OT: Assessing a New League, the Alliance of American Football

[oknazevad]

Because top-level NCAA football is incredibly corrupt and a total house of cards that could collapse pretty much any minute.

NCAA Men's Basketball, too, which is why the NBA is turning the G League into a real farm system minor league step-by-halting-step, as they can convince the players association to go along with it.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Because top-level NCAA football is incredibly corrupt and a total house of cards that could collapse pretty much any minute.

NCAA Men's Basketball, too, which is why the NBA is turning the G League into a real farm system minor league step-by-halting-step, as they can convince the players association to go along with it.

the NBADL NOW THE G-League grew out of the Continental Basketball Association, ok, because Miami's affiliate the Skyforce from Sioux Falls is the only vestige remaining from that league's existence

 

[BKIslandersFan]

the NBADL NOW THE G-League grew out of the Continental Basketball Association, ok, because Miami's affiliate the Skyforce from Sioux Falls is the only vestige remaining from that league's existence

Think there are others but they relocated to other cities.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Think there are others but they relocated to other cities.

Sioux Falls has always been the Skyforce, no matter what league they were in, BKI

Sioux Falls Skyforce-Wikipedia

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Sioux Falls has always been the Skyforce, no matter what league they were in, BKI

Sioux Falls Skyforce-Wikipedia

I said there are other teams along with Sioux Falls still in the league, its just that those teams, not Sioux Falls, moved to other cities.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

52 days/$70 mil lost. Oof

 

[cutchemist42]

So really....what chance does the XFL have?

Have already mentione dit but I just dont see how this league with how many competent people they said was behind this, could have such little funding behind it? I heard so much about how touted the organizers were and if this is the best that "known football" business guys can do....

Like....did it fail because of tv ratings because those were ok. Did it fail because of attendance as that was pretty bad and not sure that could be spun any other way. Did it fail because it needed a AAA modle where the parent club pays salaries?

I mean, I personally never thought they had a chance of guaranteeing the 3 year salaries plus tuition and dont know why no-one called them out more seriously on it.

 

[oknazevad]

the NBADL NOW THE G-League grew out of the Continental Basketball Association, ok, because Miami's affiliate the Skyforce from Sioux Falls is the only vestige remaining from that league's existence

Not exactly. The CBA was a separate league with an at-times contentious relationship with the NBA that was unlike the arrangements in baseball and hockey. It was more akin to the relationship between affiliated baseball and independent leagues in baseball, where the CBA ran separately from the NBA, but had a formal arrangement for signing players out of the CBA. When the NBA withdrew from that arrangement and established the NBDL (as it was originally called) because of the financial instability of the CBA, the CBA imploded and the few remaining teams applied to join the D-League. So the G League isn't a successor to the CBA, it was created to replace it with an in-house run league.

Since then the league's model has changed dramatically with the rise of single affiliates and the move away from the 10-day contract model to the assigned player model used in baseball and hockey. It's just not entirely done, as there's still reluctance from the players association to give teams too much freedom to assign players. But it's definitely the model they're moving towards. After all, it's a pretty proven model, as seen in MLB and the NHL.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Not exactly. The CBA was a separate league with an at-times contentious relationship with the NBA that was unlike the arrangements in baseball and hockey. It was more akin to the relationship between affiliated baseball and independent leagues in baseball, where the CBA ran separately from the NBA, but had a formal arrangement for signing players out of the CBA. When the NBA withdrew from that arrangement and established the NBDL (as it was originally called) because of the financial instability of the CBA, the CBA imploded and the few remaining teams applied to join the D-League. So the G League isn't a successor to the CBA, it was created to replace it with an in-house run league.

Since then the league's model has changed dramatically with the rise of single affiliates and the move away from the 10-day contract model to the assigned player model used in baseball and hockey. It's just not entirely done, as there's still reluctance from the players association to give teams too much freedom to assign players. But it's definitely the model they're moving towards. After all, it's a pretty proven model, as seen in MLB and the NHL.

Disagree with that premise, ok..... it's the same model as what the WNBA was when announced

 

[oknazevad]

On the topic of the CBA and the 10-day contract, I've often thought that if there was a minor league in football it would have to follow that sort of model, with the NFL teams signing players off of the minor league's rosters in exchange for a finder's fee. I think that's what the founders of the AAF planned to do, but the utility of a league that doesn't play an overlapping season is questionable. To a certain extent, that is how they treat the CFL, though.

 

[oknazevad]

Disagree with that premise, ok..... it's the same model as what the WNBA was when announced

Can't really disagree with the actual history. The NBA really only started the D-League because the CBA was collapsing after the disastrous ownership of Isaiah Thomas. That a few teams that survived (all but one of which has since moved) joined the D-League doesn't change the fact that the two leagues were separate enterprises that coexisted for three years.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Local radio is saying Dundon may have done all of this to get to gain ownership of the AAF’s technical infrastructure. If that’s the case, he was probably indifferent to the fate of the actual league.

Edit: they were developing a gambling app and back-end infrastructure. Dundon likely owns that now, which could potentially make the $70M price tag a bargain buy. If so, he REALLY screwed the AAF front office, to the point of almost scamming them.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

so many people running into the CFL subreddit saying the Canadian league was doomed because of this.

 

[kaiser matias]

Local radio is saying Dundon may have done all of this to get to gain ownership of the AAF’s technical infrastructure. If that’s the case, he was probably indifferent to the fate of the actual league.

Edit: they were developing a gambling app and back-end infrastructure. Dundon likely owns that now, which could potentially make the $70M price tag a bargain buy. If so, he REALLY screwed the AAF front office, to the point of almost scamming them.

That would certainly change the narrative of Dundan, going from a guy who blew $70 ($250 million some claim) to a shrewd and ruthless investor who sunk a football league to make a huge gain.

 

[cutchemist42]

Local radio is saying Dundon may have done all of this to get to gain ownership of the AAF’s technical infrastructure. If that’s the case, he was probably indifferent to the fate of the actual league.

Edit: they were developing a gambling app and back-end infrastructure. Dundon likely owns that now, which could potentially make the $70M price tag a bargain buy. If so, he REALLY screwed the AAF front office, to the point of almost scamming them.

I've heard this too, with some armchair lawyers questioning the legality of this. No detailed breakdown yet,just initial thoughts tho so look forward to seeing that story grow if there more.

I'm still surprised ratings that match what MLS gets couldn't atleast support the $4,000,000 salaries. I thought some markets would need tweaking.

 

[BigZ65]

The reasoning of access to NFL PR players is absurd. That's already the level of player they have. There's clearly a lot more at play. Having NFL PR players would do nothing for their bottom line.

 

[cutchemist42]

Darren Rovell so take it for what its worth...

AAF Suspends Football Operations: Why the League Might Be Folding After Just 8 Games | The Action Network

The AAF investment is comprised of a bunch of companies, including a tech arm, which MGM invested in. Part of the league’s original strategy was to use mobile gaming to drum up fan interest. While Dundon is said to have liked the tech component of the business and owns the entire company, sources say it would not be legal for him to shut down the league in order to strip the assets.

 

[BigZ65]

Darren Rovell so take it for what its worth...

AAF Suspends Football Operations: Why the League Might Be Folding After Just 8 Games | The Action Network

Meh, if the league can't pay it's bills from operations he can close it down with no controversy and do whatever he wants with the assets.

 

[Bookie21]

Sounds like the gaming technology Dundon acquired could turn out to be quite lucrative from what I've read today. Dundon may have hit a home run with this investment

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Yes, I heard about this a few weeks back. There was some sort of ap that Dundon could potentially profit from substantially, like over $100 million.

 

[TheLegend]

'It's unprofessional': AAF players recount confusion, disappointment in hours before league's shutdown


Was reading a Twitter thread earlier in the day where, in one instance, players who were staying in hotels returned to find all their things removed from their rooms for them to pick up.

Another team's $4 million in costs for training camp had still gone unpaid.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

'It's unprofessional': AAF players recount confusion, disappointment in hours before league's shutdown


Was reading a Twitter thread earlier in the day where, in one instance, players who were staying in hotels returned to find all their things removed from their rooms for them to pick up.

Another team's $4 million in costs for training camp had still gone unpaid.

I get why Dundon pulled out of AAF. But the way he handled it is absolutely unprofessional. You have to at least get the players back home.

 

[TheLegend]

I get why Dundon pulled out of AAF. But the way he handled it is absolutely unprofessional. You have to at least get the players back home.

Was watching a report on the news last night that the players were given a ‘bonus’ check in addition to what they got normally a week ago but did not explain to them what that extra money was for.

Apparently it was the compensation for getting them home from wherever they were.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Was watching a report on the news last night that the players were given a ‘bonus’ check in addition to what they got normally a week ago but did not explain to them what that extra money was for.

Apparently it was the compensation for getting them home from wherever they were.

Or they could have flown them back home. Don’t know why that’s so hard to organize.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Or they could have flown them back home. Don’t know why that’s so hard to organize.

Who’s going to do that when the business office is closed? They’re not going to pay someone to sit around spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on airfare, when the league has already folded. Cutting them a check was a fair way to handle it.