Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Leagues and Governing Bodies

Gone So Soon: A Look Back At The Alliance Of American Football

The AAF yesterday suspended operations before the end of its inaugural season. The startup league that was formed by Charlie Ebersol just over a year ago at times appeared as though it could be a suitable developmental league for the NFL. However, with another chapter now seemingly closed in the book of spring football leagues, THE DAILY takes a look back at some of the highlights and controversies the AAF endured during its short existence.

March 20, 2018: Charlie Ebersol announces plans to launch a single-entity spring football league to begin play in February '19. Ebersol's father, Dick, will be on the AAF's BOD and the league will have financial backing from The Chernin Group and Founders Fund. Bill Polian is set to run football operations. CBS Sports is already signed on as a broadcast partner.

April 7: Steve Spurrier is announced as the AAF's first coach, set to lead the Orlando franchise. Spurrier would later be joined in the coaching ranks by notable names like Mike Singletary, Mike Martz, Dennis Erickson and Rick Neuheisel.

June 20: San Antonio is announced as the AAF's final market, joining Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and San Diego as cities housing AAF teams.

September 10: MGM Resorts becomes the AAF's official sports betting partner.

September 20, 25: Names and logos of the AAF's eight teams are unveiled: the Apollos, Commanders, Express, Fleet, Hotshots, Iron, Legends and Stallions.

October 23: The AAF announces its championship game will be held at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on April 27.

January 31, 2019: Turner Sports and NFL Network sign on as broadcast partners. TNT will carry one regular-season and one playoff game, while B/R Live will carry a weekly game. NFL Net will carry two games per week.

February 9: The AAF debuts in primetime on CBS to mostly positive reviews. The regionalized coverage draws a 2.1 overnight rating. Crowd sizes are deemed a success and the league is seen as a potentially viable developmental product for the NFL.

February 18: Hurricanes Owner Tom Dundon is named AAF Chair after committing to invest up to $250M in the league. Ebersol dismisses reports that Dundon's investment was a financial bailout. Reports had surfaced about the AAF nearly missing payroll after its first week of play; Ebersol said there was an issue with the league switching payroll companies. Spurrier says an initial investor backed out, leading to Dundon's involvement.

March 6: Polian states the AAF has held informal discussions with execs from NFL teams about potentially loaning young NFL players to the AAF to be developed.

March 16: Johnny Manziel becomes the biggest name to join the AAF after the CFL deems him ineligible to play in its league. Manziel generates some excitement for the Memphis Express and the league on the whole, but some pundits compare the move to a last ditch effort to bring attention to the initiative.

March 20: The AAF moves its championship game from Las Vegas to The Star in Frisco, leading some to believe it could help strengthen the league's ties to the NFL.

March 27: Dundon says the AAF could be in danger of folding because of its inability to secure cooperation from the NFLPA on using young players from NFL rosters.

April 2: The AAF suspends operations three weeks before the end of its first regular season. Dundon cites the league's inability to survive without a formal affiliation with the NFL.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/04/03/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/AAF-Timeline.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2019/04/03/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/AAF-Timeline.aspx

CLOSE