A group of sports minded entrepreneurs, funded to the gills and eager to break into the world of bigtime sports, announces they’re launching a new football league. The league will play in the spring shortly after the Super Bowl, will provide opportunities for players to continue playing the game they love, and will provide fans with a fun, exciting brand of football in contrast to the stodgy, boring old NFL (No Fun League).
If it sounds familiar, it’s not just a case of déjà vu. We’ve been down this road a handful of times and the results are usually the same. The new league begins its first season with loads of interest, great crowds, and a metric butt load of media coverage. Then by week three, no one gives a you-know-what. Before you know it, teams are struggling to get 6,000 fans to show up for free kazoo night at the Enormodome.
“We know all the others failed, but this time it’s different,” they say. “You’ll see.”
Actually, this time, it might really be different.
Enter the Alliance of American Football (AAF), the newest professional football league on the scene. With hopes of capturing the hearts of American football crazies and filling the long, dismal gap of time between the Super Bowl in February and kickoff in late summer, the AAF will begin its inaugural season on February 9— one week after the Super Bowl.
The league was co-founded by Charlie Ebersol, the son of sports television legend Dick Ebersol and a talented television executive in his own right, and Bill Polian, a Pro Football Hall of Famer with four decades of front office NFL experience. Even with the battlefield that is professional football littered with the corpses of failed efforts, these two men decided it was a good time to launch a new professional football league.
Beginning with eight teams located in San Diego, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, San Antonio, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta and Orlando, the AAF raised hopeful eyebrows among potential fans when Steve Spurrier was announced as the head coach of the Orlando Apollos. Other big names followed, such as Mike Martz (San Diego Fleet), Dennis Erickson (Salt Lake Stallions), and Rick Neuheisel (Arizona Hotshots), giving the league some early credibility.
Denne historien er fra January/February 2019-utgaven av Tailgater Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January/February 2019-utgaven av Tailgater Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Food Fight In Big D!
Make plans now to witness this highpaced, multiday competition made to be watched—and tasted.
A Bicentennial Celebration-One State's History Crafted In Five Beers
Alabama breweries cooperated over five years to formulate onetime-only, annual beer releases, each tied to one of the state’s five historical capitals.
11 Things To Know About Throwing A Tailgate
Because 10 just doesn’t do it.
Roaring Good Times
It’s not just wild, predator-driven football at Penn State. State College dwells amid startling natural wonders paired with fine dining and wineries that will turn your simple getaway into a restorative escape
Heroes And Throwdowns
AS IT SIT here writing this, we received the news that Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s airplane had crashed as he was traveling with his family to the race in Bristol, Tennessee.
Aloha, Nfl!
Not Counting The Pro Bowl, It’s Been More Than 40 Years Since The Nfl Played In Hawaii. But With The Outpouring Of Fan Support This August From Islanders And Mainlanders Alike At The Preseason Cowboys Vs. Rams Game In The Aloha Stadium, You’d Wonder Why.
Suite Tailgate: Jacksonville Firm, Jaguars Transforming Aame Day Experience
In a quest to improve the fan experience, the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars partnered with Jacksonville-area startup party suite to test the company’s new portable entertainment dwelling, the party suite.
The Tailgate Quest
IN SEPTEMBER OF 2004, I DESCENDED UPON THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION TO CATCH THREE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE GAMES IN THREE DAYS.
Irish Coffee & Winter Warmers
Irish Coffee & Winter Warmers
Tailgating Trucks To Make You Drool
Trucks Built To Climb Snow-packed Mountains And Tailgates That Open Six Different Ways, The Detroit Auto Show Is A Mouth-dropping, Eye-opening Experience.
