The N.F.L. is under pressure from falling television ratings, lawsuits over its handling of concussions, and fan opposition to player protests during the national anthem.
Yet investors keep lining up to help start new football leagues. On Tuesday, the longtime N.F.L. executive Bill Polian and the television and movie producer Charlie Ebersol became the latest entrepreneurs to join the fray when they unveiled plans for the Alliance of American Football.
There have been several short-lived football leagues before, including the United Football League, United States Football League and XFL. Like others before them, Polian and Ebersol say they have a formula for success. They have acquired investments from Silicon Valley firms that will allow their eight-team league to start playing a week after the Super Bowl in February 2019. Their partners include CBS, which will show a few games on its main channel and some on its cable network. They will also launch a smartphone app on which fans will be able to stream games and play fantasy football.
The league will also aim for two-and-a-half hour games (N.F.L. games generally last at least three hours). To achieve that, there will be no kickoffs or extra points — only 2-point plays — and a 30-second play clock, as opposed to the N.F.L.’s 45-second clock. There will also be no television timeouts, which will lead to about 60 percent fewer commercials. [Reply]
Major League Football had a website, multiple former high-profile NFL people in key positions, investors and plans for a dozen+ cities...and never even played a single game.
I'll believe it when I see a game being played. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties: Major League Football had a website, multiple former high-profile NFL people in key positions, investors and plans for a dozen+ cities...and never even played a single game.
I'll believe it when I see a game being played.
Well, they seem to have a deal with CBS to be broadcast on TV in place, and that's probably the hardest part. [Reply]
1. How does NFLs contract with CBS allow other pro football leagues to be shown on their network?
2. This will be competition for the XFL, not the NFL
3. 2 point plays take longer than xps and the shorter play clock will just lead to more time outs being taken
4. Any league that were to ever achieve success would begin to follow more of an NFL pattern for longer games..TV ads are where the revenue is at [Reply]
Sounds like they will be indirectly working with the NFL.
This league can be a "test audience" for the NFL for changes the NFL is afraid to implement for fear of backlash - no extra points, faster play clock, etc. [Reply]
sadly, i don't even watch kickoffs anymore. the odds of the ball being returned out of the endzone seem super low anyway.
I'm not sure how to fix that in the NFL. It's a vital part to strategy, but the play has become basically a useless play.
(too lazy to look up stats of returned kicks, kicks out of the EZ, and kicks returned for TDs).
maybe if a ball is kicked entirely out of the endzone w/out hitting the ground, the receiving team gets it at the 30 or 35, and if he catches it and kneels or lets it roll out of the endzone it goes back to the 20. at least give the returner a decision to make.