Feb 20, 2019 0:08:44 GMT CM Punk'd said:

Feb 20, 2019 0:00:06 GMT shinobimusashi said:

Was just reading that the league had trouble making payroll for week 2. Not a good sign, that's pretty quick. Luckily they were able to get an influx of cash from NHL owner investing $250,000,000!! I wonder how far that will get them. Hopefully this thing survives.

Have been seeing around the web that certain teams are affiliates with NFL teams, San Antonio is a Cowboys affiliate(all the more reason for me to be an Apollos fan!), Birmingham is affiliated with the Browns. I wonder what exactly that means? And what are all the official affiliations?

Not to mention Memphis in Titans Territory, and the Chargers still having fans in San Diego.  And what about Orlando?  they're in close proximity to Tampa.

I don't know that is a real big issue since they are playing in the spring time. It would be different in the Fall if they was going head to head with the NFL.

I'd be willing to bet NBA and MLB team owners aren't too thrilled about the concept of a spring football league to compete with.

Kinda-sorta NFL off-season news ... The AAF is contemplating folding, and may even announce within two days: www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26372845/aaf-jeopardy-folding-says-majority-owner

I think we'll be seeing a similar story like this next year with the XFL.

It's sad for the people who enjoyed it , I wasn't one of them but I would have given it a shot again after it got some legs under it.

Can't blame the NFL for not wanting to send their young players there to develop. At least none they have an investment in - football isn't basketball or baseball and injuries are far more common and season or career threatening too. Just not all that plausible.

Damn that does suck. I wanted to see it keep going even though i havent been watching, saturday is a terrible day for me to watch football and no Houston team, not big fan of any other team name/look other than Apollos, just too generic. Also the limited blitzing rule killed the buzz, thats pussyball not football. Wanted to see it keep growing though, i know San Antonio was drawing really well, 30,000 avg attendance i believe.

Aaaaaaaand the AAF has shut down.

www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/aaf-suspending-football-operations-darren-rovell

Crazy. Even crazier that they couldn’t finish the season. 2 more games to go and then the playoffs.

Man, that's the biggest failure of a football league I've ever heard of. Even the World Football League ran for a season and change.

I bet we'll hear the same thing next year with the XFL.

Apr 2, 2019 18:21:41 GMT CM Punk'd said:

Man, that's the biggest failure of a football league I've ever heard of. Even the World Football League ran for a season and change.

I bet we'll hear the same thing next year with the XFL.

I actually think the XFL aid better-positioned for success. They’ve taken their time. AAF always felt rushed.

Man this is such a shame! I was really enjoying the league. The game were fun, the rules were great, the presentation was solid. I don't really understand what Dundon's motivation is to sink all that cash in only to fold the league so quickly just because he wasn't getting his way with the NFLPA.

Doesnt make sense to even try a league like this if you dont even have the money to finish 1 season. These things need to start really small and bank on the fact that its not going to be overnight success. Also i dont get why the NFLPA co-op was such a deal breaker.

Apr 2, 2019 23:56:14 GMT shinobimusashi said:

Doesnt make sense to even try a league like this if you dont even have the money to finish 1 season. These things need to start really small and bank on the fact that its not going to be overnight success. Also i dont get why the NFLPA co-op was such a deal breaker.

Well the original founders did have a slow burn, multi-year plan. They never intended/anticipated to be a feeder/developmental league to the NFL straight off the bat. That's all come from Dundon who (allegedly) wasn't even really interested in making the AAF a success and instead was only really interested in the in-game betting app that was being developed. Unfortunately it sounds like they were so desperate for money they had no choice but to accept Dundon's investment and hand over all control to him with no guarantee that he would hang around for the 2-3 year plan they had in place.

Apr 3, 2019 2:21:27 GMT @admin said:

Apr 2, 2019 23:56:14 GMT shinobimusashi said:

Doesnt make sense to even try a league like this if you dont even have the money to finish 1 season. These things need to start really small and bank on the fact that its not going to be overnight success. Also i dont get why the NFLPA co-op was such a deal breaker.

Well the original founders did have a slow burn, multi-year plan. They never intended/anticipated to be a feeder/developmental league to the NFL straight off the bat. That's all come from Dundon who (allegedly) wasn't even really interested in making the AAF a success and instead was only really interested in the in-game betting app that was being developed. Unfortunately it sounds like they were so desperate for money they had no choice but to accept Dundon's investment and hand over all control to him with no guarantee that he would hang around for the 2-3 year plan they had in place.

Wow, this is eerily similar to USFL demise,

-They needed money desperately so

-They got in bed with Donald Trump who bought a team and with it some controlling interest in the whole league

-Trump takes the league in different direction than founders had in mind, thinking and banking his whole investment on an NFL deal that never happens(he wanted to essentially use the league to force a merger so he could become an NFL team owner on the cheap).

-Kills the league.


They teach history in schools so we learn from mistakes made in the past and dont repeat them.

Apr 3, 2019 2:21:27 GMT @admin said:

Apr 2, 2019 23:56:14 GMT shinobimusashi said:

Doesnt make sense to even try a league like this if you dont even have the money to finish 1 season. These things need to start really small and bank on the fact that its not going to be overnight success. Also i dont get why the NFLPA co-op was such a deal breaker.

Well the original founders did have a slow burn, multi-year plan. They never intended/anticipated to be a feeder/developmental league to the NFL straight off the bat. That's all come from Dundon who (allegedly) wasn't even really interested in making the AAF a success and instead was only really interested in the in-game betting app that was being developed. Unfortunately it sounds like they were so desperate for money they had no choice but to accept Dundon's investment and hand over all control to him with no guarantee that he would hang around for the 2-3 year plan they had in place.

To shinobimusashi's point though, it still doesn't make sense how such rich people launched the league without enough funding to get through the first season. Terrible business management.

Stories were coming out that they were struggling to meet payroll after week 2. Whole thing is weird.

It's sad to read the stories of the players and staff who were lied to about what they were going to get, turfed out of hotel rooms and left with the bill, injured with no insurance, etc.

A small silver lining with a few AAF players being signed by NFL teams today - but boy, some pretty shameful stuff.

Roger Goodell is grinning from ear to ear.

“See we’re not so bad”.

They officially filed for bankruptcy. $48MM in liabilities in less than one year; $11MM aim assets and $500K in cash on-hand.

This thing was a damn dumpster fire.

deadspin.com/aaf-officially-pulls-the-plug-files-for-bankruptcy-1834121723/amp?__twitter_impression=true

I was really pulling for this second chance league.

One major issue with the AAF, aside from funding disaster, was probably that, much like myself...not sure how many people knew there was a AAF until it already went under. No money, bad awareness, absolute train wreck of a company.