Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Forum for XFL fans to discuss the Alliance of American Football.
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Andibald
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Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by Andibald »

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ ... 87922002/
The first-year Alliance of American Football's inability to secure cooperation from the NFL Players' Association to use young players from NFL rosters has put the AAF in danger of folding, Tom Dundon, the league's majority owner, told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.

"If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league," said Dundon, who invested $250 million into the league in February. "We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league."

The NFLPA had no official response to the accusations that their lack of cooperation is prompting the AAF to fold.

However, a players' union official did express serious concerns about the risks of lending active NFL players to the AAF. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue.
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Looks like the 2020 XFL champion may be 2-3 seconds short of playing a full season :?
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by SamTheRam28 »

Andibald wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:59 pm https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ ... 87922002/
The first-year Alliance of American Football's inability to secure cooperation from the NFL Players' Association to use young players from NFL rosters has put the AAF in danger of folding, Tom Dundon, the league's majority owner, told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.

"If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league," said Dundon, who invested $250 million into the league in February. "We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league."

The NFLPA had no official response to the accusations that their lack of cooperation is prompting the AAF to fold.

However, a players' union official did express serious concerns about the risks of lending active NFL players to the AAF. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue.
That's huge. Counting on NFL to get involved after they lost all that money on NFL Europe seems very bold.
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SamTheRam28
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by SamTheRam28 »

We've all been saying the whole time that the economics of this league make no sense without the NFL, and now they've said it themselves. From an NFL standpoint, it would make no sense to lend players to AAF. Maybe they should've thought of ways to make money without NFL.
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by Tank55 »

Another vile XFL propaganda plot, surely.
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by steinerfhc »

I feel the AAF didn't think a lot of things through. Not as much as they wanted us to believe. From announcement they seemed rushed, which reminds me of the first XFL. Trying to hurry up and get this going before they had everything lined up. If they wanted to be the minor league system with the NFL, maybe should had that in some kind of deal before they started. If the NFL didn't want to, they could planned around it. The big thing is they should worried only on how they look to make money, put on a good product, and sell tickets. None of these things seemed to be happening. Only a few AAF teams have been good overall. If this fold, this only helps the XFL having free range to the good talent. The mistake is they went to much into the ex NFL players and didn't seem to look into the collage undrafted very deep.

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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by XFL_FAN »

The quote from Dundon kind of seems like a request to the NFL. Like he's saying "You want a minor league NFL? Then help us out, because we're in a bad place." Hopefully the NFL will try to help out. AAF spring football is better than no spring football.
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SamTheRam28
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by SamTheRam28 »

XFL_FAN wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:49 pm The quote from Dundon kind of seems like a request to the NFL. Like he's saying "You want a minor league NFL? Then help us out, because we're in a bad place." Hopefully the NFL will try to help out. AAF spring football is better than no spring football.
NFL won't help out barring a miracle. AAF has no leverage (with XFL coming next year) and a terrible business model. This seems like a desperate attempt to get some cash out of the NFL.
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Andibald
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by Andibald »

XFL_FAN wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:49 pm The quote from Dundon kind of seems like a request to the NFL. Like he's saying "You want a minor league NFL? Then help us out, because we're in a bad place." Hopefully the NFL will try to help out. AAF spring football is better than no spring football.
Don't forget about the XFL. They start up next year :) .

The NFL helping out the AAF will be the nail in the coffin for me. My AAF excitement is on life support as it is. I never could really buy into the league because of the "NFL minor league" feeling it gave me. Now it's more than a feeling. Rugby and the IFL will get me through this spring and I'll be ready to go all in with the XFL next year!
It's gettin' hot in here...and we about to burn 'em up!

Looks like the 2020 XFL champion may be 2-3 seconds short of playing a full season :?
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by steinerfhc »

SamTheRam28 wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 4:11 pm
XFL_FAN wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:49 pm The quote from Dundon kind of seems like a request to the NFL. Like he's saying "You want a minor league NFL? Then help us out, because we're in a bad place." Hopefully the NFL will try to help out. AAF spring football is better than no spring football.
NFL won't help out barring a miracle. AAF has no leverage (with XFL coming next year) and a terrible business model. This seems like a desperate attempt to get some cash out of the NFL.
I think this is why I think and hope the XFL works out because they seemed to be more focused on being a stand alone and should because of that have a much better business model in being prepared to work as just that. If the AAF goes, all it does it give the XFL more opinions for talent. At first I was all excited about the AAF because comparing the league press conferences. Vince gave little info and the AAF had all kind of things. It seems now we are seeing how little the AAF had together and maybe the extra year the XFL took could be the long term proven to be smart and less rushed, that's what I am seeing now the AAF rushed into it to more try and beat the XFL and they seemed to beaten only themselves with poor planning. Best hope the XFL took a lot of notes on the mistakes and not repeat them.
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Re: Majority investor: Alliance of American Football in danger of being discontinued without NFLPA help

Post by MikeMitchell »

youngorst wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:55 pm None of this is even remotely surprising. The AAF's entire business plan depended on convincing the NFL to pay their bills.
Right on the mark.

That’s the entire game. The business model is flawed as a stand alone. No money from gambling, fantasy, sponsors, attendance, merchandising, technology etc etc etc

The whole league is one big infomercial/buyer showcase to get the NFL to pick up the tab and absorb all the costs.
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