rob_shadows Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, ET80 said: THIS is interesting. If the league is using the XFL as filler content before the start of combine season, this league will have some staying power. Not necessarily, the NFL gave the aaf quite a bit of support but it didn't help. Edited February 18, 2020 by rob_shadows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 8 minutes ago, rob_shadows said: Not necessarily, the NFL gave the aaf quite a bit of support but it didn't help. I think the biggest reason the AAF failed is the TV deals. I mean... TruTV? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveTheVikings Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, rob_shadows said: Not necessarily, the NFL gave the aaf quite a bit of support but it didn't help. The AAF was funded by a guy who saw that Vince was bringing back the XFL and decided that he wanted to do the same and tried to beat him to the punch. He never properly funded the league and cheated basically everyone out of money. https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/4/4/18292412/xfl-aaf-mistakes-lessons-vince-mcmahon Quote 1. Have money to pay the players right out the gate Reports said the AAF needed a $250 million investment from Tom Dundon just to meet payroll after one week of play. Dundon “only” ended up investing $70 million, but how was the AAF not prepared to pay everyone past one week of play? There were obvious organization and money issues with the AAF. According to various reports, only players and coaches were fed on team planes — everyone else involved with the operation had to get their own food. When the league was suspended, there wasn’t any severance pay and players were forced to purchase their own flights home. Their belongings were tossed from their hotel rooms and they were left on their own. The Action Network’s Darren Rovell reported that Dundon didn’t pay vendors for the league either. It was an unequivocal mess from top to bottom. Steve Spurrier, head coach of the Orlando Apollos, also called out the AAF, saying they weren’t truthful about the viability of the league: “Everyone was led to believe that the Alliance was well-funded and we could play three years without making any money and this, that and the other. Obviously, everything that was said was not very truthful.” McMahon already has the funded for 2 years minimum. Quote McMahon, who will be funding the league by himself, also recently sold $270 million worth of WWE stock in preparation of his new league starting up next year. That’s a start in the right direction that the AAF didn’t make. I wont keep posting the entire article but the AAF completely reneged on health insurance for their players (forcing them to pay for it themselves) while the XFL already has it. Perhaps the biggest reason why the XFL is different, aside from the fact it is fully funded, is that the games are accessible to nearly everyone and you don't have to jump through hoops to see them. Quote The AAF games were kind of hard to find. They rotated between CBS Sports Network, B/R Live (which had a hilarious blooper with Marvin Lewis), and NFL Network — not exactly the most accessible channels for people wanting to watch the games. The XFL has come to an agreement with ESPN and FOX Sports to televise the games on ABC, FOX, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2. There is NO comparing between the AAF and the XFL aside from they were both football leagues. The AAF was a looney bin while the XFL has been well thought out and set up to succeed. Plus the rule changes add a nice touch that the NFL can see how it works out without implementing it first, the transparency of the league/refs/replay and the up close and personal interviewing of players during the game add an entertainment factor that the NFL lacks. The XFL isn't meant to be a competitor to the NFL, it's meant to be a fun football league during the NFL off season. Edited February 18, 2020 by ILoveTheVikings 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacks98 Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I have been tuning into the Dragons there first couple of games glad to see the defense improve in the second. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y*so*blu Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 In retrospect, the AAF was a house of cards. Its situation was so precarious that just one person pulling out would cause the whole thing to collapse. In their case that person was Reggie Fowler, a major investor who was indicted on a cryptocurrency scandal. This was the main reason Polian and Ebersol had to turn over the league to Tom Dundon, and we all know what happened from there. Private financial backing is everything in the U.S. Many minor pro leagues have folded (despite football being wildly popular) because they put too many teams in markets that couldn't support them, hemorrhaged money, and didn't survive long enough to turn a profit. I'm glad we haven't seen or heard from Vince McMahon during the games, but having him behind the scenes here could make all the difference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkippyX Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 5 hours ago, ET80 said: I think the biggest reason the AAF failed is the TV deals. I mean... TruTV? I was less likely to search for Tru TV than I was to find when and where Team LeBron was playing on Sunday. (both were negative numbers) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveTheVikings Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, y*so*blu said: In retrospect, the AAF was a house of cards. Its situation was so precarious that just one person pulling out would cause the whole thing to collapse. In their case that person was Reggie Fowler, a major investor who was indicted on a cryptocurrency scandal. This was the main reason Polian and Ebersol had to turn over the league to Tom Dundon, and we all know what happened from there. Private financial backing is everything in the U.S. Many minor pro leagues have folded (despite football being wildly popular) because they put too many teams in markets that couldn't support them, hemorrhaged money, and didn't survive long enough to turn a profit. I'm glad we haven't seen or heard from Vince McMahon during the games, but having him behind the scenes here could make all the difference. As if it wasn't obvious from this thread, I just love this league because of Vince. I grew up watching wrestling and seeing Vince so involved and over the top with everything made me a life long fan. That man knows how to entertain. The first XFL was a complete and utter failure and even the biggest fanbois of it will admit to that. The worst decision was trying to somehow integrate WWE and football together... Passing it off as a violent anything goes league and letting people use ridiculous names like He Hate Me and BigDaddy69 (please don't ban, lol. SBnation did a video on YouTube about the XFL and that babe stuck in my head) were ideas that 100% would have prevented it from ever achieving success. It's abundantly clear that Vince got taken to the woodshed and given a few stone cold stunners and people's elbows because he wised up. He did his damn research and logistically has done everything right this time and put the league in a position to succeed. It's an odd thing to say because Vince has failed in so many businesses but if the XFL fails it won't be because of incompetent management. Prices are cheap, entertainment is high, exposure is great, and player/coach/referee/replay interaction is probably the best of ANY pro sports league in the USA. In order for the XFL to be a long term league they need to find a way to either attract "big name" talent (obviously not NFL starter talent but known college players) OR make games that are exciting to watch. People will care less about "talent" if the games are consistently putting up 20+ ppg. No one likes blow outs or constant low scoring games. Figure that last part out and the XFL will instantly be a long term league. They have this year and next to do that Edited February 18, 2020 by ILoveTheVikings 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y*so*blu Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 The Birmingham City Council already wants an XFL team, playing at Legion Field or the new Protective Stadium that's opening in 2021. I don't see it happening. They have some diehard fans but not the numbers to justify putting a pro team there, as we saw with the Iron in the AAF. If the XFL expands at all, it shouldn't happen for at least 2-3 years, and they should stay far away from unproven markets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y*so*blu Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Thought I should share this short feature on the inaugural game. It's an outstanding piece of work, easily the best video they've released yet. The package was produced by Ross Greenburg of Hard Knocks. Can't wait for the weekend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 On 2/18/2020 at 4:08 PM, y*so*blu said: If the XFL expands at all, it shouldn't happen for at least 2-3 years, and they should stay far away from unproven markets. Bingo. At the absolute minimum, the league should get through the two season burn they've committed to right out of the gate with the teams they currently have. Then maybe a third season, where operating income is completely dependant on in-season revenue. Then, they should look to add teams, two at a time, on a 2-3 year cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drained Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 On 2/18/2020 at 10:08 PM, y*so*blu said: The Birmingham City Council already wants an XFL team, playing at Legion Field or the new Protective Stadium that's opening in 2021. I don't see it happening. They have some diehard fans but not the numbers to justify putting a pro team there, as we saw with the Iron in the AAF. If the XFL expands at all, it shouldn't happen for at least 2-3 years, and they should stay far away from unproven markets. When McMahon starts selling teams, thats when they should expand. Allow people to buy expansion teams, give the league some more money. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET80 Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 7 minutes ago, Drained said: When McMahon starts selling teams, thats when they should expand. Allow people to buy expansion teams, give the league some more money. That's actually a pretty good idea - find worthy investors, let them buy in, use the proceeds to set up shop elsewhere. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y*so*blu Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 (edited) Latest news on ridiculously productive receiver S.J. Green: he was originally going to Seattle, but has been traded to Tampa Bay for LB Korey Toomer. So I guess he'll be moving all the way from Ontario to Florida. Makes sense; Seattle needs more help on defense than they do at WR, but the Vipers need to find a guy who can throw or it won't matter how good Green still is. So far their QB situation is a mess, and I'm starting to hear talk that Marc Trestman is already losing the locker room. Edited February 21, 2020 by y*so*blu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N4L Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Is there a place to rewatch full games? Want to prepare so I can make some $$$$ this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jrvegeeta Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 5 hours ago, y*so*blu said: Latest news on ridiculously productive receiver S.J. Green: he was originally going to Seattle, but has been traded to Tampa Bay for LB Korey Toomer. So I guess he'll be moving all the way from Ontario to Florida. Makes sense; Seattle needs more help on defense than they do at WR, but the Vipers need to find a guy who can throw or it won't matter how good Green still is. So far their QB situation is a mess, and I'm starting to hear talk that Marc Trestman is already losing the locker room. Bingo. Marc Trestman is starting the wrong QB. Flowers isn't as good as Jones, Walker, Ta'amu, or even Silvers, but he's still good enough to get them at least 4 wins this year. If they stick with Murray, they won't win a single game. McGloin might actually be worse, but the Guardians have a much better defense than the Vipers do to make up for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.