The All American Football League could be closing down before its first kickoff.
The AAFL released a statement early Thursday stating the six-team spring venture could be shut down until 2009 unless a new majority owner could be found — and quickly. The tone was more optimistic in a statement released late Thursday.
“The All American Football League continues to progress toward its 2008 inaugural season. The league’s CEO, Marcus Katz, stated that discussions continue with several prospective investors and that negotiations for broadcast coverage of AAFL games continue to move forward. The start of preseason training camps will be delayed briefly during this process, with the intent that the league’s games will kick off on April 12, 2008.”
Knoxville-based Team Tennessee is scheduled to play Michigan on April 12 at Neyland Stadium.
Team Tennessee president Larry Seivers is still holding out hope.
“I hope this is all just something we can laugh about as we’re kicking off April 12,” he said. “But right now, you guys know as much as I do.”
Former University of Tennessee athletic director Doug Dickey, an AAFL board of directors member, said things are in a holding pattern.
Seivers, hired by Dickey to run Team Tennessee, said he has been hearing rumors of a possible shut down all week.
“We at Tennessee are completely ready to go,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I just left my equipment guys who were going through boxes and boxes of shoulder pads, helmets, shirts, uniforms.
“Operationally, we’re ready to go. We’re just in wait-and-see mode.”
The AAFL also has teams located in Florida (Gainesville), Alabama (Birmingham), Arkansas (Fayetteville), Michigan (Detroit), Texas (Houston).
For Team Tennessee and former UT kicker James Wilhoit, the situation appears bleak.
“It’s definitely tough and it doesn’t sound promising, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens the next couple of days,” he said. “The biggest worry you have is you’ve got 60 guys who are ready to go to training camp and a lot of guys who have quit jobs and made plans for this league.
“For them to be questioning the league now, it’s obviously frustrating.”
Players were scheduled to make $50,000 for a 10-game season.
The Gainesville Sun reported Thursday that Katz has already committed $30-35 million to the league, but hasn’t guaranteed further financial support beyond March 31.
The league office Thursday press release headline stated the AAFL was “looking for a new majority owner to salvage ’08 season.”
“Since inception, the League’s finances have been indirectly tied to the $300 billion federally guaranteed student loan asset backed securities market,” the release said. “In August, the subprime mortgage crisis began spreading into other sectors such as municipal bonds and federally guaranteed student loans. The situation, which was considered to be temporary at the time, has continued to worsen.
“Despite the fact that the Federal Reserve has repeatedly lowered interest rates during this financial crisis, their efforts have not yet restored liquidity in many asset backed markets, including municipal bonds and student loans.”
The AAFL made stadium lease agreements — including $3 million to the University of Tennessee — but still had no television deal in place to broadcast games this season.
Dickey admitted ticket sales around the league have been slow, but the search for another primary sponsor is the main concern.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 42
pdparker14 writes:
Is anyone even remotely surprised by this? This was destined to be a flop from the beginning. Better they fold now before they wasted peoples money...that is if people would have watched. I know TN is a football area, especially here in Knoxville, and I myself and a huge football fan, but over the years, these things have come and gone and they never live up to the hype and they never deliver anything but boring blah nothing.
So long AAFL!
bshone#598776 writes:
I agree pdparker, but it's likely too late for wasting time and money! How many players have quit their jobs for this?
It seemed a bit fishy from the start that the players would make so much money. I wouldn't expect fan attendance to fully fund the league. They must have had signifcant funding from sponsors, but that's still not enough apparently.
agentorange writes:
I heard John Adams wants Andy Kelly fired.
bolton#214189 writes:
No TV deal - no league.
superk#226173 writes:
Tee Martin looks like a genius now. He is a budding coach/trainer that WILL make it big time in the coaching circles. Mark it down.
alfrizzle097 writes:
Not surprised. Just disappointed. The idea had potential.... they need more than six teams before they have a shot at getting a TV deal.
alfrizzle097 writes:
Not surprised. Just disappointed. The idea had potential.... they need more than six teams before they have a shot at getting a TV deal.
alfrizzle097 writes:
Not surprised. Just disappointed. The idea had potential.... they need more than six teams before they have a shot at getting a TV deal.
marc_ash#231781 writes:
I got my season ticket info in the mail for this league. Prices for seats were just WAY too high for a first year un-established league.
Would have been nice to see this league...and I actually think it may have had a following. But, least it's folded before anyone dumped any money into it.
bshone#598776 writes:
Out of curiousity, does anyone know how much players were expected to be paid?
Through word of mouth I heard $40,000. That can't be right, can it? That's a ton of money considering each roster has about 60 players.
Without doing the math, it's evident that they would need a significant amount of funds from sponsorship, because ticket/consession sales alone aren't gonna cut it. With no tv deal, it's even worse.
bordenride writes:
agentorange:
Lol, Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,
This could only degrade former players... weather they were trying gto coach or play or whaterver...
Let it go old men... it;s OVER go start a family,
take up a sport or hobby that would offer a set of challenges;
Aging is a part of life you have to let go of yesterday...
Yea that means you to sports writers...move on to other articles besides constant program and coach bashing articles that you know nothing about; cept what you see from your sedentary easy chair.....
Think about it.....
bordenride writes:
Yea I know my spelling and typing and word uasage could use some work. But I am always in a hurry. I have to work for a living,I might add.
Later, and thanks..... Go Vols!
GreerVol22 writes:
well, the XFL was a good idea too until they combined it with RAW.
My guess is the cheap plastic horns on the Alabama helmets had safety issues, thus the delay.
BillVol writes:
Why do people try to compete with the NFL? It's never going to work. Never. They may as well shut it down now so they don't have to do it after the season. What a joke.
DadwasaVol writes:
I hope they play.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
As the old trapper said when he found a skull in the spring thaw, "Sorry, lad, I never had a chance to know ye".
tennecwingrider writes:
Name any Spring Football League that has had any success or longevity. The old WFL and USFL were the closest.
NoMoreWooAfterGoodOleRockyTop writes:
Who cares...Zzzz...Zzzz
USFL? XFL?
bowerst#242774 writes:
If this venture had been able to attract a cable network (maybe the sports channel that shows reruns of last week's games games and a basketball talk show featuring senile, retired basketball coaches) it might have made it. Otherwise, the ticket prices had to be way too high.
Some people are just as interested in watching former UT players who were not quite good enough for the NFL as they are trying to pull for pro teams that kick great players to the curb when they get a half step slower, like a certain outfit in Nashburg.
GoVol writes:
Good. Hope it never gets off the ground because I don't like the fact UT contracted with them to play in Neyland stadium. Neyland should be used for only UT football IMO and should be looked at as a privilege to play there and only as a student athlete.
AIRSHIP writes:
This football league will never get off the ground especially in TENNESSEE.
AIRSHIP writes:
This football league will never get off the ground especially in TENNESSEE.
drum56 writes:
i hate for all the players that were planning on playing & for Coach Kelly.
huntined#565710 writes:
Once they leave college I am thru with them, even in pros I am a college fan only.
that is all I can afford these days
brokebackvol writes:
It's sad really - watching the players who were pretty good but just couldn't make the NFL resurrect dreams only to have them dashed again.
I'm not against Neyland Stadium being used for other sporting events, but there are two hard facts:
1. Football leagues trying to copy either college or the NFL are doomed to failure. There really isn't a market for it - no matter how slick the sales job Dickey pulls.
2. Medium markets can only support so many sports teams, and UT is going to get that sports dollar first, followed by already established sports teams.
Colliervol writes:
Nafslov, your comment about Larry Seivers is about as relevant as the one about Ray Mears. If you don't know Vol history and some of the greats of the past, you are just making yourself look silly. You can head back to the sandbox and play now. This is the sound of people laughing at you.
Colliervol writes:
Last I checked Tee played 10 years ago. How is that current or relevant? The players that graduated last year are history much less somebody that played 10 years ago. But whether they played a year ago or 50 years ago doesn't make them any less great.
Last comment, if you are too young to remember Vol greats like Seivers and Ray Mears, I have no need to converse with you. My mom told me to never get in a battle of wits with an unarmed man. It just proves too frustrating. Enjoy your myopic opinion of who is a UT great and who isn't. Nobody else agrees with you. Why should that stop you?
et_vol_fan writes:
AAFL is nothing better than the Flint Tropics. I don't see the point in guys that are 30 years-old that haven't been on a NFL roster let alone a practice squad in 4 or 5 years. We've had some good memories of some of those guys and why come back and tarnish that in any way shape or fashion?
How many people would come to see that in Neyland? 40,000 maybe? I think that I'm being generous.
weisgarber2003#313889 writes:
Posted by GoVol on March 6, 2008 at 2:12 p.m.
"Good. Hope it never gets off the ground because I don't like the fact UT contracted with them to play in Neyland stadium. Neyland should be used for only UT football."
This same Dickey who wants to use Neyland vetoed the use of Neyland a number of years ago for a proposed arena type football operation, if I remember correctly.
BillVol writes:
I don't mind NFL exhibitions or important HS games being played in Neyland. But we were lowering ourselves by letting this league play in hallowed Neyland Stadium.
Hopefully, they will not be able to get any sucker investors to back this joke.
Grim1 writes:
the USFL would have been a success IF they didn't get greedy and try to go head to head with the NFL.
The USFL did GREAT as long as they were a spring league. when they went to play in the fall...they fell.
jasvol writes:
I can't believe this 'league' got this far...
jasvol writes:
marc_ash: not to call you out but why the heck did you even request Season tix info? not only that but what idiot would even think about buying 'season' tickets.. What, you didn't think you could just walk up and buy a 50 yard line ticket? Please! I know you. Must have been a 'beer stupor minute'.
mun4life#454315 writes:
JASVOL, maybe marc ash is a big time sports fan.
jasvol writes:
mun4life: Well,Big Time sports fan! you and marc_ash can sit together at the 'game' and throw pleasantries back and forth about how easy it was to 'park and walk' and buy cracker jacks at the concessions.
tennvol writes:
jasvol: Season ticket info was sent to all UT football season ticket holders. I was amazed at what they were wanting for tickets. Way too expensive.
nafslov: Larry Seivers will always be a bigger Vol legend than Tee Martin. Tee Martin = Trent Dilfer of UT football.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Greevol 11:41 - Liked the "plastic horns on Alabama's helmets" quote.
Kinda like when they outlawed the sewing of straps onto tops of pants. Seem like the early teams (1890-1900) would throw their lightest players over the goal from 4-6 yds out.
Needless to say he was tough.
R.I.P.
volman5 writes:
qwerty6969,
The CEO Marcus Kats made all of his money (that he was funding this league with) in the student loan business. So the problems with that industry hurt the amount he was able to invest in this.
Also, someone earlier asked about how much they were going to make....the roster was going to be trimmed from 60 to 45 and 5 of those would make 100,000 and everyone else make 50,000.
It is sad for all the players that quit their jobs and moved for this. And the concept was great, just too bad that execution was poor.
GO VOLS!
givehim6 writes:
I would have liked watching a spring league. But no TV time, never mind.
twicevolalum writes:
Damn, I thought it was a good idea. I bought the super duper cheap season tickets. Hmm, I should find out about my check. However, given that I have student loans, I would never supported this if I'd realized that that the securities from guaranteed student loans was backing this league. That is what sounds weird to me.
weeman51201#369664 writes:
I can't believe all the comments I've been reading!!!! I think this is a good idea. The only things needed are sponsors and a TV deal. You can't expect to have a lot of teams to start. This league has the potential to become a spring board for future players to the NFL. We need to be encouraging people to go to these games. While the first season may not have a lot of young talent, in the coming seasons, it could. Who knows, some players that don't make it to the league right out of college could hone their skills here and make that jump. You may not like the idea but as for this football fan, I'm all for it.
weeman51201#369664 writes:
RESPONSE TO nafslov:
Your last post was totally off base. I know Larry Seivers and he is not a scam artist nor a crook. It's people like you that upset the real Vol fans like me. I think this will give good publicity to the university not to mention a little bit of revenue. I would be willing to wager that you are one of those people that don't like the Titans because you are a vols fan. You are probably one of those that think there is only room for one team in Tennessee even though the Titans and Vols aren't in competition with each other. Same as this AAFL. They won't be in competition with the Vols and could actually help some Vols that didn't make the cut.
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