The AAF could succeed in a marketplace that hasn’t been kind to NFL alternatives.
One of the most interesting stories in football is a new league, the Alliance of American Football (AAF). Currently under development, the league will begin play next year–a week after Super Bowl 54.
But most of the hype that I think should be accorded to the AAF is going to another new league, the resurrected XFL, which is set to start in 2020.
One of the things I like about the AAF is that it’s targeting cities that are new to the game. Six of the eight teams in the league fit that category. And one team–San Diego–will give locals a new team to cheer, filling a gap created by the Chargers move to Los Angeles.
Bill Polian, NFL Hall of Fame GM, is an AAF co-founder (photo by Michael Adamucci/Getty Images)
Another thing I like about the AAF is who the league has hired as executives and coaches. Headed by respected people, including Bill Polian and Charlie Ebersol, the new league has hired people with football pedigrees. For example, the Atlanta-based team has longtime NFL coach Brad Childress. His OC is none other than Michael Vick. Other successful coaches that have signed on with the AAF include Mike Singletary, Steve Spurrier, and Dennis Erickson.
These big names are sure to lure players to the league. That will give younger players an option to play in the States, similar to what the G-League offers basketball players. It could also give older players, like Navarro Bowman and Julius Thomas, a pathway back into the game, including the NFL at some point.
Those prospects raise an interesting question: Could the AAF become the NFL’s farm system? It could for a simple reason: underdeveloped players will learn under the tutelage of experienced and respected coaches.
There’s sufficient reason to believe that the AAF could succeed in a marketplace that hasn’t been kind to NFL alternatives.
