Spring Football Concept: AAFL Project

[heavybass]

He probably had a different kind of jack in mind

[Blindsay]

9 hours ago, WideRight said:

Yeah, you are going to have to spell it out for me.  I don't follow wrestling, not since the Iron Sheik and Superfly Snooka.  

That is the Don of NXT, Tony D’Angelo

[NativeSonX]

I'm not so easily seduced by a "cool" sounding name, it must have a deeper significance than what we already have seen.  I actually think the Rush and Condors lack originality and creativity.  It's fools gold to endorse either.  They both are "been there done that" type of monikers.  Its's like group think spills over once people see one option get an early lead, it's like choosing which shade of off-white looks good on a bride of dubious morals.  Akin to choosing which bland flavor of vanilla [French vanilla or vanilla bean (the varietal matters, like wine grapes)] or chicken breast to consume mindlessly? Being actually from the area  in question (spending time in both San Jose and Sacramento), I think the Dons are undersold (surely, the helmet reveal is pretty underwhelming, depressing considerations.) with a less impressive back story of Zorro (Also, it lacks some sophistication when its proclaimed Dons established established the Mission system in California?  The Spanish Empire and Franciscan order of Catholic priests established the California Missions and El Camino Real that connected them.  So the Church, Spanish government/military and conscripted Ingenious laborers built the Mission System, not land owners gifted from the Crown.  Concocting an inaccurate story does no justice to the historic reality.  That's the cost of rushing into things, factual errors, exposing gaps in knowledge, and a lack of respect of history. It may be an "honest" mistake, but it smacks of careless cultural appropriation.) 

 

However, to me the Dons feel the most appropriate as it hearkens back to the bygone era of football past, when the Los Angeles Dons, California's first professional football franchise began in the original AAFC, only to be supplanted by the NFL's Rams moving into the area from Cleveland.  The Rams won that battle for the City of Angeles and the AAFC's Dons were tossed into the dustbin of history, not able to compete with Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers (both eventually merged into the NFL) in their lone 1946 season.  Ironically, they were a red, white and blue color scheme.  BTW @TrueYankee26 Dons are not remotely bullfighting matadors, they were gentry given land grants in Alta California from the Spanish crown.   The actual college football link would have been the University of San Francisco Dons.  The 1951 team had future Hall of Famers Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson, and Bob St. Clair.  They ended undefeated but could not accept bowl bids from the Sugar, Orange and Gator Bowls, due to financial constraints and the condition their black players were not allowed to play (Matson and Burl Toler).  USF dropped their football program in 1982, so the Dons professional outfit would have no modern namesake in California.

 

From the colonialization of California (Alta and Baja) by the Europeans, name Iberians from Spain, Dons actually have an instrumental history that extends before and after the gold rush spurred by aurum's discovery in Sutter's Mill and California's statehood.  Spanish Dons transplanted from Mexico ran sprawling haciendas that transformed nascent San Jose into the Valley of the Heart's Delight and the Central Valley and southwards where large parcels of land were used for ranchos (pasturelands for livestock grazing and eventually establishing their direct namesakes in modern California like:  Napa, Ojai, Paso Robles, Temecula, Milpitas, El Cajon, San Bernardino, Los Feliz, San Leandro, El Sobrante, La Habra, Los Alamitos, etc.  Many other rancheros are memorialized by High School names (Rancho Buena Vista, Alcalanes, Santa Teresa, Rancho Bernardo) and famous streets (La Brea, La Cienega, Sepulveda) throughout California. Their vision, efforts and ability to plant the seeds of change and transform this sprawling state into the economic powerhouse it is today (5th largest economy behind the US, China, Japan, Germany).   Their influence is inextricable to the history of the Golden State.  As a resident of San Jose of nearly two decades and life-long Californian, I implore the good citizens of this community to reconsider their vote and support the Dons.  I fear we end up with another counterfeit-49ers (akin to the CFL's Sacramento Gold Miners) of the AAFL.

[Shonn71]

I'm late to the party here and it appears Dons has no shot.   That's too bad... I was hoping Dons would win here and the new Eastern Division team could've been named the Knots.  Think some sort of wind-ish name for an Atlantic Ocean bordering team.

 

Anyways, since it's a two horse race now..... I'll vote for Rush.   I'd prefer Goldrush.  Is that a word?  Would people mock them by calling them the Goldfish?

 

Rush it is.

[raz]

Just here to read @NativeSonX's latest manifesto.

[Willij]

I vote for Redwoods.

[Brian in Boston]

I just had the strangest experience.
 

I was scrolling through this thread when, suddenly, I found myself wondering what it would be like if a series of Wikipedia entries achieved sentience, took control of the mind of that kid from middle school who was always reminding the Social Studies teacher that she’d scheduled a quiz, and then discovered  the CCSLC Concepts Forum.

 

I can’t imagine what triggered the episode. 

 

 

[TrueYankee26]

I should have known Dons had an old school Spanish California vibe thanks for the history lesson @NativeSonX

[WideRight]

It has been 12 hours since we have received any votes.  Currently the Rush is in the league.  I am going to give it a few more hours, but if there are no votes by this afternoon, I may, may, call the question and declare a winner.  

[maxwasson]

Redwoods

[Kooky01]

Going with Condors

[WideRight]

As I check in it is Rush 14, Condors 11, all others kind of out of it right now.  Despite the obvious 49ers parallel, the Rush could well take it, but I am not calling it yet in case there is a late flurry of ornithologists who want to go for the Condors. 

[JH42XCC]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:56 AM, WideRight said:

But, despite growth in many areas, one area where there was a bit of disappointment was the TV ratings.  The league had the same lulls it saw in past years during March Madness, but also struggled with some decline in overall ratings across the 12 week season.  The networks strongly encouraged the league to consider looking at more large markets with their 3031 expansion, citing that there were still several major markets that were lagging in viewership, largely due to a lack of local interest. 

 

With the move to 12 teams for the 3031 season it was agreed that Houston, New Orleans, Chicago, and St. Louis would make up the Central Division, meaning that the two expansion clubs would be placed into the Eastern and Western divisions.  The pool of cities was quickly established, with two cities in California the only sites considered for the Western team and a short list of markets on tap in the East.

 

By midseason in 3030 the league reached a surprising deal with the two investor groups that represented San Jose and Sacramento, California.  The two cities would share a team, with each city hosting 3 home games.  The team would use the “California” moniker, and would alternate home dates throughout the season between 21,000 seat Hornet Stadium in Sacramento and 30,000 seat CEFCU Stadium in San Jose.

 

3030? 3031? Did we somehow time-travel 1000 years into the future all of a sudden?

 

Anyway, Rush gets my vote.

[WideRight]

@JH42XCC casts the vote that puts the California Rush over the top. Sorry Condor Fans.  

 

Welcome the California Rush to the AAFL as the league's 11th franchise.  The team, which will split games between Sacramento and San Jose, is testing just how regional a team can be.  The Rush will wear black and old gold uniforms.   Their look is somewhat traditional, with a gold helmet bearing the team logo and a black stripe outlined in white.  The jerseys feature a thick shoulder swoosh, with a thinner swoosh beneath it.  Metallic gold numbers on both jerseys will reflect the California sun and use metallic threads to provide just a hint of shimmer.  The team unveiled two secondary logos, one being their primary across a bold font R, and the second being a crossed pickaxe and shovel, tools of gold mining, with a banner that has three letter abbreviations for both of the host cities. This new secondary appears on the collar of each jersey and on the hip of the pants. 

 

 

(I will say that I did experiment with all kinds of "modern" touches, including ombre effect jersys and pants, and hated them all.  So, i gave this club a very traditional look with gold perhaps being used a bit more than most teams would.)

 

The arrival of the Rush means that the 12th and final team for the 2031 season will be found in the East.   There are 8 cities vying for the final expansion slot for 2031, with the winner joining Boston, Washington, DC, and Orlando in the Eastern Division.  Six of the seven are in the Eastern time zone, with only Birmingham in the Central.   Here are the seven locations which are competing for an AAFL franchise:

• New York/New Jersey:  Team would play at Red Bull Arena.
• Atlanta: Team would play at Georgia State Stadium
• Miami:  Team would play at FIU Stadium 
• Columbus: Team would play at Lower.com Field
• Nashville: Team would play at Geodis Park
• Tidewater Region: Team would play at SB Ballard Stadium
• Carolina Triangle: Team would play at Wallace Wade Stadium
• Birmingham: Team would play at Protective Stadium

Voting is now open.  Once we get to 15 votes (or whatever number over 15 when I recheck the page), we will eliminate all teams that are more than 5 votes behind the leader and anyone who voted for one of the eliminated teams can revote for one of the remaining cities.  If the leader has a 4-vote lead on all teams, they will be declared the winner. 

 

Factors to take into consideration include:  Stadium quality, Market size, market financial breakdown, distance or proximity to other AAFL franchises, potential media buy-in, and football following in the region.  Since the the California Rush have the potential to bring in a large market area (San Jose, Bay Area and Sacramento), the pressure is not as great on the league to add a huge market like NJ, though both the league and the TV networks would certainly not turn their noses on the nation's largest market. 

 

Team 12, here we come. 

[LaGrandeOrange]

Nashville

[Vinny0930]

NY/NJ

[verbi]

Birmingham

[Fowler2]

Birmingham 

[Will94]

Nashville

[kb105]

Nashville