The AAF is no more. (AAF)

Announced late yesterday, the AAF (Alliance of American Football) has suspended all operations, as per the orders of the chairman, Tom Dundon. While initial rumblings from Dundon a couple of weeks ago were labelled as 'unsubstantiated' and 'not true', it seems they were after all. Dundon had said a little while back that he was pondering shutting down the league due to the NFL 'not giving the AAF young players off their rosters', as the AAF is a 'developmental league'.

Now we find out that the AAF has been shut down due to a severe cash flow issue, with many players not having been paid their full salaries, as well as team personnel throughout the league. It was said from the very beginning of season that because of low player salaries and a central league ownership, that money wouldn't become as issue whatsoever. That being said, with the key people the AAF has in upper management, you just know that their salaries wouldn't be average, either.

Key people like Bill Polian, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Mike Pereira, Dean Blandino, Jared Allen, and others are rumoured to make salaries somewhere in the millions. Head coaches in the AAF are paid $500,000, coordinators $200,000, and around $100,000 (give or take a few thousand) for position coaches. Each teams coaching staff sits at around $2-million dollars, and when you add in all the players on the roaster, you get a team payroll of around $6,100,000. Add in all the support staff and such, and we can see where this is going.

It is conceivable that  Tom Dundon and his inner circle underestimated costs, or overestimated the demand for football. I've watched a lot of the games on TV, and I can see for myself that most stadiums are lacking spectators in the stands. Camera angles are used (and the SkyCam too) to show the field and players predominantly, while hiding the fans (or lack thereof) in the stands. With some teams charging as much as $185 for a single ticket, it's no wonder.

The quality of the football played in the AAF is excellent, but most of the players are not stars. To overcharge for this experience is to insult and anger the fanbase that are trying to attach themselves to the game and enjoy something they might not otherwise be able to afford. The AAF is a great idea, and is fun to watch, but I don't think the people in charge put enough thought into the whole process. Hopefully, it comes back for a second season.....