AAFL needs your help (and large donations of cash)

(NOTE: The AAFL announced it was postponing its inaugural season shortly after this entry went up. An additional update concerning that follows this entry).

Maybe you’ve heard the news, maybe you haven’t. If not, I’ll break it to you. The All American Football League, yet to play a game, is already in danger of folding.

The six-team league essentially announced this past week that, unless an investor could be found who was willing to lend the AAFL a sizable wad of cash, the inaugural 2008 season might be postponed until 2009.

The AAFL later announced that it was making some progress with several prospective investors, as well as moving forward with TV deal talks, while adding that preseason training will be briefly delayed.

(UPDATE: A few days after writing this initial blog the AAFL announced that it was finalizing major national television and radio deals this week, adding that should be welcome news to interested financial partners. Included in the latest press release was a schedule of 21 of the season's 32 games that would appear on television, reportedly in an HD broadcast by a "well-known prestigious national network."
Televised games for Team Michigan included: 4 p.m. April 12 at Tennessee; 1 p.m. May 3 vs. Texas; 1 p.m. May 10 at Arkansas; 4 p.m. May 17 at Florida; 4 p.m. June 7 at Texas and 1 p.m. June 14 at Alabama.)

It was good to hear the promising follow-up news, but the initial hit was heavy. While the AAFL may yet stave off a fatal blow, things are not looking good for the league, which seemed to have some good things going for it before the call for financial help went out.

First and foremost, the AAFL bringing Team Michigan to town may finally have given Ford Field a successful football franchise. (Sorry for the cheap shot Lions fans, but I couldn’t avoid it.)

Next, the league’s motto of implementing a college football atmosphere in a professional setting had the potential to provide fans and players alike with some solid entertainment and excitement, especially if tickets and concessions could be kept way down below that of NFL and NCAA games.

Lastly, the AAFL’s rule of allowing players to compete only if they had received a college degree served as a great motivator in the ongoing effort to remind student-athletes that school is pretty important too.

Perhaps in folding before ever playing a single game, the AAFL will demonstrate to student- athletes just how important their education, received by many compliments of their scholarship, is in the long run.

If the NFL or NBA folded tomorrow, how many players from those leagues would be able to go out and get a decent job in corporate America? While having the ability to accurately throw a football 60 yards or leap over another human being and dunk a basketball with ease are impressive traits, they aren’t exactly the type of job skills the 9-to-5 suits are looking for.

OK, so most NFL or NBA players became financially set for life when they signed their rookie contracts and likely wouldn’t have to lift a finger to support themselves if their respective league ever folded. And I’m well aware that plenty did get their college degrees.

But what happens to the athletes in high school or college who had been eyeing a career in pro sports while neglecting their studies. Or what if a lesser luxurious sports league folds, like the Arena Football League?

What happens to those athletes without a college degree?

I don’t know. But I do know all those guys that tried out for AAFL teams, should the league indeed fold or postpone its kickoff, all have something other than sporting accomplishments to list on their resumes.

And while it’s hard to conceive the NBA or NFL, or even the Arena Football League (backed by ESPN), would fold in the near future, it’s also hard to conceive that a certain local professional football franchise would win less playoff games than the number of stadiums it's called home over the past 50 years, not to mention draft four wide receivers with its first pick in four of the last five drafts.

Finally, figuring out the logic behind the Lions organization may just require multiple college degrees.

(FINAL UPDATE: It’s official, the All American Football League has postponed its inaugural season until next year. The league sent out notification to the media March 13, in the afternoon.

The AAFL, which was recently attempting to find investors to help salvage the 2008 season, indicated in a press release that all its sponsors were committed to remaining with the league for the 2009 season. It also mentioned that fans would be fully reimbursed for all ticket purchases. The six-team league had been planning on kicking off its inagural season April 12.

Check upcoming editions of your local C&G Newspaper for more details.)