Alliance of American Football

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Alliance of American Football

sport American football
abbreviation AAF
League foundation 20th March 2018
League dissolution 17th April 2019
Teams 8th
Country countries United StatesUnited States United States
TV partner CBS , NFL Network , Turner Sports
Website aaf.com

The Alliance of American Football ( AAF ) was an eight-team American professional league in American football founded by Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian . Game operations began on February 9, 2019, a week after Super Bowl LIII , the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). On April 2, 2019, the game was suspended, and the AAF was officially dissolved on April 17, 2019.

history

founding

Charlie Ebersol , son of XFL co- founder Dick Ebersol , shot a documentary about the XFL in 2016 for the ESPN documentary series 30 for 30 . While filming This Was the XFL , he saw potential in a spring football league product, but saw the XFL as just one bad product that had not taken advantage of the opportunities. Ebersol began with Bill Polian to recruit AAF executives and analyze other former professional leagues. Ebersol's goal was not to reinvent football, but to weed out the bad. He also intended to make the game faster. As a guideline, he gave a playing time of less than 150 minutes. In March 2018, shortly after the announcement of a reactivation of the XFL for 2020, Ebersol announced the formation of the AAF. He named February 9, 2019 as the start date. At the same time, unlike the XFL, a first media plan with CBS as the main partner was announced.

By June 30, 2018, the AAF had the first 100 players under contract. To further select players, the AAF held three scouting combines in August 2018. At the end of August 2018, the AAF had over 200 players under contract. In September 2018, the names and logos of the AAF teams were finally presented.

First season

The fixtures for the first season of the AAF were published in mid-October 2018. After quarterback skill training camps were held at the Alamodome in San Antonio in mid-November , the build-up of the team began at the end of November with the “Protect or Pick” quarterback draft .

The season began on February 9, 2019. Kicker Younghoe Koo from Atlanta Legends could get the first points in the history of the AAF with a 38-yard field goal. One day later, the Birmingham Iron managed the first shutout in league history with 26-0 against the Memphis Express . On April 2, 2019, the AAF announced that it would cease gaming operations. The reason for this was failed negotiations with the National Football League Players Association , which made the AAF the official development league of the NFL. These negotiations were conducted at an early stage. Ebersol had originally planned to enter into an agreement with the NFL after three years. Subsequently, league president Tom Dundon withdrew further financial investments from the AAF, whereby the financial burdens exceeded the possibilities, which led to bankruptcy and ended in the subsequent early dissolution of the AAF.

Teams

Teams 2019 Eastern Division Western Division00Red pog.svg00Blue pog.svg

The AAF consisted of eight centrally managed teams, all of which - with the exception of Salt Lake City - are based in cities at or south of the 35th parallel . The reason for this was that the NFL is not yet as strongly represented in this area, football is very popular and many cities already had an NFL team in the past or have been competing for one for a long time. In addition, all teams (with the exception of Birmingham ) were located in metropolitan areas in which at least one sports franchise exists in one of the "big" US sports. No NFL team is currently based in six of the eight markets.

team City / region Stadion capacity First season Head coach
Eastern Division
Atlanta Legends Atlanta , Georgia Georgia State Stadium 25,000 2019 Kevin Coyle
Birmingham Iron Birmingham , Alabama Legion Field 71,594 Tim Lewis
Memphis Express Memphis , Tennessee Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 58,325 Mike Singletary
Orlando Apollos Orlando , Florida Spectrum Stadium 44.206 Steve Spurrier
Western Division
Arizona hotshots Tempe , Arizona Sun Devil Stadium 57,078 2019 Rick Neuheisel
Salt Lake Stallions Salt Lake City , Utah Rice-Eccles Stadium 45,807 Dennis Erickson
San Antonio Commanders San Antonio , Texas Alamodome 64,000 Mike Riley
San Diego Fleet San Diego , California SDCCU Stadium 70,561 Mike Martz

Set of rules

The AAF's rulebook was based on that of the National Football League , but there were some differences. So there was no point after touchdown , instead the teams had to try a two-point conversion . The kickoffs were also abolished, instead a team automatically started at its own 25-yard line. An onside kick was replaced by a 4th & 12 situation from your own 28-yard line. These attempts were only allowed if they were behind within the last 5 minutes or at least 17 points. If a team wanted to remain in possession of the ball after a safety , they had the opportunity to score 12 yards from their own 18-yard line within a down in order to remain in possession.

Another change was the time between turns was 35 seconds instead of 40 seconds. In the event of a tie after the end of regular time, both teams received an attack from the opposing 10-yard line. If there was still a tie after the attacks of both teams, the game ended in a draw. Field goals were not allowed in overtime.

Further differences resulted from the introduction of an eighth referee, the Sky Judge , who, on the basis of the video material, pointed out any overlooked rule violations. In addition, the Pass Rush was limited to a maximum of five players. These players were allowed to be a maximum of five yards from the line of scrimmage and a maximum of two yards outside the extreme offensive lineman . Any player who lined up on the line of scrimmage in this area before or during the snap was automatically counted among these five people, regardless of whether he actually rushed or not. There are exceptions for play-action and run-pass option moves. Violation of this rule resulted in a 15-yard penalty for illegal defense . The reason for the introduction of the illegal defense was the intention of the league to be able to offer point-rich games.

Season course

General

The AAF season began with the month-long training camps where all teams train in one place - in 2019 it was San Antonio . After a preseason game per team, the 75-man squad was trimmed to 52. The AAF regular season began a week after the Super Bowl . It should have run for ten weeks in which a total of forty games should have been played. A team should play one home and one away game against each team in its own division and one game against all four teams in the other division. Then the two best teams in each division should play off the division win in the play-offs. The respective winners should finally play the championship in the AAF Championship Game in Las Vegas .

Statistics 2019

Games
Hotshots Legends Iron express Apollos Stallions Commanders Fleet
Arizona hotshots 11:14 - 38:22 25:29 32:15
Atlanta Legends 12:28 23:20 6:36 - 6:37
Birmingham Iron 17: 9 26: 0 14:31 12: 9 11:12
Memphis Express 18:20 - 31:25 OT 31:34 26:23
Orlando Apollos 17:22 40: 6 - 21:17 -
Salt Lake Stallions 23:15 22: 9 11:20 - 8: 3
San Antonio Commanders 6:23 - 29:37 19:15 15: 6
San Diego Fleet - 24:12 29:32 27:25 31:11
Eastern Division
team Sp. S. N U SQ P + P− Diff. CONF series
1. Orlando Apollos 8th 7th 1 0 .875 236 136 +100 5−0 2S
2. Birmingham Iron 8th 5 3 0 .625 165 133 + 032 3−2 1S
3. Memphis Express 8th 2 6th 0 .250 152 194 - 042 1−4 1N
4th Atlanta Legends 8th 2 6th 0 .250 088 213 −125 1−4 3N
Western Division
team Sp. S. N U SQ P + P− Diff. CONF series
1. San Antonio Commanders 8th 5 3 0 .625 158 154 + 004 3−2 1N
2. Arizona hotshots 8th 5 3 0 .625 186 144 + 042 3−2 3S
3. San Diego Fleet 8th 3 5 0 .375 158 161 - 003 2−3 3N
4th Salt Lake Stallions 8th 3 5 0 .375 135 143 - 008 2−3 1S

Legend:

Sp. Completed games S iege N iederlagen U nentschieden SQ win rate
P + points scored P− opposing points Diff. Point difference CONF Win / lose ratio within the division Series Won / lost games in a row

People and salaries

Each AAF team had a 52-person cadre. Before the start of the season, this comprised 75 players. All players regardless of their position were awarded a three-year, non-guaranteed $ 250,000 contract. It was also possible to receive bonuses. These were paid out either on the basis of team performance - for example, all defense players received a bonus because their team allowed the fewest points - or on the basis of individual performance in their community or on social media. In addition, all players received health insurance and an educational grant.

The players were assigned using a point system. Each team was also assigned regional colleges, NFL and CFL teams, to whose ex-players they have exclusive rights. The exception here were the quarterbacks , which were selected via a draft . The aim was to keep the regionally known players in the region in order to bind the fans to the local AAF teams. Players who have not played on an NFL or CFL team and have not belonged to an assigned college can sign with any team. All player contracts also contained a clause that allowed players to leave the AAF in the event of an NFL contract offer.

Each team also has 11 to 13 trainers. The head coaches earned around $ 500,000, coordinators between $ 200,000 and $ 250,000, and position coaches between $ 75,000 and $ 150,000. The salaries were below those of the NFL or the highest college level for the respective position. In total, the league used around 2 million US dollars per team on coaching salaries.

The AAF also had 85 arbitrators under contract. 30 of these were part of the NFL Official Development Program (German: NFL referee development program).

Broadcast rights

With the announcement of the formation, the AAF announced an agreement with CBS Sports . This stipulated that CBS would broadcast both the AAF's opening game and the championship game. In addition, a weekly game was broadcast exclusively on the CBS Sports Network . All other games were also offered to stream for free in the AAF app.

In January 2019, the AAF announced further rights assignments. TNT should have broadcast two games per season, one in the regular season and one play-off game. TNT-owned B / R Live received the rights to one game (beginning February 23, 2019) and the NFL Network for two games per week. Furthermore, SiriusXM transmission rights were sold in February 2019 , without, however, publishing a fixed transmission schedule .

Economic

The AAF tried to be attractive to viewers by offering cheap ticket prices of less than $ 50. It also aimed to win over gamblers through rapid technology and the increasing legalization of sports betting. AAF was able to win over the gaming and entertainment company MGM Resorts International , the venture capital company Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and the media company Chernin Group as investors . MGM also signed a three-year contract with AAF, which made them their official betting partner and gave them exclusive rights to in-game betting. The AAF became the first major sports organization to issue exclusive rights for in-game betting.

As a uniform manufacturer and merchandising partner, you could sign a contract for several years with the G-III Apparel Group for the Starter brand . Ten days after the league started, AAF received a $ 250 million investment from Tom Dundon , owner of the NHL team Carolina Hurricanes . Dundon was also named chairman of the league's board of directors. The investment was made on a weekly basis, so that not the full amount actually ended up in the league. By the time the game was suspended, Dundon had put a total of 70 million US dollars into the AAF.

Due to the high player salaries by 104 million US dollars , the low ticket prices and the absence of TV timeouts for advertising the long-term viability of AAF was questioned early. Ebersol had only calculated profits after seven to ten years of gaming.

After the game was stopped on April 2, the AAF filed for bankruptcy on April 18, 2019 and announced the dissolution of the league. The main reason for the bankruptcy should have been failed negotiations by Dundon about the availability of NFL players in the AAF.

criticism

The AAF was viewed critically from the perspective of the Canadian Football League (CFL). American players would be withdrawn from the CFL, as they only have to play ten instead of eighteen games per season for about the same salary and can stay in their home country.

In terms of sport, the AAF was moderately received. Above all, the new rule changes and the live commentary on video evidence by the Replay Official himself were praised . This would have made the game faster and the league more transparent. However, the sporting level was seen more between Group of Five football and NFL preseason games.

In the opening game of the league, the AAF was able to achieve the second-best odds overall and the best odds in the advertising-relevant target group . It outperformed a National Basketball Association (NBA) broadcast but fell short of a rerun of America's Got Talent in overall viewership.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d AAF files for bankruptcy, officially closes down. USA Today , April 17, 2019, accessed April 18, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b XFL documentary maker plans new football league. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c d AAF 2019: How the new Alliance of American Football stands out in a growing pro football landscape. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Former CFLers among first players to sign with the Alliance of American Football League. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  5. ^ Alliance of American Football hosting scouting combine for players. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  6. ^ Zach Mettenberger and Antonio Andrews reunite in new pro league. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  7. ^ Alliance of American Football reveals team names, logos with kickoff drawing near. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  8. ^ Alliance of American Football schedule released for Arizona Hotshots, other 7 teams. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  9. ^ Alliance of American Football league to hold 'Protect or Pick' quarterback draft. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  10. ↑ AAF Week 1 scores, highlights: Spurrier calls 'Philly Special' for TD, Orlando and San Antonio win openers. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  11. ↑ B'ham Iron defense shuts out Memphis in AAF debut win. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  12. ^ A b AAF Suspends Football Operations: Why the League Might Be Folding After Just 8 Games. Retrieved April 3, 2019 .
  13. ^ Alliance of American Football: Everything you need to know before it begins. Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  14. ↑ a b The AAF makes successful debut as NFL's spring league - but will it last? Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  15. ↑ CBSSports.com: LOOK: Here's a full list of team names and logos from the Alliance of American Football. September 25, 2018, accessed February 11, 2019 .
  16. ↑ CBSSports.com: Alliance of American Football QB Draft: Aaron Murray, Christian Hackenberg highlight QBs taken in AAF event. November 28, 2018, accessed February 11, 2019 .
  17. ^ A b Alliance of American Football rules: What's different from the NFL? Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  18. ↑ a b c Sky judge and the rules of tomorrow: A look at the AAF's notable rule differences. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  19. ^ AAF Rules: What Is the Difference in NFL vs. the Alliance of American Football? Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
  20. ↑ a b AAF sets date for training camps. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Evaluating the QBs of all 8 AAF teams. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Alliance of American Football unveils 2019 schedule, features Steve Spurrier coaching in opener. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  23. ↑ Birmingham Iron's 10-game schedule starts Feb. 10 at Legion Field. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  24. ↑ 2019 AAF standings: Here's a look at how all the teams stack up in both divisions. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  25. ^ A b Alliance of American Football aims to be first-rate in offering second chances. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  26. ^ Alliance of American Football releases salary details. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  27. ^ Packers named affiliate for AAF's Salt Lake Stallions. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  28. ↑ Sources: AAF coaching salaries are better than you might think. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  29. ^ Relationship between AAF and NFL grows but there's no investment yet. Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  30. ↑ New Pro Football League Sets 2019 Debut With CBS Sports Pact. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  31. ^ Alliance Of American Football Signs Deals With Turner, NFL Net. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  32. ↑ SiriusXM wants air AAF games. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  33. ^ A b The New AAF Is Betting on Football, and on Betting. Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  34. ^ Alliance of American Football League, spring alternative to NFL, reveals gambling-focused strategy. Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  35. ^ Alliance of American Football strikes multi-year uniform, apparel deal with Starter. Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  36. ↑ AAF gets $ 250 million investment from Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, dismisses report of financial difficulty. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
  37. ↑ XFL co-founder's son announces new football league. Retrieved February 17, 2019 .
  38. ↑ L'Alliance américaine de football prend forme, la LCF doit-elle s'inquiéter? Retrieved February 15, 2019 (French).
  39. ^ AAF off to a solid start. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  40. ^ 5 things the NFL and college football could learn from the first weekend of the AAF. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  41. ↑ TV Ratings Saturday: AAF Football invades the chart, NBA falters. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .