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Death of the Alliance of American Football


LAWeaver

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12 hours ago, BringBackTheVet said:

So... back to Nate Perelman.

 

It's accurate that even a bad NFL player (assuming that player should even be an NFL player) is still a fantastic athlete that should be able to dominate lower levels of competition.  So it's very likely that Nate Perelman would do very well in the AAF.

 

HOWEVAH...  he was sooooo bad in the NFL, that if he were to be good in the AAF, it would expose just how far below NFL level the AAF is.  If I'm associated with the AAF, I'll take pretty much any NFL cut, except any that are so well known (for the wrong reasons) that they'd give people an impression of the league that while accurate, isn't what they want anyone to think.

 

This is an excellent point and may figure into the thinking of the AAF hierarchy.

 

That said, I have no idea who Nate Perelman is, so this shouldn't be an issue with him . . . whoever he is.  ?

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15 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

I think calling the AAF a "low-level minor league" is disrespectful to all those involved. It's Pro Football. The players are being paid to play, it's professional. The XFL, WFL, USFL, UFL, and yes the American Football League were all professional football leagues. So is the AAF. 

 

Low-level minor leagues are still professional.  There’s no contradiction there. 

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On 11/12/2018 at 8:59 PM, CrimsonBull9584 said:

I think calling the AAF a "low-level minor league" is disrespectful to all those involved. It's Pro Football. The players are being paid to play, it's professional. The XFL, WFL, USFL, UFL, and yes the American Football League were all professional football leagues. So is the AAF. 

 

It's a "low level minor league" until it demonstrates itself to be otherwise.  I adored the USFL, but if I had to classify it objectively, I'd do so at a "AAA" level of pro football - one step behind the NFL.  The only league's that have gone beyond that are the AAFC (which if you objectively look at pro football in the late 1940's, you put eyeball-to-eyeball with the NFL, if not even slightly higher in terms of talent level), and the fourth AFL... but only after they signed their TV deal with NBC for 1965.  Until then, the AFL was a similar "AAA level" circuit.

 

On 11/15/2018 at 11:28 PM, GeauxColonels said:

Has anyone purchased merchandise from the league's site?

 

I haven't, but only because I'm trying to decide if investing in AAF merch will result in an appreciation in value 20 years from now.  I didn't bother with the XFL save a few select items and am really glad I didn't.  The only things that I made any real money from were the white, actual game balls (as opposed to the grey lace almost-game balls, the 'tweener' size ball and the mini-ball, which you can now get on eBay for about a fifth of what they originally sold for).  But to wear any of it?  Nope.  Won't buy a stitch.

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5 hours ago, Mac the Knife said:
On 11/15/2018 at 11:28 PM, GeauxColonels said:

Has anyone purchased merchandise from the league's site?

 

I haven't, but only because I'm trying to decide if investing in AAF merch will result in an appreciation in value 20 years from now.  I didn't bother with the XFL save a few select items and am really glad I didn't.  The only things that I made any real money from were the white, actual game balls (as opposed to the grey lace almost-game balls, the 'tweener' size ball and the mini-ball, which you can now get on eBay for about a fifth of what they originally sold for). 

 

The XFL game balls were black.

 

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18 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

The XFL game balls were black.

 

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Yes.  They produced four different versions of that ball.  One was a 'mini-ball' with grey plastic laces, the kind you could fit in your palm and toss around a room with little chance of breaking anything.  The second was a 'mid-size' ball, also with grey plastic laces.  The third was what was termed a 'game ball,' but with the same grey plastic laces and was not actually used in games.  All of these proved worthless as potential investments.

 

The only one that didn't was the style I bought:  the actual game ball, which featured white, leather laces rather than grey plastic ones.  If you go to eBay odds are you'll find at least one of each of these styles, both purporting to be the 'game ball' of the XFL - but only the white lace version was.  And those I wound up only breaking even on really (adjusted for inflation), because most people 15 years removed didn't recognize the difference between them.

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1 hour ago, dfwabel said:

So Memphis is now holding open tryouts.

$90.

https://memphisexpress.regfox.com/memphis-express-open-tryout

 

45 minutes ago, jn8 said:

So that’s about a ten hour drive, I’m out of class at noon on Friday...  

Get some friends, get a hotel, looks like I have some weekend plans 🤷‍♂️

 

But wait... they've by their own reporting signed 600 players already.  Enough to give each of the 8 teams a 75 man roster.  So why are they conducting tryouts and charging people for the privilege?  Especially since they're allegedly so well capitalized, per Charlie Ebersol?  Hmmmm...🙄

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50 minutes ago, Mac the Knife said:

 

 

But wait... they've by their own reporting signed 600 players already.  Enough to give each of the 8 teams a 75 man roster.  So why are they conducting tryouts and charging people for the privilege?  Especially since they're allegedly so well capitalized, per Charlie Ebersol?  Hmmmm...🙄

This!

 

Why be so chincy?  $hit, three days ago, they didn't have a tryout location.

 

This is um, interesting...for single entity business.

Quote

Irby declined to say how many season tickets have been sold or how many corporate partners are on board, only that he believes “we’re doing well and are ahead of pace.”

 

He recently returned from a meeting of the league’s team presidents in Tampa.

 

“Sharing best practices,” he said. “What’s working, what’s not working. All of these guys are my brothers, and I want them to do well because it’s good for the league.

 

Full story:

https://www.dailymemphian.com/article/1278/Memphis-Express-preparing-for-unique-QB-Protect-and-Pick-draft

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3 hours ago, Mac the Knife said:

 

 

But wait... they've by their own reporting signed 600 players already.  Enough to give each of the 8 teams a 75 man roster.  So why are they conducting tryouts and charging people for the privilege?  Especially since they're allegedly so well capitalized, per Charlie Ebersol?  Hmmmm...🙄

Since they haven't set the rosters yet they may as well see who else is out there. 

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2 hours ago, dfwabel said:

This!

 

Why be so chincy?  $hit, three days ago, they didn't have a tryout location.

 

This is um, interesting...for single entity business.

 

Full story:

https://www.dailymemphian.com/article/1278/Memphis-Express-preparing-for-unique-QB-Protect-and-Pick-draft

 

Over 35 years I have studied all four versions of the AFL, the AAFC, the WFL, the USFL, the original XFL, the UFL and the AAFL, and was invited to be involved in one aspect or another in the launch of the "new USFL" and the A-11 League.  I say this not to gloat but to give an idea that I have at least a clue as to what I'm seeing here.

 

If I had to classify it, at this moment, I'd put AAF somewhere in the WFL/UFL/second AFL category:  a league that's being slapped together on the fly, and one in which the end result is not likely to be good.

 

They resemble the WFL in that they've been organized by someone with no prior experience in professional football.  Unlike Gary Davidson, Charlie Ebersol doesn't even have experience in sports of any kind - unless making a documentary about the XFL counts.

 

They resemble the WFL in that despite their promotional posturing, they scrambled like hell to put its teams in their markets, announcing cities probably about a week or so after the ink was dry on their respective lease agreements.  The proof of this was in the way they rolled them out itself - if you have a league starting in eight cities, you (1) line up your cities, (2) determine your ticket pricing plans for each, then simultaneously (3) announce all eight cities and (4) immediately start selling tickets in each of the markets, simultaneously.  You do not piss away a month teasing potential cities you're going to enter, announce them one at a time, then wait another month before releasing your ticket pricing packages.

 

They resemble the UFL in that they're extolling how well they're capitalized and prepared for the long haul, but not actually spending any significant capital.  Think about it.  For all the media coverage AAF has received, what have they actually spent in preparing for this inaugural season thus far?  My guess, tops, would be $20 million. 

 

They're taking some other tacks which to be are, well, tacky...

 

They still have key front office positions and some coaching positions in certain markets unfilled, and they're less than three months from kickoff.  They've reportedly signed in excess of 600 players (the equivalent of a 75-man roster for each of the eight teams), yet are still offering potential players tryouts, if they're willing to pay them $99 for the privilege.  Professional football is the only industry on Earth I've ever heard of where employers actually charge potential future employees for the privilege of an "interview."  If you're as well capitalized as AAF is?  You don't need some poor bast***s $99 - you need his talent, if he has any.  And if he doesn't?  You can weed him out with sets of group sprints from goalpost to goalpost.  Total investment on your part?  20 seconds per group of maybe 50 "players," tops.  No cash required.

 

By a similar point in the history of the USFL, the USFL had not only a network television deal firmly in place but also had lined up a serious list of corporate sponsors - an official airline, a beer brand, an official car, all sorts of "official" this'es and that's.  The AAF meanwhile is still "lining things up" in these regards, whatever that means.  The CBS deal sounds good at a glance, but in truth is nothing more than a revenue sharing deal at best - there's no guaranteed revenue there, whereas the USFL had guaranteed (albeit insufficient) rights fees each year).

 

Finally...

 

Their start-up capital is less than optimally diversified, relying essentially on three VC partners to stick with their plans for the next several years.  Venture Capitalists don't work that way - they expect losses for three years, tops.  If those losses greatly exceed what's expected?  They'll bail, and bail immediately.  And even if those losses are right on target after three years?  Profitability - or a clear exit strategy - had better be on the horizon for the next three, without significant investment of additional capital.  VC guys don't care about football.  They care about dollars.

 

Now, under normal conditions if you were comparing AAF to XFL, you'd say that was an advantage to the AAF, as the XFL's launch is being solely funded by Vince McMahon.  The difference is that Vince has been down this road before and knows what to expect.  He won't be rattled by losing $100 million in year one, or year two or three.  And he's going to be far more motivated to keep putting money into the venture than a group of VC guys who no matter what will be looking for their way out, no matter how well AAF does, by year seven.

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This league really should pump the brakes for this season and combine with the XFL. The AAF has great football people involved but the XFL seems to have the better plan and the needed money. I think Vince is sitting back and just waiting for this league to fail.

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39 minutes ago, BengalErnst said:

This league really should pump the brakes for this season and combine with the XFL. The AAF has great football people involved but the XFL seems to have the better plan and the needed money. I think Vince is sitting back and just waiting for this league to fail.

That would make sense, but I think they’d sooner have $1 all to themselves rather than share $5.

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