The AFL wraps up its latest season on Saturday night with the 28th ArenaBowl, concluding its first year under Commissioner Scott Butera, who expects more teams, better TV ratings and a stronger public relations push for the '16 season. The '15 season, which had 12 teams that started play in March, featured an effort to, as Butera described it, shore up a troubled balance sheet for the league. The central element was moving out the ownership groups in New Orleans and Las Vegas, whom Butera said mismanaged the franchises. This occurred in July. Butera: “We took control of those two teams, and we are either selling them or figuring out some other solution. We did not want them as a financial drain on our league.” The league recently tapped veteran media exec Ed Desser as a consultant. The league’s games are currently on ESPN and CBS Sports Network, but Butera wants better placement and more visibility and he hopes Desser will help to that end. Butera said attendance averaged about 10,000 fans per game this year, an improvement on the mid-8,000 range last year. Since peaking in the early '00s when the NFL even considered taking an equity position in the league, the AFL has been on a downward trend, declaring bankruptcy and sitting out '09. The AFL owners hired Butera, a former gaming exec, to bring some financial order to the league. Butera, specifically citing former NFL coach Dick Vermeil's recent investment in the Philadelphia Soul, said, “We have seen some positive trends. I am speaking with a dozen or more investors, quality people that are interested in the league. Next year when you look at us we will have a much higher-profile ownership group and name recognition.”
