Death of the Alliance of American Football

[NYC Cosmos]

The XFL was in a different time with a totally different business model. How many WWF fans came to see the XFL? 

 

A better test would be the NY/NJ Knights. The NFL tried to sell everyone that it was an "NFL league." Really? Seriously? Yeah, they did. As they say in Tagalog "Talaga? Seriosa? Opo!" (Really? Seriously? You're damn straight")

 

The only stadium that makes sense in the Tri-state area is Red Bull Arena. And Red Bull isn't going to turn down extra money, especially if it can get into American football. And don't think for a second that the league wouldn't want a sponsor like Red Bull. But all of that won't happen of course, if there is no NY/NJ team.

 

Oh, yes. According to Oursportscentral.com the league put a team in Salt Lake City but there is no news on it anywhere.

[dfwabel]

33 minutes ago, NYC Cosmos said:

 

 

Oh, yes. According to Oursportscentral.com the league put a team in Salt Lake City but there is no news on it anywhere.

AAF Twitter page indicates an announcement in SLC on Wednesday.

Not that difficult to locate, man.

[Wings]

For the billionth time New York Red Bulls have gone on record that they don't want American football played at RedBullArena. 

[NYC Cosmos]

Alright. We will see.

[JH42XCC]

If Red Bull Arena is not happening, then go with High Point Solutions Stadium. It's about 30 miles from Times Square.

[WideRight]

I fully expect that the AAF will avoid all cold weather locations with their first 8 teams.  Salt Lake City is the coldest they will get and their February & March temperatures are nowhere near as cold as the Midwest or Northeast.  So, don't hold your breath for NYC, Boston, Philly, Chicago, DC, etc.   Maybe Indy, Detroit or St. Lous if they don't mind domes. 

 

They have Orlando, Memphis, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and we all expect Phoenix and San Diego based on the Sporting News article.  That only leaves 2 cities left.  My guess (top 10 most likely) are:

 

West

1. San Antonio-- You have to have a Texas team, and they are the obvious choice.

2. Sacramento -- Having a NorCal team to be a rival for San Diego makes sense.  They cold move to Oakland after the Raiders move.

3. San Jose-- See Sacramento,  One or the other is likely

4. Dallas-- If they can play at SMU. 

5. Las Vegas-- A longshot because of the Raiders, but the XFL Outlaws drew pretty well. 

 

EAT

1. St. Louis-- If there is not a dome aversion, this seems a good option.

2. Birmingham-- I don't like Legion Field as a stadium for the AAF, too huge, but if UAB is getting a stadium, maybe they stick it out until then. 

3. New Orleans-- Tulane's newish Yulman Stadium is the perfect size and there is no MLB or NHL to contend with, only the Pelicans.

4. Raleigh or Durham-- 3 stadiums to choose from (NC State, UNC, Duke)

5. Louisville-- May be just on the fringe of acceptable weather and the stadium is a great option. 

 

[Mac the Knife]

Salt Lake City is actually the first AAF market where I've without hesitation thought, "Okay.  Good choice."  It's a nice, medium-sized, untapped at the professional level market that will have sports fans willing to give them a legitimate shot without being jaded by past experiences with other leagues.

 

If they don't go into St. Louis, San Antonio and/or San Diego, it's an indication of one of three things.  Either:

1. Vince McMahon somehow beat them to the punch, signing a yet-to-be-disclosed deal for a stadium lease in those markets (highly unlikely);
2. These guys are pinching pennies and are nowhere near as well-capitalized as they're claiming to be; and/or
3. They're absolutely clueless.

Finally and again, I think Phoenix would be a mistake.  I just can't see people putting up with the heat at Sun Devil Stadium to watch spring season, second-tier football when they can (i) watch a potentially superior NCAA-caliber product in the fall there, or more likely (ii) watch a definitively superior NFL product in the fall, and under air conditioning at that.

[Gothamite]

5 hours ago, Mac the Knife said:

The New York metropolitan area has 20+ million people living in it.  The original XFL team drew somewhere around 25,000.  If you can't attract 10,000 or more in that market to an event of any sort, you shouldn't be in the realm of sports.

 

Minor league sports? In an extremely crowded marketplace like this, 10,000 should be considered the absolute ceiling for a minor-league team. Not the floor. 

[GDAWG]

10 hours ago, WideRight said:

I fully expect that the AAF will avoid all cold weather locations with their first 8 teams.  Salt Lake City is the coldest they will get and their February & March temperatures are nowhere near as cold as the Midwest or Northeast.  So, don't hold your breath for NYC, Boston, Philly, Chicago, DC, etc.   Maybe Indy, Detroit or St. Lous if they don't mind domes. 

 

They have Orlando, Memphis, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and we all expect Phoenix and San Diego based on the Sporting News article.  That only leaves 2 cities left.  My guess (top 10 most likely) are:

 

West

1. San Antonio-- You have to have a Texas team, and they are the obvious choice.

2. Sacramento -- Having a NorCal team to be a rival for San Diego makes sense.  They cold move to Oakland after the Raiders move.

3. San Jose-- See Sacramento,  One or the other is likely

4. Dallas-- If they can play at SMU. 

5. Las Vegas-- A longshot because of the Raiders, but the XFL Outlaws drew pretty well. 

 

EAT

1. St. Louis-- If there is not a dome aversion, this seems a good option.

2. Birmingham-- I don't like Legion Field as a stadium for the AAF, too huge, but if UAB is getting a stadium, maybe they stick it out until then. 

3. New Orleans-- Tulane's newish Yulman Stadium is the perfect size and there is no MLB or NHL to contend with, only the Pelicans.

4. Raleigh or Durham-- 3 stadiums to choose from (NC State, UNC, Duke)

5. Louisville-- May be just on the fringe of acceptable weather and the stadium is a great option. 

 

 

No to Dallas as Dallas AAF would get zero coverage.  FC Dallas and The Dallas Wings barely get any coverage whatsoever.  It's: Cowboys, College Sports (namely football), High school sports, The Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, the occasional feel good sports story involving high school or college athletes, FC Dallas and Dallas Wings, which sucks for the latter, because Skylar Diggins-Smith could be a pretty big name in this area if they ever get more coverage.  If the AAF goes to Texas, they'll probably go with San Antonio, but why not try El Paso?  The Mavericks, Stars and Rangers get a decent amount of coverage here but Dallas AAF would get lost in the shuffle alongside FC Dallas and the Dallas Wings.   

[NYC Cosmos]

21 hours ago, WideRight said:

I fully expect that the AAF will avoid all cold weather locations with their first 8 teams.  Salt Lake City is the coldest they will get and their February & March temperatures are nowhere near as cold as the Midwest or Northeast.  So, don't hold your breath for NYC, Boston, Philly, Chicago, DC, etc.   Maybe Indy, Detroit or St. Lous if they don't mind domes. 

 

They have Orlando, Memphis, Atlanta, Salt Lake City and we all expect Phoenix and San Diego based on the Sporting News article.  That only leaves 2 cities left.  My guess (top 10 most likely) are:

 

West

1. San Antonio-- You have to have a Texas team, and they are the obvious choice.

2. Sacramento -- Having a NorCal team to be a rival for San Diego makes sense.  They cold move to Oakland after the Raiders move.

3. San Jose-- See Sacramento,  One or the other is likely

4. Dallas-- If they can play at SMU. 

5. Las Vegas-- A longshot because of the Raiders, but the XFL Outlaws drew pretty well. 

 

EAT

1. St. Louis-- If there is not a dome aversion, this seems a good option.

2. Birmingham-- I don't like Legion Field as a stadium for the AAF, too huge, but if UAB is getting a stadium, maybe they stick it out until then. 

3. New Orleans-- Tulane's newish Yulman Stadium is the perfect size and there is no MLB or NHL to contend with, only the Pelicans.

4. Raleigh or Durham-- 3 stadiums to choose from (NC State, UNC, Duke)

5. Louisville-- May be just on the fringe of acceptable weather and the stadium is a great option. 

 

Re: SLC: Sorry folks, I don't do Twitter. Hate the damn thing. 

Franchises: Don't forget...is it CBS Sports that owns the TV rights, or NBC? I forget. They want major cities, hence Atlanta and Orlando. Will they want St. Louis? San Diego? New York? Chicago? Sacramento is interesting, but the Railyards project hit a snag with the stadium. I suppose you could play at Hornets Stadium. Portland's stadium has been refurbished. I don't like Birmingham or San Antonio. Too many failed franchises and jilted fans. And don't forget the WLAF touted San Antonio as the it city, and would play in the Alamo Dome when completed. I've always thought Louisville would be a great place for a franchise, but then you have Louisville, Orlando, Atlanta and Memphis – that would mean 4 teams concentrated in the south. RD? See 0-10 Skyhawks (WLAF). Columbus makes sense if the Crew moves (I hope they won't.)

[Mac the Knife]

Raleigh's WLAF franchise was nearly 30 years ago.  The market and its demographics are completely different now than they were then - there are twice as many people, the age demographic's younger, and it's far more affluent.

 

That said, I don't think AAF or XFL would be a good fit here.  For over a decade I've thought this market capable of supporting only one major-level sports league:  Major League Baseball.  What would comprise a Raleigh franchise's territory currently encompasses three minor league franchises which combine to average 13,000 in attendance with none of them operating in the city proper.  A team based in the outskirts of the city would probably draw 25,000 a game (which would put it ahead of an even dozen existing MLB markets) without breaking much of a sweat.

 

Unfortunately instead, we have a hockey team that's been so poorly managed the past decade that instead of recognizing that the ownership as the problem with the market, all but the most astute presume the market itself is the problem.

[dfwabel]

Phoenix became official today and yes, it was done over Twitter.

 

 

https://www.abc15.com/sports/sports-blogs-local/arizona-awarded-new-pro-football-team-with-alliance-of-american-football

 

ASU has to pay off the $300M in renovations somehow.

[Gary]

23 hours ago, Mac the Knife said:

Salt Lake City is actually the first AAF market where I've without hesitation thought, "Okay.  Good choice."  It's a nice, medium-sized, untapped at the professional level market that will have sports fans willing to give them a legitimate shot without being jaded by past experiences with other leagues.

 

If they don't go into St. Louis, San Antonio and/or San Diego, it's an indication of one of three things.  Either:

1. Vince McMahon somehow beat them to the punch, signing a yet-to-be-disclosed deal for a stadium lease in those markets (highly unlikely);
2. These guys are pinching pennies and are nowhere near as well-capitalized as they're claiming to be; and/or
3. They're absolutely clueless.

Finally and again, I think Phoenix would be a mistake.  I just can't see people putting up with the heat at Sun Devil Stadium to watch spring season, second-tier football when they can (i) watch a potentially superior NCAA-caliber product in the fall there, or more likely (ii) watch a definitively superior NFL product in the fall, and under air conditioning at that.

If the Championship is April 26-28th I don’t see the problem with the weather as it’s pretty nice until mid April. Plus if it’s cheap and reasonable. I can see families trying to save a buck. If marketed right could be a success. Also NCAA football in the fall is terrible, it’s still in the 100s at night most of those games. 

[Mac the Knife]

Phoenix is now official.  I guess we'll see if it's a bad idea or not.  So... Orlando, Atlanta, Memphis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City.

[Wings]

San Diego, Las Vegas & Houston as the final three? Just guessing and assuming they avoid domed stadiums.

 

West

Las Vegas

Phoenix

Salt Lake City

San Diego

 

South

Atlanta 

Houston

Orlando

Memphis

 

 

[GDAWG]

Are they not going to have a team north of the Mason-Dixon Line?

 

Also, Utah AAF has hired Dennis Erickson.

[Mac the Knife]

I think Salt Lake City's north of the Mason-Dixon Line...    Seriously though, this AAF thing is killing me, because having studied every noteworthy pro football league that's launched since the AAFC, I see them making virtually the same mistakes a lot of the others have, almost as if they're following a textbook, "How To Fail At Launching A Pro Football League."

 

AAF can hire all the old, over the hill coaches who've grown tired of working on their golf game they desire.

AAF could announce that the eighth franchise will be a traveling team representing the planet Neptune.

AAF could prop up the corpse of Vince Lombardi and announce that it'll be on the sidelines of its Milwaukee team.

 

None of that matters right now.  None.  They're making May announcements that should've been made in March (market cities), and they're making May announcements that shouldn't be made until September (coaching hires).  In the meantime, they're not focusing where they need to be:  sales, sales, sales, and for good measure, more sales.

 

Instead of announcing all eight cities back in March and spending the past 45-60 days with boots on the ground, pitching the value of AAF corporate sponsorships to businesses in those markets... instead of giving fans in those markets the opportunity to go online or pick up a telephone and buy a season ticket package (not put a deposit on one - but buy)... instead of having local media markets (radio stations, newspapers, TV stations) spearheading your "Name the Team Contest" for each market... these guys are coming into town like a breeze, telling people, "Oh, yeah, we're coming next year," then seemingly breezing out again.  Content to tend to the infrastructure necessary in each market as they go along.

 

Will Steve Spurrier's name sell tickets in Orlando?  Sure, but they have to be available to purchase, and deposits aside, they aren't.

 

Will Dennis Erickson's name sell tickets in Salt Lake City?  Maybe, but again, today would've been the day to sell them, not months down the road.

 

Will they be smart enough to put teams in markets like St. Louis, San Antonio and San Diego?  That remains to be seen, but the fact that they're going to try Atlanta and Phoenix, going head-to-head for discretionary income in cities where at least three major-league level pro sports franchises are already present?  It's not an indication that all the bulbs on the Christmas tree are lit.

[GDAWG]

4 hours ago, Wings said:

San Diego, Las Vegas & Houston as the final three? Just guessing and assuming they avoid domed stadiums.

 

West

Las Vegas

Phoenix

Salt Lake City

San Diego

 

South

Atlanta 

Houston

Orlando

Memphis

 

 

Las Vegas isn't going to care for yet another alternative football league, especially when the Raiders are coming. 

[Wings]

8 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

Las Vegas isn't going to care for yet another alternative football league, especially when the Raiders are coming. 

Neither will the other cities as well. 

[GDAWG]

4 minutes ago, Wings said:

Neither will the other cities as well. 

 

True, but Las Vegas had long been a place where Alternative Football Leagues go to die, so I bet many people there were elated when they finally got a football team that will last more than a year in a more stable league.  They can thank Mark Davis for that.