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And now the "What could have been" portion of the project, just to finish it up.  We start with Philadelphia.  I had 3 unique identities for Philly on tap, and was working on a 4th.  Here are the first two of the Philadelphia ideas. 

 

Philadelphia Southpaws:  Named for one of the most famous boxers of all time and a Philly native, Rocky Balboa.  The main logo is a P with a left boxing glove in gold.  There is a small secondary logo of the famous Rocky celebrating at the top of the steps pose, which you can see at the rear bumper of the stripe on the helmet.   I know it is a bit weird to use one sport's design to reference a totally different sport, but this is Rocky we are talking about here. 

Philadelphia Flames:  I wanted at least one alliterative name, and I thought "Freedom" was a bit played out.  So, I went with a fire motif, and looked for options using the letter P made of flames. Not sure if I love this or hate it, but I do think that using two different color shifts (red to orange and orange to yellow) in different pieces of the flame does work. 

Here we are, guys.  The design for the 16th and final team, the Memphis Mallards. 

 

Finally a navy jersey, though a lot of the look is based on the Kelly Green.  I also added a secondary logo just to have a different version of the mallard on the sleeve. 

 

So, we have our 16 teams.  I will post a few of the unused designs from the unused cities over the next few days, but this is the project, the best possible, voted on by fans, 16-team spring football league.  Not every team is what I would have picked, but I think that groupthink actually produced a pretty good looking and functional league.  Now if we just had a few multi-billionaires willing to fund this we could make it happen. 

Well, that was about as lopsided as it gets.  With 13 votes, ahead of two teams with 5 votes apiece, we have our final team...

 

Welcome to the Memphis Mallards!!  

 

The Mallards will play at Liberty Bowl Stadium and join a nicely clustered Southern division, with bus trips to New Orleans, Birmingham, and Texas.  I will have their uniforms ready tonight (sorry, did not get to work on this at home last night).

For now, here is our lineup for the 16-team AAFL.

 

WEST:  San Diego Destroyers,  Salt Lake Pioneers, California Rush, and Portland Chinook.

SOUTH: Birmingham Vulcans, Memphis Mallards, Houston Apollos, and New Orleans Crawdads

NORTH: St. Louis Rampage, Chicago Sting, Columbus Silverbacks, and Detroit Red Devils.

EAST:  Boston Clovers, New Jersey Rockers, Washington Wolves, and Orlando Juice.

 

I will also provide some of the unique identities for other cities that were not selected, including Miami, Nashville, San Antonio, Dallas, and Philadelphia. 

 

 

And here we go, the 16th team will be in Memphis, but who will they be? What colors will they wear?  The choice is yours.  We have 4 contenders and voting is now open. 

 

MEMPHIS BLUES

The sound of Beale Street is the muse for this identity.  Clad in silver, black, and royal blue, the Memphis Blues feature a stylized "M" monogram made of three musical notes, a center stripe made up on 6 guitar strings and a series of frets.  Will the Blues join the Rockers as musically-themed AAFL squads? 

MEMPHIS KINGS

Oh, Man, Oh, Man.  You knew there had to be a tribute to the King somewhere in here, and we delivered it.  Brought back after initially failing as a concept idea in St. Louis.  Will it be better received in Memphis?  And does that king look a lot like a certain early rocker?  Thank you, thank you very much. 

 

MEMPHIS PHARAOHS

Named for the city in Egypt, Memphis's Mississippi is the Nile of the Americas, and the Memphis team wants to rule it all.  The Pharaohs would become the only team in the AAFL with a yellow helmet, theirs adorned with the team's main logo, a center stripe in black and bright blue, and, what is that?  A scarab to hold the players' numbers. 

MEMPHIS MALLARDS

If you have ever been to Memphis, you have probably seen the famous ducks of the Peabody Hotel making their way back and forth between the main floor fountain and their rooftop home.  If you have been outside of the city and along the river, you likely have also seen quite a few of these feisty mallards as well.  No league is complete without at least 1 bird-based team, and Memphis wants to do it in style with a combination of bright kelly green, deep navy blue, and sharp orange.  

 

Four very different looks.  Four different touchpoints to the city.  Which will be the one that fills out the AAFL roster of teams? 

 

Start voting now, we run for 2 days or until 1 design takes a commanding lead. 

We do have a winner!  With a late-breaking 4-vote lead, the final team in the AAFL will be in Memphis, Tennessee!!!

 

I will be posting the 4 identity options for the 16th and final AAFL club in just a short while, but in the meantime, Here are two designs from the city that almost, almost made it into the league but is now the odd city out. 

 

THE SAN ANTONIO SQUADRON:  This one, which I have used before, could also have been Air Force Blue with sky blue and silver, especially since we have more black now in the league. 

 

THE SAN ANTONIO TOROS:  Another red, black and grey design, so I am kinda glad this one did not make it, even though I like how the horns turned out. 

 

The other two San Antonio designs would have been the Copperheads, with the unique copper, dark green, and red combo; and the San Antonio Suns with the dark magenta and metallic gold colors and the Aztec sun dial logo. 

 

Too bad the folks who want a team in Texas have not coordinated a bit more. They could have walked away with it by now, but the Dallas/San Antonio divide has them trailing Memphis.  

OK, Here is our morning tally,  all teams below the line are eliminated and those who voted for them can now recast a vote for a team above the line. 

 

8  Memphis

7  San Antonio

5  Dallas

4  Miami

3  Philadelphia

____________________

2  Carolina

1  Louisville, Atlanta, Hartford

 

The poll will close today at 5pm MT and I will decide if it ends in a tie.  

Thanks for the great chart @ManillaToad.  And now, the 2nd of 3 new looks for 2013, yet to be revealed on the Alt History website, so you get it first. 

MICHIGAN PANTHERS 2013

 

A lot of traditional Panther elements, but with more of an emphasis on the newer 2nd logo, with its block progression motif.  That is really obvious on both the pant stripe and the side panel of the jerseys.  I am personally not a big fan of side panel striping. It sometimes works, but often does not, but it is something we have seen a lot in the past 15 years, so I include it here. The other big element is the use of champagne sleeves on the white jersey.  Finally, yes, the new Michigan font is set up on an angle, rising from right to left (for the viewer it is left to right). 

Afternoon check-in.  We are above the 15 vote threshold, but it is still a wide open race:

 

5  Dallas

4  San Antonio

2  Miami, Memphis, Carolina

1  Hartford, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Texas, Louisville

 

Still too early to call or even to eliminate any cities.  

Early vote with 9 votes in and no frontrunner yet.

 

2  Memphis

1  Carolina, Hartford, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Texas, and San Antonio.

 

It could take time to start whittling away at this list and getting to 2-3 legitimate contenders. 

And here are YOUR DETROIT RED DEVILS!!!

 

Wow, the overnight ballots came in hard for the Red Devils.  I call this a major upset.  One of the most simplistic designs I have done and it wins quickly.  

 

So, Congratulations to the Detroit Red Devils!!!    They will take the field in Ypsilanti in 2033.  I will have their uniforms up and ready ASAP, but for now we will get to the final vote.   We have a pretty wide range of cities that could compete for the final spot in the AAFL's 16 team roster.  Here are the contenders:

 

EAST-- Selecting either of these two means Orlando jumps to the Southern Division

• Philadelphia:  7th largest metro area, team to play in Franklin Field
• Virginia (Norfolk/Va Beach): 37th largest metro area, team to play at ODU's SB Ballard Stadium
• Hartford: 50th largest metro area, team to play at Rentschler Field

SOUTH-- Selecting one of these teams keeps Orlando in the East with NJ, BOS, and DC

• Dallas:  4th largest metro area, team to play at Choctaw Stadium
• Atlanta: 8th largest metro area, team to play at Georgia State Stadium
• Miami: 9th largest metro area, team to play at FIU Stadium
• San Antonio:  25th largest metro area, team to play at Alamo Stadium
• Austin: 27th largest metro area, team to play at Q2 Stadium
• Texas: Combines portion of SA and AUS, team to play at Bobcat Stadium
• Nashville: 35th largest metro area, team to play at Geodis Park
• Carolina (R-Durham): 41st largest metro area, team to play at Wallace Wade Stadium
• Louisville; 43rd largest metro area, team to play at U. of Louisville
• Memphis: 44th largest metro area, team to play at Liberty Bowl Stadium

 

Just in case it factors into your thinking, the AAFL currently has teams in 7 NFL cities and 8 non-NFL cities.  There is no pressure to go either way as the TV networks are very happy with having the #1, #3, #6, #7, #12, #15, and #20 markets as big draws, allowing for smaller markets.  

10 hours ago, Chi-Tex_Kidd said:

Thanks for the info loved your topic for years now I guess. Looks like the league has never had a true dynasty wonder if it would be a cool storyline to have a dynasty and a team have a new jersey to unveil for players not want them due to good luck as they are in the midst of a dynasty. Probably want 3 or 4 Summer Bowls in 5-7 years. Just an idea.

I would probably have to force a lot of things that I generally have tried not to force to get a dynasty. It seems like the simulator does like to mix things up and I try not to interfere with the game results it spits out.  I consider the early Stars and Gamblers to be mini-dynasties, as were the 2002-2003 Ohio Glory, but so far we have not had a team that has won more than 2 titles in any 5 year span.  I will say that there have been teams that made the playoffs for 10 years in a row, but often they fell apart in the postseason almost every year.  New Orleans and Chicago have both had runs like that without ever winning a title. 

This vote is more competitive than I expected.  As I check it tonight, we find the following breakdown with all 4 names still viable:

 

5   Wildcats & Red Devils

4   Speed Demons

2   Muscle

 

Have to admit, I expected either Muscle or Speed Demons to run away with this one as the other two are pretty basic, but maybe folks like the basic elements and the color schemes.   Voting continues. 

 

With a 16-9 margin, I declare we have a winner. 

 

Welcome the Motor City to the AAFL!!  A natural rival for both Columbus and Chicago, Detroit's new club will join those two and St. Louis in the Central Division.   They will play outside of city limits at EMU's Rynearson Field in Ypsalanti, only a 35 miles from downtown Detroit.   

 

So  now it is time for our penultimate identity vote.  Four very different choices, linking themselves with the motor industry, car culture, and two other popular Detroit teams, we have a tough choice.  Voting will use the standard format, so get those votes in and we will have our Detroit club within 2 days.   Here are your options:

 

DETROIT WILDCATS

In the city that is, or has been, home to the Lions, Tigers, and Panthers, how could we not offer a cat-themed option.  The Wildcats combine a snarling cat with a clawmark stripe to join the tradition of Detroit as a cat-loving city.  The colors are a light navy blue and a buff gold, more satiny than metallic. 

 

DETROIT RED DEVILS

Taking a page out of the identity book of the beloved Detoit Red Wings, the Red Devils combine the simple red and white color scheme of Detroit's hockey club, with a nickname and design that evokes the city's long history with "Devil's Night", the night before Halloween.   The logo is simple, a stylized capital D complete with two short devil horns. The helmet also displays a pitchfork, using the familiar symbol of the demonic as teh helmet center stripe.  

DETROIT MUSCLE

Taking inspiration (for the name though not really the logo from Matt Curley's design-- Dribble), the Detroit Muscle celebrates the power, speed, and just coof factor of muscle car culture.  The logo depicts a classic muscle car in front view, looking a bit like Stephen King's haunted "Christine".  Contained within a chrome silver and black rondel and using a 1950's inspired font, the Muscle is headed right for you in glorious satiny cherry red. 

 

DETROIT SPEED DEMONS

Car culture, and the love of speed and power are at the heart of the fourth identity presented today.  The Speed Demons are all about the thrill of acceleration and racing.  The logo depicts a haunted racer, flying down the road with its spirit guide hovering above.  The team colors of black, orange, and grey provide a unique mix of asphalt and flame.  The helmet's center stripe could not e anything but the checkered flag that denotes victory to the fastest racer.  This is a club that will be about speed, determination, and gunning it until the final whislt. 

 

There it is, four options for the AAFL Detroit franchise.  Do you go with pure speed, pure muscle, fiery danger, or a classic Detroit big cat?  The choice is yours, let's see where this goes.  Voting is now open. 

 

 

Checking in and we are very close to the Motor City getting a franchise. 

 

12   Detroit 

9   Philadelphia

6   Atlanta

4  Dallas

 

Dallas and Atlanta are both eliminated because both are 5 or more votes behind Detroit (and Philly) so those of you who have voted for those two Southern cities can now recast votes for the 2 finalists, Detroit and Philly.   I will check back in a few hours and if one of the two has a 4 vote lead they will be the winner.  

Here is what that means for the 16th team:

 

PHILADELPHIA WIN: 

• Orlando moves to the Southern Division
• Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Miami, Carolina, and Virginia are out.
• The only remaining cities for team 16 are  Memphis, Nashville, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Buffalo.

DETROIT WIN

• Buffalo, Cincinnati eliminated.
• The remaining open spot is in the South, but Philly can still be team #16, which moves Orlando to fill that last spot. 
• Philadelphia, Memphis, Nashville, Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Miami, Carolina, and Virginia are in the vote for team #16

 

And, just to add some more intrigue, here are the 4 potential color combos for both Detroit and Philadelphia:

 

DET 1:  Cherry Red, Black, Silver

DET 2: Redwing Red & White

DET 3:  Dark Royal Blue & Athletic Gold (Yellow)

DET 4:  Black, Orange, and Grey

 

PHILA 1: Metallic Gold and Navy

PHILA 2: Navy and Grey

PHILA 3: Metallic Gold and Sky Blue

PHILA 4; Navy, Red, Orange, Yellow

 

 

 

 

 

33 minutes ago, Chi-Tex_Kidd said:

Would love to see a graph of Summer Bowl games or like a bar graph of appearances and wins.

 

How about this?  Does not have appearances, only wins. 

 

And, since you asked, here are the all time records:

 

TEAM (Seaons in the league:  All Time Summer Bowl Record)

 

ARIZONA (29:  0-2)

BALTIMORE (29:  0-1)   Began as Chicago Blitz.

BIRMINGHAM (29: 1-1 )

DENVER (29:  1-4)

MICHIGAN (29:  3-0)

NASHVILLE (29:  0-0)   Began as LA Express.

NEW JERSEY (29:  3-0)

NEW ORLEANS (29:  0-1)

OAKLAND (29:  1-1)

PHILADELPHIA (29:  3-3)

TAMPA BAY (29:  3-1)

WASHINGTON (29: 2-0)

 

HOUSTON (28:  4-3)

JACKSONVILLE (28: 0-0)

MEMPHIS (28: 2-3)

PITTSBURGH (28: 1-2)

 

CHICAGO (25:  0-3)

ORLANDO (25: 1-1)

TEXAS (25: 0-0 )   Began as Oklahoma Outlaws & San Antonio Gunslingers--merged after 1 year..

 

LAS VEGAS (28: 0-1)   Began as Portland Thunder

 

BOSTON (16:  1-0 )     Began as 1995 Atlanta Fire 

LOS ANGELES (16: 0-1)     1995 Expanion Express

OHIO (16: 2-0 )

SEATTLE (16: 1-0 )

 

ATLANTA (6: 0-0 )

CHARLOTTE (6: 0-0 )

PORTLAND (6: 0-0 )

ST. LOUIS (6:  0-0  )

 

So, Houston has both the most appearances (7) and the most wins (4), while New Jersey and Michigan each have 3 wins in 3 appearances and Nashville (STL, LA Express) are the only founding franchise never to appear in a title game.  

Current count:

 

9 Detroit

8  Philadelphia

6 Atlanta

4  Dallas

 

Not dropping any of them out, but Dallas is close unless they get a comeback. 

And just a couple more unused ideas.   Los Angeles never got a lot of votes, and once San Diego was in the league, I had a feeling no one would jump on the LA bandwagon, so these designs did not stand a chance.  

 

LOS ANGELES VIPERS

Sort of a biker gang, tattoo-themed version of a snake logo.  The tattoo motif is throughout and the goal is to use green and red as a unique color combo, along with a silvery green metallic helmet. 

LOS ANGELES PALMS

The Palms was just a way to get a sunset spectrum element into what was otherwise a pretty plain "LA monogram".  It has a bit of an LA Kiss vibe to it while also being very much a SoCal vibe as well. Besides, how often do you see a heavily green tilted teal used?   The NFL Jags started off with that but when they revamped their logo due to the Jaguar car issue they switched to a bluer shade of teal.  

 

Ah, what could have been.  Sorry LA, no soup for you. 

We have 17 votes in and we have what looks like a 3 horse race, but I am keeping all 4 votegetters in the mix:

 

7   Detroit

5   Atlanta

4   Philadelphia

2   Dallas

 

All other cities are now out of the running, sorry Nashville, Buffalo, Cincy.   It is down to these 4.   I can tell you that I already have 4 identities for three of the four (Philly will need some time), but I need to check because I am going to remove any that have black helmets (or change their color to something else.)

 

Let's keep that voting going, and, in the meantime here are two designs that were not used and will not be used because those cities/teams were not chosen.  I plan on releasing more unused designs once we get to the end, but thought I would drive some people nuts a bit early with "what could have been" (kinda weird since none of these teams actually exist at all).

 

First, the unused California Condors design, which would have been used for the San Jose/Sacramento club had Rush lost the vote. 

Mostly black and white, but with some thin piping and some ombre-effect orange and pink.   (BTW just noticed that the collar on the black jersy should be white.  Trying to imitate the neck plumage of the condor itself). 

 

And, the oh-so-close Columbus Cannons design that almost won the vote before being overwhelmed by the sheer power of the Silverbacks.  This one would have been tough because of New Jersey using the same basic 3 colors of black, red, and grey. 

 

Good point @Brian in Boston,  the team needs both versions, left facing and right facing.  

 

I will be releasing the 2nd one soon, but I have a ton of work on the USFL 2011-2012 offseason to deal with first.   A good year for offseason chaos...

 

1. Peyton Manning released by the Colts after his spinal surgery.  Does he go to Denver or to the USFL?

2. Andrew Luck looks like a sure fire NFL star.  Does he sign with the USFL, and which team makes a move to get him?

3. Robert Griffin III comes on strong in the 2011 NCAA season. Who becomes enamored of him?

4. Will Hasselbeck, Delhomme, or Plummer retire this year?  How do their teams deal? 

5. Will Trent Richardson join the USFL?  And if he does, does he flame out like IRL?

6. Can Justin Blackmon live up to his hype as a wideout?  And where?

7. Other NFL free agents include DE Mario Williams, WR Mike Wallace, and HB Adrian Foster, all intriguing targets for the USFL.

8. And what the heck is going on with the group that wants a team in Dallas?  Will they buy and relocate a USFL squad? 

 

Lots about to happen as the mid-2010's will get a bit crazy.  

If you want to join in, and haven't yet, here is the link to read 30 years of Alt History with the USFL that never died.   Summer Bowl 2011 was just posted, with the league's first champion returning for a 3rd title. 

Hi all,  

 

So far it looks (and it is early) like Atlanta and Detroit have taken the early lead.   Just as way of information, since there were a lot of votes for some other cities that are not in this pool, here is what I believe the impact is of different cities winning the NFL city vote.

 

If Dallas, Atlanta, or Miami wins, it means...

• The other two from this group are eliminated from being team #16.
• It also eliminates all other southern markets, mainly  San Antonio, Austin, Carolina and Virginia
• Memphis and Nashville would still be alive since they can be considered for the Central Division.
• The final vote would likely include both Memphis and Nashville, Cincinnati, Detroit, Buffalo, and Louisville

If Detroit, Twin Cities, Buffalo, or Cincinnati wins, it means...

• The other 3 are now eliminated from being team #16
•  The pool for team $16 would basically be Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis, Nashville, San Antonio, Austin, Carolina, and Virginia

If Philadelphia wins...

• Orlando would be moved to the Southern Division
• All other southern teams would be eliminated from team #16 consideration
• The pool of team 16 cities would look like the one in the Dallas, Atlanta or Miami scenario.

If Nashville wins...

• Nearly all cities in both the Central and Southern regions would remain alive, since Nashville could be at home in either division.  
• We would remove Memphis from consideration, but that would be the only city eliminated. 

 

I don't know if that impacts anyone's vote or not, but thought you should at least see it.   If you love San Antonio as an option, it means you want to vote for a Northern city now.  Same for any city not in this vote. If you have one you absolutely want to be included, you may want to vote for the opposite division now, and perhaps persuade others as well. 

Two spots left for our final expansion and the 16 AAFL franchises.  Team 15 will be an NFL city, the last guaranteed spot for a current NFL host city.  We have spots available in three possible divisions.  The Central and Southern Divisions currently each have 1 open spot, but if an East Coast city is chosen, it is possible that Orlando would move to the Southern Division to make room for another team to take the 4^th slot in the Eastern Division.  So, all this basically means is that all viable cities (those with stadia between 20k-60k) are in the pool except for LA, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, all out based on geography.   So, here you go.  48 hours (or until 1 city takes a 4-vote lead) to determine the last guaranteed slot for an NFL city to also become an AAFL city.  Here are your contenders:

 

SOUTHERN DIVISION OPTIONS

• DALLAS:  4^Th largest market, 7.9 million, to play at Chocktaw Stadium (48,114)
• ATLANTA: 8^th largest market, 6.2 million, to play at Georgia State Stadium (24,333)
• MIAMI: 9^th largest market, 6.1 million, to play at FIU Stadium (23,500)
• NASHVILLE: 35^th largest market, 2.1 million, to play at Geodis Park (30,000)

CENTRAL DIVISION OPTIONS

• DETROIT: 14^th largest market, 5.4 million, to play at Rynearson Stadium (30,200)
• TWIN CITIES: 16^th largest market, 3.7 million, to play at Huntington Bank Stadium (50,805)
• CINCINNATI: 30^th largest market, 2.3 million, to play at Nippert Stadium (38,800)
• BUFFALO: 49^th largest market, 1.2 million, to play at UB Stadium (29,016)

EASTERN DIVISION OPTION (Would move Orlando to the South)

• PHILADELPHIA: 7^th largest market, 6.2 million, to play at Franklin Field (53,590)

 

We have 9 cities vying for 1 spot, some have been here before, others were added more recently, but only one can lock up a spot with a win in this vote.  We will eliminate some clubs mid-voting as they fall behind the leaders, so keep checking in to see where the voting stands and when a team is eliminated anyone who voted for them can recast a ballot for one of the remaining teams.

OK, we have another winner.  Final count is Vulcans 18, Bears 13, so the old school WFL identity is back.  

 

Congratulations the Birmingham Vulcans on becoming the 14th AAFL franchise!!

 

But, before I reveal the Vulcans' look, a bit of unfinished business.  We stil have not seen the uniforms for the Silverbacks, so here they are. 

 

I wanted to make them very distinct from New Jersey, and also from the Raiders.  So, what we have is an all-white look with a silver back panel and an all black look with a similar silver (darker grey) back panel.  The main logo of the gorilla's face is on both sleeves, similar to the earlier Sasquatch concept that was not chosen.  In addition to the full body ape logo and the profile ape head, there is a third logo which is used in the pants and where we see the angry simian from a front view. 

 

And now the Vulcans' look for 2033. 

Birmingham features navy blue and white jerseys, both with fiery red yokes encased within navy blue outer stripes.  The pants come in steel grey and navy blue, again with an ombre effect meant to symbolize the heat of a steelmill, forge, or blacksmith's furnace.  Angular numbers also feature an ombre effect, either from fiery orange to red or from white to grey.  The Vulcans do not have a secondary logo, and the sleeves of the jerseys do  not have logos, only the shoulder yoke extending to the sleeve cap. 

 

I am not quite ready for the next vote, so I will  post it tomorrow.  Need a bit of time to figure out potential placements. 

 We have reached and surpassed the 15 vote minimum, and we have a 2-horse race (sorry, Bulldozer fans)

 

11 Vulcans

10 Bears

 

So, here is the thing, I could, maybe, alter the Bears colors to avoid another black helmet  Could be a brown bear instead of a black one.  I kinda like the black though, and 3 black helmets in a 16 team league is not that bad.  As for the Vulcans, they might well be the first navy/dark blue jersey if chosen.  Those who remember my WFL series will likely recognize this identity and its use of ombre effects to evoke the heat of a forge.