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The Alliance of American Football was seen as an opportunity for another football league to thrive in the US. The new league received good television ratings, but struggled with financial problems from the very beginning. The AAF’s financial problems were too much to overcome as the league will suspend all football operations, according to Pro Football Talk.
Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon became the majority owner of the AAF when the league struggled to pay its players after the opening week of the season. His $250 million contribution to the league was supposed to help the league prosper and run for many years, but that has not been the case. Dundon has the ability to pull his funding from the AAF and it seems like he might be close to doing this.
If Dundon decides to take his money away from the AAF, the league will collapse. The AAF needs about $20 million to end its debut season and it is unlikely that the league will come up with the money in time for the playoffs.
Playoff football is always an exciting time of year, but the AAF’s lack of funds may make it impossible for it to happen.
The end of football operations means that the first season of the AAF is over, even though there are two weeks left in the regular season. The league was supposed to have a four-team playoff, but the league is more likely to shut down than have the playoffs at this point in time. The AAF has not been shut down yet, but the lack of funds makes it inevitable.
The league seemed to be doing quite well as the opening games of the AAF had a bigger viewing audience than the biggest NBA game that night. Football fans were tuning in to watch former NFL players get a second chance at an NFL career, but the AAF simply did not have the funds to run the league. Teams were unable to play their players after the first week of the season and needed Dundon’s funding to keep the AAF afloat after the opening week.
Football is America’s sport, but another league will be unable to survive unless it has the proper funding from the start.
