For football lovers, life is good with two new leagues
Follow
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
For those who still play and still watch – for those who remain in love with the sport, CTE worries and all – this is a fantastic time to revel in professional football.
While the NFL remains unquestioned as the national champion of sports and TV broadcasts, a pair of fledgling operations have emerged. Like remora attached to a whale, the Alliance of American Football and the XFL hope to feed off the established league’s excess of success.
The XFL’s yet-to-be-named Washington franchise will announce its coach and general manager on Thursday. Pep Hamilton, who played and coached at Howard University and has extensive NCAA and NFL experience, is reportedly the dual-role choice.
Along with former Oklahoma Sooners coach Bob Stoops, who earlier this month was introduced as coach/GM of the XFL’s Dallas franchise, Hamilton would be league owner Vince McMahon’s second impressive hire.
Meanwhile, the AAF is enjoying its head start since launching two weeks ago, a year ahead of the reincarnated XFL’s anticipated 2020 kickoff. Familiar names such as Steve Spurrier, Mike Singletary, and Mike Martz roam the sidelines as head coaches. But the AAF’s biggest early impact might’ve been delivered by someone with the least name recognition: Tom Dundon.
The Athletic reported that the AAF was in danger of missing its Week 2 payroll as its cash ran dangerously low. Then Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes stepped up this week with a $250 million investment and agreement to become the league’s chairman. AAF co-founder and CEO Charlie Ebersol characterized Dundon’s infusion as a buy-in more than a bailout, but the result – financial stability – is the same.
Dundon said he wasn’t interested in an AAF investment beforehand, due to several questions about the quality of football and other issues related to start-ups. But “once it went on TV, looked great, got good ratings, I talked to people that were supportive of it,” he told ESPN. “At the same time, through mutual acquaintances, I understood they had a need for someone like me to step in.”
Though Dundon (reported net worth of $1.1 billion) isn’t at McMahon’s level ($3.3 billion), the AAF now has its own deep-pocket primary backer to pit against the XFL’s celebrity mogul. As long as both leagues stay in their lanes and don’t delude themselves into competing against the NFL, there should be enough football love for everyone to eat.
McMahon has Dundon beat in terms of potential media exposure, with XFL franchises in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and D.C., five of the nation’s Top 7 markets. McMahon says this time, his second attempt at a football league, there will be less reliance on flashy cheerleaders, player nicknames and assorted gimmicks.
The AAF has received mostly good reviews and produced decent ratings through two weeks. Their version of football includes twists such as a 30-second play clock, no kickoffs, and mandatory two-point conversions. They also enjoy coverage on a range of TV outlets, from CBS Sports Network to TNT to NFL Network, as well as multiple online options.
Despite football’s health concerns and dwindling youth participation, the two outfits’ prospects are as bright as possible for new pro leagues, which typically make for poor investments. Positioning itself as a developmental league helps the AAF’s long-term viability, which just might include being acquired by the NFL at some point.
Ebersol said Dundon’s $250 million infusion was a Godfather pitch.
“We’re a start-up, and start-ups usually raise money in pieces, Series A, Series B, Series C, etc.,” Ebersol told the Orlando Sentinel. “After the success of the first week, we had a number of investors come to us and offer all kinds of different investments. Tom Dundon said, ‘Do you want to continue to raise Series B, Series C and Series D, or do you want to raise Series Infinity right now and be taken care of from now on?’
“That was an offer I was not going to refuse.”
Eight weeks remain in the inaugural season before the playoffs begin. Next year, the XFL 2.0 is expected to begin its initial season around the same time the AAF launched this year – the weekend after the Super Bowl – with Washington playing home games at D.C. United’s Audi Field.
Both leagues will traffic in second-chance stories for players and coaches, a repository for those seeking returns to the NFL.
Other players and coaches will be hoping for a first-time embrace after being passed over.
Football fans will watch because they’re football fans and can’t help themselves.
For all of the above parties, life is good.
At least for the time being.
— Brooklyn-born and Howard-educated, Deron Snyder writes his award-winning column for The Washington Times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Follow him on Twitter @DeronSnyder.
