A Detroit developer, a New York investment bank and a
pair of Boston sports execs plan to start a spring
professional football league in 12 of the country's biggest
media markets by March '98, according to David Halbfinger in
the BOSTON GLOBE. The group includes Detroit real estate
developer Bernie Glieberman, who owned a CFL team in
Shreveport, LA, and Ottawa; CS First Boston, a NY investment
house who has committed up to $40M; and Robert Caporale and
Randy Vataha, partners in the Boston consulting firm Game
Plan Inc.. Caporale and Vataha plan to "keep ticket prices
low enough to draw fans who are being squeezed out by the
NFL's growing emphasis on well-heeled buyers of club seats
and luxury boxes." Shares of the All American Football
League would eventually be sold to the public, and the AAFL
would function as a single entity. AAFL officials are "in
various stages" of lease talks with stadiums ranging from
the Rose Bowl to BU's Nickerson Field. The league is also
trying to raise $80M, "enough to absorb" a $13.4M first-
season loss. AAFL players would consist of "has-beens with
name recognition along with players cut by the NFL, passed
over in its draft, or underpaid and unhappy because of the
salary cap" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/14).
