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The Arena Football League, a 20-something-year-old effort that has never quite migrated beyond the fringes of the American sports landscape, could be looking to add teams in other countries.
Seriously.
Commissioner David Baker, father of Falcons first-round tackle Sam Baker, hinted that London and Berlin could be candidates for expansion franchises.
“We’ve had 21 international exhibitions, and they’ve all been sellouts,” Baker said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
But it’s one thing to take a periodic preseason game to another country. It’s quite another to shoulder the ongoing travel expenses related to sending American teams to Europe, and European teams to America. Especially for a league that has seemed to be in a chronic dog paddle since its inception.
Other possibilities for new teams are Boston, Pittsburgh, and South Florida.
Our take? While expansion into additional U.S. markets is possible, we think that Baker has tossed out the notion of moving into other countries as a way to generate some buzz for a generally struggling brand.
And given that we have devoted an entire item to the news, Baker’s strategy apparently worked.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Global? Aren’t they already in Grand Rapids?
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:08 am
lol, one trip to Europe would bankrupt a team. Especially with the way the dollar is now.
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:09 am
As if Bush hasn’t already embarrassed this country enough with his idiotic war, now we’ll show other countries what we do when we’re not watching reality shows.
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:30 am
In the town where I grew up in, we have an AF2 team. It’s full of people from around the local area who were H.S. football stars and people we eagerly watched in college. I always enjoyed going to the games. Even though the rules are a bit different, being there was always alot of fun. Although I don’t think I’d ever watch it on TV, but there was always something exciting about being at the game.
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:06 am
“…as a way to generate some buzz for a generally struggling brand.”
Is it struggling? What data do you have to support that? Seems to be doing pretty well what I’ve seen. Longer season, more teams, national coverage of games.
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I have to say, im frequent reader of this site, and am a little disappointed at the arena football bashing in this article. You make it sound like theyre on the fringe of bankruptcy, which apparently you havent seen that arenafootball has a tV deal now.
Im also a season ticket holder for the chicago rush, and i find it to be a great fun experience..i went to my first game last year and havent missed one since. You should be praising the league for the fact they keep the playesr accessable to the fans, with autograph sessions after each game, where you can talk and interact with the players…something the NFL doesnt do, and the players are almost all very friendly and nice to the fans.
So maybe you should take a good look at the league and the progress its making before you make the assumption that its “in a dog paddle since its inception”. I have no problem when you make comments on situations that arent exactly politically correct, as long as theyre factually correct.
P.S, what about the fact that the quality of players in the league is going to rise now that NFL europe has shut down? another upward arrow for the league…where do you think the extra 6 or so players that would have been on NFL teams rosters from this time of year are now? on AFL rosters
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:28 am
The Toronto Phantoms (formerly the New York CityHawks and the New England Sea Wolves) played in the league from 2001-2002 and although most Canadians consider Toronto a suburb of Detroit, this would technically not be the first time the AFL expanded internationally.
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:28 am
What about taking Arena Football to Canada again?
I’d go watch it!
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:39 am
How about those SaberCats?!
They knocked John Elways
Colorado Crush out of the
playoffs.
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July 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Who knows, Euros might prefer arena football to the NFL-style. But selling out when you’re a curiosity is one thing, selling tickets consistently is another. Bayern/United reserves can sell out a friendly at Soldier Field, and we don’t even get to see good competition. But it’s not something we get to see often at all.
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July 7th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I think expanding to Canada and even Mexico and Puerto Rico would be good for the AFL also I like the idea of Boston, South Florida, and even though it’s a small market my hometown of Spokane packs the Arena 10,500 seats for its AF2 team that almost matches the regular AFL crowd of 12,500, and if a new arena is built Spokane can problably draw much more. Also, there is Portland, Omaha, Tulsa, generally any larger city, thats large but not large enough for an NFL team. Europe although would be a bad idea for the AFL, there is just to many logistics issues, and to much cost involved, I think the NFL could handle it, but not the AFL. And atlast Florio, lets be fair, the AFL doesn’t exactly pump out the money that the NFL does, and at times there was some doubt if they would be able to make it, but if you lump the AFL, and the AF2 together they seem to be doing just fine, and the AFL has been around for a very long time now, almost 30 years no other league outside the NFL has lasted that long I believe.
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July 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Hey, the way the NFL games in London have sold out filling a small indoor stadium with spectators interested in a similar product might not be as impossible as people think
And keeping even a scaled down - literally and figuratively - version of football alive as a spectator sport in Europe might not be a bad idea for the NFL interests
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July 7th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Jerze, I too am a fan of Arena football. I am a 5 year season ticket holder for the Philadelphia Soul. I have to ask you, have you seen the new TV “deal” the AFL bartered? I’m guessing no because you think that they are not on the verge of bankruptcy. Allow me to enlighten you on the TV deal the AFL has with ESPN. The total revenue that the league sees for allowing ESPN to televise the AFL is a whopping total of $o. The AFL sold part of the league to ESPN and created a “partnership” with them. ESPN only makes money if the league makes money. Philadelphia and Chicago are the highest grossing revenue teams in the league and they are LOSING money (because they made the playoffs, ironic isn’t it?) The owners of the league are supposed to vote on single entity ownership sometime before the Arena Bowl. If this happens, this will be the death nail for the league because the teams with the celebrity owners. i.e. the money (Philly, Chicago, Dallas, Georgia, Colorado, and Cleveland) will either sell their teams or just fold them because they will no longer have a say in how their franchise is run. Sucks, doesn’t it?
For anyone else, Arena football will do better in Europe then the regular game because it’s non-stop action. That is what the Europeans like but I agree that it won’t work if they are only going to have 2 franchises there. They have to have enough teams for a conference to work and then only meet in the Arena Bowl.
Also, if you have never seen an AFL game live, I highly recommend that you do. It’s a blast and very affordable. Next year, when you are jonesing for some football action, give them a try. You may like it.
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I find it very hard to believe that the rush would be LOSING money, between all of the advertising, the merchandise sales (if you look around the allstate arena, theres a LOT of rush apparel), the ticket sales (Allstate is consistantly full), and the relatuively low salaries of the players. Granted, when i watched a game last year of the cleveland gladiators, and again during the playoff game of the desporados playoff game, thje stadiums there appeared pretty empty, but there is so much advertising and the salaries being so low and rosters so small, they must be making HORRIBLE (which the TV deal would be, if thats really the case), business decisions. The league is a great league, HIGHLY underrated, the players are accessable and friendly, and it would be a HUGS shame if the league did go under.
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July 8th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Jerze, how much money do you think that get from advertising? How many sponsors do they have? 10 maybe? They receive no revenue from TV and radio. At the very least, they have rent to pay at the Allstate Arena, plus wherever the business offices are located and their practice facility. They have to house their players, feed them when they are there, and traveling costs. They have to pay their support staff, their utilities, insurance, doctors, lawyers, etc. Chicago made the playoffs this year. Did they charge more money for tickets like they do in the NFL? I doubt it. I know the Soul didn’t.
You mentioned apparel. How much revenue do you think they get for that? Here’s a hint, it’s the same deal they have with ESPN.
It’s no secret in the AFL that the Soul and Chicago generate the most revenue. It’s one of the reasons the rest of the league’s fans hate us. We are the AFL version of the Yankees and Red Sox as far as revenue is concerned.
Jon Bon Jovi was recently on 60 Minutes. One of the things they discussed in the interview was the AFL and Philadelphia Soul. Jon was quoted as saying “I am using the Soul as a way to start my philantropy. I am committed to the Soul for the long haul, as long as I am not losing too much money.” Does this sound to you like they are making money?
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