very disappointed for everyone involved in putting on these games. They gave it their best. What I will remember about the AAF was the joy of the players, seeing them have another chance to compete, and for coaches like Birmingham's, who finally got an opportunity to be a head coach after so many years as an NFL assistant.

rtr
 

crimsonaudio

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Orlando Apollos coach Steve Spurrier laments AAF's demise, says league founders were not truthful


“Everybody wanted to play out the season and everybody is disappointed,” said Spurrier, who came out of semi-retirement and was the first head coach named by the AAF. “Everyone was led to believe that the Alliance was well funded and we could play three years without making and money and this, that and the other. Obviously, everything that was said was not very truthful.”

Spurrier added the league hasn't officially shut down yet.
“It isn't official until it's official,” Spurrier said.
The league is expected to make an announcement about its future at 5 p.m.
If it shuts down, Spurrier said the team has already said its goodbyes.
I wonder if any of the USC players Spurrier left holding the bag feel sorry for him...
 

B1GTide

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Apr 13, 2012
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I wonder if any of the USC players Spurrier left holding the bag feel sorry for him...
Yeah, I am not sure if anyone cares how this effects those involved who are already wealthy. But a lot of coaches and players just lost their only income because they trusted the people who put this together. I am sure that some left other jobs for this opportunity.
 

Pilot172000

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Sep 25, 2017
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I will be honest with you. I really thought they were onto something with this league. It garnered a tremendous amount of traction and had better than average football. The game plan looked legit and the franchise locations were solid. This was a complete and total failure from a management point of view and will more than likely scuttle any chances of a legitimate spring football league ever succeeding.
 

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