Arena Football League cancels 2009 season

Sporting News ^ | December 15, 2008

[Zakeet]

The Arena Football League will suspend the 2009 season as it tries to improve its long-term economic model, the league's board of directors announced Monday.

"Every owner in the AFL is strongly committed to the league, the game, and, most importantly, the fans," said acting commissioner Ed Policy. "Owners, however, recognize that, especially in light of the current unprecedented economic climate, the AFL, as a business enterprise, needs to be restructured if it is to continue to provide its unique brand of this affordable, fan-friendly sport."

A source told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the "deal-breaker was ESPN saying it would not televise a six-, seven- or eight-team league." The league, which has been operating since 1987, had 16 teams in the 2008 season. The owners of several teams said they wanted to leave the league unless its financial model was changed.

"We, the owners of the Arena Football League, realize we have the most fan-friendly, affordable and accessible sport anywhere," said Jon Bon Jovi, co-owner of the ArenaBowl champion Philadelphia Soul. "These are trying economic times. The revamping will ensure that the AFL continues to provide value to its fans and not only survives but thrives in the years to come."

Two players told the Plain Dealer that they doubted the league would come back if the 2009 season was scuttled, but owners strongly disagreed.

[mrmargaritaville]

Hey there should be a bailout-if we’re going to save white collar America (first bailout), and blue collar America (big 3 bailout), what about athletic collar bailout!

[Red Badger]

Here's our Pensacola AFL team. Barracudas ain't so bad a name.............now.........

[Badeye]

Gee, didn’t see that coming...(sarcasm)

[ConservaTexan]

And yet the GYNBA remains...

[rod1]

Only because many NBA owners have year long leases on the stadia or building debt and need to put something inside in the summer months or pay for an empty building.

[martin_fierro]

NO 2009 SABERKITTENS CHEERLEADERS???

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!1!

[Publius Valerius]

I thought the XFL was kinda fun, but obviously I was in the minority there.

It had a lot of potential. Clearly the money was behind it and it had some powerful people backing it, but it was too NFL-like for its own good.

You might chuckle, but I thought that a better strategy would have been if Vince McMahon had made it more WWE-like and less NFL-like (not in the sense that the games are rigged). Forget tying teams to cities; rather, the team should adopt the persona of its coach and basically barnstorm. No fixed schedules; rather, a wrestling or boxing-like challenge ladder should exist such that the defending champ might only play a handful of times a year, but always to defend its title. I would have also liked to have seen a rule for no fixed contracts.

But it wasn't to be. The XFL was an NFL copycat with sub-par players and will forever be remembered for "He Hate Me." It was doomed to fail from the beginning. AFL is closer to something unique, but it never really had the money it needed to compete, as witnessed by today's decision.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Too bad. I don't think they're coming back, either. Will they pay the players during the interim? If not, the players will have to go try to find other gigs. If so, they almost might as well play the season. Once you ditch a sport, people lose interest in it. I think it's dead too. Sad.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Smart played five seasons in the NFL for Philadelphia and Carolina and played in a Super Bowl. Might even have stayed in long enough to get into the pension plan.

[Sterm26]

The last AFL champion will be the Philadelphia Soul, who gave the Phillies the blueprint on how to win a title!!!!!

/sarcasm off