Reports: AFL will cease operations

[dmbishop]

From ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/afl/news/story?id=4375473)

The Arena Football League soon will announce that it is folding, multiple media outlets reported Monday.

A league source told ESPN that the AFL is "suspending operations indefinitely," and an official announcement was forthcoming.

Arizona Rattlers owner Brett Bouchy said the league will also declare bankruptcy, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

[formerlyknownasfells]

It will be interesting to see what happens next. Will AF2 take over as the primary indoor league and absolve some of the Arena teams? Will other leagues combine with AF2 and create some sort of superleague? It should be interesting to see just how things pan out.

[JAKMAN]

A sad, sad day. They grew this thing from the ground up, and then it all fell apart due to the economy, the high costs, and the mismanagement. If they couldn't survive with this product in this economy, then who can?

The AFL owns 50.1 percent of the AF2. I could see some combo of the AFL and af2 going forward, but the name, the share, and all the assets will be for sale in Bankruptcy Court. Up to a judge.

AFL was probably one of the more successful minor leagues ever. Now they're gone and the CBA is gone too. Mind blowing.

[NatePreds05]

The league is not folding or going into bankruptcy. The official word is suspending operations indefinitely. The af2 will be fine and some of the teams that were in the AFL will be playing a new Arena league by 2011.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/sports/football/05sandomir.html

[Big Easy]

So....does this mean the af2 name will be re-defined?

Initially, af2 was the little brother of the AFL.

Now it can proceed forward with the same name......only now "the sequal" to the AFL rather than it's little brother.

While the AFL wanted to be established in bigger cities and outgrew the original AFL model, I think they need to return to some of those bigger cities with a managable business model and play in more efficient arenas (which big cities usually have multiple options....many of which could use the dates/revenue).

I traveled to New York recently and minor league baseball was thriving at a very low level (A ball or independent ball) in the shadows of the Yankees and Mets. When I asked fans why support the Long Island Ducks or Brooklyn Cyclones instead of the MLB they all said the affordability and family atmosphere of the minors was more appealing.

[Caballo Diablo]

they all said the affordability and family atmosphere of the minors was more appealing.
Amen, plus the minors care more about fans than the majors and you can actually mingle with the minor league players and staff.