All-American Football League (Defunct)

[methomps]

Although I believe this won't last, I still think it'd be somewhat appealing in Columbus to have a squad of formers made up of mostly Buckeyes. Please tell me you wouldn't want to see Ken Yon Rambo catch a TD pass from Joe Germaine in Ohio Stadium...

We may even be able to pull Demetrius Stanley from those "interesting" Channel 6 dialogues.

I actually saw Germaine play last night at Staples. The atmosphere at AFL is a little too cheesy for me, but its at least fun to make length of drive bets with friends (free drinks help, too).

Both are "No Sales". No way would I pay money to go to one of these games or spend time watching on tv. I'm with you when you're playing for the Buckeyes. I'll watch every game possible and make a trip to C-Bus every year or two. I'll follow your progress in the NFL, if you make the league, and read "Where are they now" articles on BP, if you don't. I don't even watch or go to NFL games, though, why in the hell would I watch this league of semi-distinguished gentlemen? I suspect that I'm not alone and if this gets off of the ground, it won't stay aloft for long.

One advantage a league like this would have is that you would have a higher concentration of players from your school. Yes, you might not go to a game just to see 1 or 2 players, but what if a quarter of the team is former Buckeyes?

The problem is what if a quarter of the team is former Michigan/PSU/ND? That gives teams incentive to appeal to the home crowd, which only exacerbates the NCAA issues.

 

[BB73]

Dennis Dodd weighs in.

sportsline

Welcome the AAFL -- hold your snickering

Start-up pro football leagues seem to make a lot of people stupid.

Otherwise rational beings have thrown good money after bad trying to capitalize on the nation's appetite for the sport.

- Donald Trump was practically running the USFL when it folded after the 1985 season. (Or maybe it folded because The Donald was running it.)
[SIZE=+1]-[/SIZE] California lawyer Gary Davidson helped found three pro leagues in eight years from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s (American Basketball Association, World Hockey Association, World Football League). All three folded but only the WFL doesn't have a former franchise that still exists today.
[SIZE=+1]-[/SIZE] Nobody ever said Vince McMahon was a genius, just a shameless money-grubbing shlub. A moment of silence, please, for the one-and-done XFL.
- Even the high and mighty NFL admitted failure, folding NFL Europa last

Cont'd ...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Football
New league rekindles dream for player
AAFL would build on college allegiance
Sunday, July 15, 2007 4:01 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

John Raoux Associated Press
Scrimmage coach John Kaleo, center, holds up a playbook for players during a recent tryout for the All-American Football League. Backers are hoping to get the new league going in 2008.


Alone in his car, headed to Orlando, Fla., David Tennant wondered if he was going too far in chasing a dream.

His college football career had been filled with heartache and pain, like the lyrics to a country music song that might have been popular in his native West Virginia. A running back, he played in just two games at Ohio University.
Now 26 and working in the real world, Tennant is giving football one last try. He worked out at several combines and landed an invitation to a recent tryout for the All-American Football League.

Continued.....

 

[Zurp]

I like the no-degree, no-play rule. I'm still skeptical about it. I have a feeling that the league will start to make exceptions here and there, and eventually will just scrap that rule, in an attempt to stay in business. Once the rule is gone, players will jump to the pros earlier and earlier, and college football will be diminished.

 

[methomps]

The draft for this is going on today.

All American Football League

Still think this raises serious recruiting/retention advantage issues for the NCAA teams involved. It puts those schools hosting a team at a considerable advantage. If I'm a prospect considering between a school with an AAFL team and a school without one, I might consider this safety net in case I don't make the NFL.

Plus, players who might otherwise quit or transfer over playing time may be more likely to stick it out. Really, why else are the players required to exhaust their NCAA eligibility?

 

[starBUCKS]

Why is there a draft if your team consists of players from certain regional schools?

 

[methomps]

Why is there a draft if your team consists of players from certain regional schools?

I think teams can protect a certain number of players from local schools, but not everybody. The draft is for the unprotected players.

 

[ScriptOhio]

All-American Football League may scrap season for lack of funds

ATLANTA -- On the 25th anniversary of the USFL's first game, another upstart professional football league is facing an uncertain future.
The new All American Football League will have to postpone its 2008 season unless it finds additional financial backing.
The announcement Thursday came less than a week before camps were to open for the six-team league.
The league, which held its inaugural draft in January, has rosters and staffs in place for six teams: Detroit; Little Rock, Ark; Gainesville, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn., and Houston.
Training camps were scheduled to open Wednesday, followed by the first games in April.
The league will push its plans back to 2009 unless it secures a TV deal or other funding.

Entire article: ESPN - All-American Football League may scrap season for lack of funds - Moresports

 

[brodybuck21]

blast from the past