tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17080558.post115402816120726385..comments2024-03-20T03:54:53.101-05:00Comments on SpaceBeagle: Spring FootballToddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05817043549668896479noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17080558.post-1158086867699147882006-09-12T13:47:00.000-05:002006-09-12T13:47:00.000-05:00A couple of articles came out last week on this. S...A couple of articles came out last week on this. Seems to be heating up. I've also read where ticket prices will start at $10 and go up from there. Previously there was a $30 price announced, so I guess that was just the high price. <BR/><BR/>http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1157707132259410.xml&coll=2 <BR/><BR/>This is the Anniston Star's Column from Saturday: <BR/>(The link won't work for you so I had to paste the text. ) <BR/><BR/>---------------------------------------------------------------- <BR/><BR/><BR/>Start-up pro league hopefully won't be another W-Laugh <BR/>09-09-2006 <BR/><BR/><BR/>When you watch Auburn play Mississippi State this morning and then take in the Alabama-Vanderbilt game this afternoon, you'll be seeing several players who'll be in the NFL next season. <BR/><BR/>And you could be seeing several players who'll be in the fledgling All-American Football League next season, as well. <BR/><BR/>Reports are that Birmingham's Legion Field likely will host one of the eight flagship franchises when the league kicks off in the spring of 2007. The AAFL is designed to be something of a post-graduate pro league; the players must have college degrees to be eligible, and the teams, for the most part, will play on college campuses. <BR/><BR/>West Lafayette, Ind., home of Purdue University, has secured a franchise, while Gainesville, Fla., and Knoxville, Tenn. — where the NCAA's Gators and Volunteers, respectively, call home — also are sure bets. <BR/><BR/>Legion Field is not located on a college campus. However, it qualifies as a venue because it's the site of a college bowl game. Any team that played there primarily would be made up of Alabama, Auburn and UAB graduates, although I'm sure former Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Troy Trojans also will be on the field — as long as they have degrees, of course. <BR/><BR/>On the one hand the AAFL has potential. With players making $100,000 per season, the league will attract far better athletes than those who toil in semi-pro leagues. And with the blessings of the NCAA, it has credibility right out of the gate. <BR/><BR/>But ... <BR/><BR/>While quite a few football nuts like myself gladly would watch the gridiron game 52 weeks out of the year, the only non-NFL pro football circuit that has thrived in the United States is the Arena Football League. <BR/><BR/>And let's be honest: The AFL can be fun to watch, but it's not “real” football. It's a niche sport stocked mostly with minor league-caliber athletes. <BR/><BR/>Next thing you know the USFL is fodder for trivia aficionados. <BR/><BR/>So what do we make of the All-American Football League? It's a nice idea with credible people behind it. It's something I'd watch and likely enjoy. <BR/><BR/>I guess we'll see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com