Dundon makes investment in new Alliance of American Football

[BigZ65]

So he wants to be a lower payroll team when it comes to the NHL, but he'll toss 250m$ at the AAF?

Doesn't sound like it's $250 million liquid.

 

[BigZ65]

So sort of - quasi AAA NBA D-league then. That'd be smart.

Let's be honest. If it was financially viable the NFL would have done it 10 years ago.

 

[Dale Gribble]

Regardless, this dude is starting to become very irritating. Good on him for this though.

Agreed.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

There was an article where it was reported he "Ordered" Montreal to wear their Whites. Forget the name of the publisher.

Well, if someone tried floating that claim as reality they were patently wrong. Dundon has no power to "order" any other team to do anything that contradicts league rules or league policy, and anyone who believes he can must also believe that same power rests on the hands of the other 30 teams.

And trust me, if Dundon tried ordering any other team to do something the phrase "go f*** yourself" would probably be one of the nicer things he heard in response.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Agreed.

I'm actually surprised at how many times wear their whites just to appease him.

Why? It doesn't hurt anything.

Oh, I know, it looks weird, only the home teams are supposed to wear their colored jerseys, whites are for the road team. It was every bit of 10 years ago here that people were still upset about the switch of home teams wearing white and how Bettman was running yet another hockey "tradition." Because apparently about 30 years of "home wears white" that started because of TV made for more "tradition" than the 40 or so years prior when roads teams wore white.

It's not that big a deal. Like I said, if it was, teams would [and do] say no. If your hockey watching experience is ruined because of the color jersey your team is wearing that night, you have issues.

 

[Dale Gribble]

Why? It doesn't hurt anything.

Oh, I know, it looks weird, only the home teams are supposed to wear their colored jerseys, whites are for the road team. It was every bit of 10 years ago here that people were still upset about the switch of home teams wearing white and how Bettman was running yet another hockey "tradition." Because apparently about 30 years of "home wears white" that started because of TV made for more "tradition" than the 40 or so years prior when roads teams wore white.

It's not that big a deal. Like I said, if it was, teams would [and do] say no. If your hockey watching experience is ruined because of the color jersey your team is wearing that night, you have issues.

Not sure what you're getting so uptight about. Dundon's trying to re-invent the wheel in the NHL it seems, and it's pretty humorous and sad to watch. He dislikes his team's white jerseys, so he pleads with other teams to wear theirs. Then, this whole celebration thing, it's gimmicky and tacky.

As for the jersey thing - local fans like the dark/colour jerseys, it's been this way for a long time in sports.

 

[Negan4Coach]

Fake News comes to the sports world. Huzzah!

What's next ? "Dundon orders private jets with Montreal tail numbers to fly to Raleigh"

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Not sure what you're getting so uptight about. Dundon's trying to re-invent the wheel in the NHL it seems, and it's pretty humorous and sad to watch. He dislikes his team's white jerseys, so he pleads with other teams to wear theirs. Then, this whole celebration thing, it's gimmicky and tacky.

And I'm the one that's uptight?

As for the jersey thing - local fans like the dark/colour jerseys, it's been this way for a long time in sports.

I can assure you, that's a recent [less than 10 years] development. Even now, you still have pockets of fans who, in the list of "things you would change about the NHL today" still bring up "home teams should wear white jerseys."

 

[TOGuy14]

There was an article where it was reported he "Ordered" Montreal to wear their Whites. Forget the name of the publisher.

The idea that the brand new owner of the piddly Hurricanes could order a franchise like the Habs to do anything is laughable.

 

[Slashers98]

How is this a hockey-related news?

 

[sandysan]

How is this a hockey-related news?

because he owns the hurricanes ? and is now the chairman of the AAF with 250 million sunk into it ? if the AAF goes south, his money likely goes with it which could affect the canes.

 

[mouser]

I highly doubt he wrote a check for $250m.

I would assume his taking control of the AAF involves conditional commitments to future investments/backing over an extended period of time.

 

[madhi19]

He didn't "order the Habs" to do anything. He put in a request asking if his team could wear its red jerseys and the Canadiens wear their white jerseys; Montreal said OK and the NHL approved it.

And yes, Montreal could have told him no. Kind of like other teams have done with the same request.

Happen a couple of times already this season frankly as a Habs fan I think ownership need to grow a spine and tell them to go to hell.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

did you ever stop and think that maybe the habs ownership wanted the opportunity to play in their away jerseys at home?

 

[kaiser matias]

The part about players not receiving their paycheck due to moving to a new pay system screams BS . It's the type of things you hear about from established US leagues years after they've made it in a historical documentary, where some old-timer goes on about "Can you believe this from where we are today? Man things were so bad we almost folded week 2 we seriously didn't have money to pay guys "

You are aware that exact thing happened with the Canadian federal government a couple years ago, the fallout of which is still being felt.

 

[PCSPounder]

I'm finding a lot more accuracy in media by NOT believing billionaires these days.

I'm siding with The Athletic here. People overestimate "football" and underestimate "NFL" and "major college football" on the regular, and a lot of money gets thrown away because of it.

OTOH... Dundon is doing the right thing in Carolina. The world of 2019 is throwing out a quite loud "Lighten Up, Francis" at the Don Cherry acolytes these days, and for reasons.

 

[Mightygoose]

Hopefully Dundon's investment can give the league the ability to buy insurance to cover the league.

AAF Team Orlando Apollos Will Practice In Georgia Due To Workers Comp Laws

"According to AAF officials, other more established professional leagues who have teams in the state — such as the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball — have all managed to find insurance companies that will insure their entire leagues. The AAF, because it is start-up league in the perilously dangerous sport of football, has been unable to locate a company that will insure all eight teams in the league."

The Orlando Apollos have to practice in Georgia due to state laws apparently don't include pro sports for workers compensation.

What happens if someone gets injured during a Apollos home game? Are only 7 teams covered?

 

[PCSPounder]

BTW... Dundon is saying he has $250 million to help this league along. That doesn't mean he's going to spend it.

I trust you realize the issue here. Payroll isn't $250 million. The confidence needed to keep partners and sponsors from bailing required perhaps that much to be uttered as available.

Now, will there be a 2nd season?

 

[RodTheBawd]

Why? It doesn't hurt anything.

Oh, I know, it looks weird, only the home teams are supposed to wear their colored jerseys, whites are for the road team. It was every bit of 10 years ago here that people were still upset about the switch of home teams wearing white and how Bettman was running yet another hockey "tradition." Because apparently about 30 years of "home wears white" that started because of TV made for more "tradition" than the 40 or so years prior when roads teams wore white.

It's not that big a deal. Like I said, if it was, teams would [and do] say no. If your hockey watching experience is ruined because of the color jersey your team is wearing that night, you have issues.

Save your breath (fingers?). People are looking for any angle to hate on the guy for upsetting the apple cart a bit.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

What are the factors that makes minor league hockey, baseball or hell soccer, work better than football?

 

[BigZ65]

What are the factors that makes minor league hockey, baseball or hell soccer, work better than football?

Unaffiliated minor leagues generally don't do well with a few exceptions. Big leagues underwriting minor leagues accounts for a lot of it. The fact those leagues supply players willing to play for basically nothing for a shot at the big leagues helps. Football being what it is you don't see many leagues operating that pay nothing like you see in baseball. Football also only provides a handful of home dates in a season. If it's a league relying on gate you need a pretty big crowd. A minor league baseball team could play 45 home games and draw 160,000 at a touch above 3500 per game. A football team hosting 8 home games would have to draw 20,000 per to hit 160,000.

 

[PCSPounder]

Unaffiliated minor leagues generally don't do well with a few exceptions. Big leagues underwriting minor leagues accounts for a lot of it. The fact those leagues supply players willing to play for basically nothing for a shot at the big leagues helps. Football being what it is you don't see many leagues operating that pay nothing like you see in baseball. Football also only provides a handful of home dates in a season. If it's a league relying on gate you need a pretty big crowd. A minor league baseball team could play 45 home games and draw 160,000 at a touch above 3500 per game. A football team hosting 8 home games would have to draw 20,000 per to hit 160,000.

Add insurance... which, for football, is getting to be close to impossible.

So when someone wants to make money from all this, that's why tickets in Arizona (as an example) are mostly over $50 a pop.

 

[Jeffrey93]

Believe the league that they aren't struggling to meet payroll?

Does anyone believe there are 20,000 (as AAF reported) at this game?

 

[Llama19]

Believe the league that they aren't struggling to meet payroll?

Does anyone believe there are 20,000 (as AAF reported) at this game?

20,000 tickets distributed...

 

[oknazevad]

A big part of the reason minor league football hasn't worked compared to baseball, hockey, basketball and even soccer is the short length of the season and that teams only play once a week. There's just too little time to really work call-up into the season. An off-season league might work, though the fact that no spring league has ever lasted is a strike against it.

But the one thing to realize is that the NFL is by far the least gate-dependent of the major sports leagues. The recent release of older tax documents from the Chiefs essentially shows that all of an NFL teams costs are covered by each teams' share of TV fees and merchandise sales. Essentially, the NFL is a TV show with a paid live audience.

The AAF doesn't have that. Not yet, anyway. That said, they do have some TV rights fees coming in. Including from the NFL themselves for the NFL Network. That implicit endorsement might be the one thing that keeps the league alive. The NFL Network can use live programming in the off season, and the AAF gives them that, while also allowing NFL teams a place to draw players from. The fact that the AAF has mostly unique cities also indicates a healthier long-term relationship between the leagues, as they aren't seen as competition. (I am frankly surprised that Atlanta and Arizona have AAF teams. I'd almost expect them to move before season two. If the XFL hadn't jumped in there, I would have figure St Louis would have been a likely city.