What the hell is this??

[Shooter McGav1n]

Websites and press releases are cheap. Wait until the shovel is in the ground, so to speak, before getting worked up about this, Freedom, Pac Pro, etc.

The Freedom Football League isn't happening. In fact, Marshawn Lynch stole one of the Freedom Football League teams, the Oakland Panthers and placed them in the Indoor Football League.

As for the sport of Arena Football itself, the sport is a joke, not because of the actual game, but because of the number of leagues. There are 6 leagues: AFL, IFL, NAL, AAL, CIF and AWFC and likely with at least two more coming in 2020, increasing the number to 8. This makes the sport a joke as there only needs to be two leagues at the most: one with Arena rules and one with indoor rules, which are different. Instead there are 8 leagues because of the fact that all of these leagues want to be the alpha male of the sport. The sport is a disgrace and an embarrassment to football because of all of these leagues.

I feel like it would be cool, and might draw some more attention, if these leagues were regional and all got together for an arena league playoff at the end of the season.

[GDAWG]

At most there should be two leagues, one arena and one indoor due to the different rules.

Why?

Because it would be complicated if they went with one set of rules. It's like if the CFL were forced to go with NFL rules, it would get complicated.

[Firecop]

Indoor football is great for small to medium cities that could never support an NFL - type team. They have been very successful in some places such as Sioux Falls , SD and Billings, MT. They stay regional because of the high cost of travel and limited revenues available with smaller venues. It can be great fun as long as you understand it is a different game.

[Tank55]

Because it would be complicated if they went with one set of rules. It's like if the CFL were forced to go with NFL rules, it would get complicated.

I'm asking why it's important that there only be one league for each code. Beyond keeping things neat and tidy for the OCD amongst us.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

I'm not following how a fractured landscape makes the sport a disgrace.

Too many egos and the unwillingness of the leagues to work together or even merge. At most there should be two leagues, one arena and one indoor due to the different rules.

They're not substantially different rules. The only difference between "arena" and indoor is that "arena" had a patent (now expired) on the rebound nets. The bigger difference is pay: most indoor leagues pay $200 or less per game. Arena is at least pro-level though I lost track of how much they're paying these days.

Thus, because the indoor leagues pay so little, they can't really play a national schedule because travel expenses are too high. The indoor leagues try to get too big and they end up breaking apart.

All of the leagues you mentioned upthread play in different parts of the country. NAL is East Coast. In fact, it was largely set up because the IFL, which is mostly midwest and southwest (because they took the Arizona Rattlers), wouldn't take in a team from Jacksonville after they got the boot from the Arena league, so the Jacksonville owner partnered with a small-market team in Columbus, GA to start an East Coast league. CIF is also midwest but a little further south; they and the IFL have fought over teams. AWFC is Pacific Northwest. AAL is for teams too small for the NAL, but they're also East Coast.

Most of the leagues have tried to have national or near-national footprints. The IFL tried that. They were up to over 20 teams at one point... then they shrunk back down. The now-defunct SIFL spanned from Texas to Pennsylvania at one point before it collapsed.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

As for the NGL, they were supposedly going to start up last year. They never did. My suspicion is that they're one of those paper leagues that never gets off the ground.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

Websites and press releases are cheap. Wait until the shovel is in the ground, so to speak, before getting worked up about this, Freedom, Pac Pro, etc.

The Freedom Football League isn't happening. In fact, Marshawn Lynch stole one of the Freedom Football League teams, the Oakland Panthers and placed them in the Indoor Football League.

Speaking of the Oakland Panthers... a couple of interesting hires there. One, Scott McKibben, who was on the Coliseum board and was negotiating with the Raiders this offseason, is one of the co-owners with Lynch.

The other is that they hired A-11 offensive guru Kurt Bryan as their head coach.

[Joker]

These leagues cost millions to get off the ground. The AAF had "investors." Look what happened there.

At least the XFL has a solid investor and a great TV deal. However, I don't think we know how much money the league can make from the TV deal.

[Sounder]

When I talk about investor/operators..... I'm talking more about the MLS structure of operators at the local levels.... call them owners if you want..... not the fly by night investor(s) the aaf saw..... but honest to goodness business men or even former pro athletes willing to put dollars down on pro football and let the investment go where it does. Ad buyers are expressing positivity with prospects of the league's performance which is good news .....so the XFL is impressing the right people. It's nice that Vince the billionaire is going it alone for now and that's what's needed now.... and for this, it's the right way to go to start..... you'll be able to show your potential investors what they're buying..... hopefully, the reality lives up to the hype.... now it has to because you can't sell speculation anymore.

[steinerfhc]

Websites and press releases are cheap. Wait until the shovel is in the ground, so to speak, before getting worked up about this, Freedom, Pac Pro, etc.

The Freedom Football League isn't happening. In fact, Marshawn Lynch stole one of the Freedom Football League teams, the Oakland Panthers and placed them in the Indoor Football League.

As for the sport of Arena Football itself, the sport is a joke, not because of the actual game, but because of the number of leagues. There are 6 leagues: AFL, IFL, NAL, AAL, CIF and AWFC and likely with at least two more coming in 2020, increasing the number to 8. This makes the sport a joke as there only needs to be two leagues at the most: one with Arena rules and one with indoor rules, which are different. Instead there are 8 leagues because of the fact that all of these leagues want to be the alpha male of the sport. The sport is a disgrace and an embarrassment to football because of all of these leagues.

I feel like it would be cool, and might draw some more attention, if these leagues were regional and all got together for an arena league playoff at the end of the season.

The biggest issue with Arena football beyond the several leagues is a lot of them don't last. Mostly they franchise the teams and the owners don't have the capital. To get passed one season. The league itself don't have the capital to do the same. So when you see a bunch of leagues come and going faster than we change socks. Doesn't help the overall image for the sport. Even if there are the leagues that have lasted.