The Failure of the AAF




When the American Alliance for Football was first announced, some were optimistic that it would survive as a developmental league for the NFL. Others thought that it might fill in the football void the NFL leaves after the Super Bowl that lasts until August, and even others believed that in-game betting would draw interest. However, when the league shut down earlier this month, no one was completely surprised.

For the past couple of years, AAF co-founders Bill Polian and Charlie Ebersol promoted it as the true minor league the NFL has always needed. They argued that the league would be a breeding ground for developing and testing new rules and finding long-shot undrafted players such as Kurt Warner and Malcolm Butler. However, it turned out that the only thing the AAF was good at was generating publicity.

The AAF folded abruptly when commissioner Tom Dundon pulled the plug and ended the experimental league before it could even finish one season after losing $70 million. This immediate termination threw everyone involved into a state of chaos; coaches and management were fired via email, players were sent bills for team-issued housing, injured players found themselves having to foot their medical bills.

Unfortunately, developmental football just doesn't work. History supports this argument, as past football leagues such as the USFL, NFL Europe, the Arena League, the United Football League, The Spring League, and the XFL have all failed to turn a profit. The AAF and all developmental football leagues are doomed to fail because the economics don't add up. Football is one of the costliest sports – it has the largest rosters, the most equipment, the most injuries, the costliest insurance, and the highest travel costs. In order for a sports league to survive, you need a compelling product, and the AAF simply doesn't have enough good quarterbacks to deliver an entertaining football experience. Thus, the league didn't make enough money, and investors had to finally pull the plug.


Source:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirkwakefield/2019/04/03/why-the-aaf-failed-before-it-started/#771575321b70
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2019/04/06/sunfoot/qXy40Fn7gWBtSmUO7AZ9lK/story.html

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 25, 2019 at 9:30 PM

    I really liked this post! I found it super interesting how even though some people predicted that the AAF would find success as a developmental league for the NFL, it still failed. Reading about the AAF reminded me of the Atlantic League that is similar to the MLB. However, this league has actually found success, different from the AAF, because the MLB has gone into partnership with them to try out rules changes and develop closer ties to make it easier to scout and sign players from the Atlantic League. So, how did the Atlantic League find success when the AAF couldn't?

    Source: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/atlantic-league-expected-to-add-robo-umps-other-changes-from-new-mlb-agreement/

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 26, 2019 at 3:32 AM

    Nice post. A great factor in which why the AAF failed was most likely the fact the league had no star players to attract fans to. Just like in the videos we watched in class, when star players went on strike due to their contract and didn't play, fans began to not show up to the games. It seems that most of the money leagues make are made off of star players. Then once you have obtained those players, you expand by adverting and marketing once you have attracted those fans.

    ReplyDelete

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