One born every minute

[nksports]

From a River City press release:

"One of our main goals during the meetings will be to address the area of expansion", said Shiver from her office last week in Louisiana, "The NIFL is about to enter it's sixth year of operation and is currently the largest national league in indoor football.In the last year, a vast number of cities have applied for entry to the league, and those applications will be voted on in St. Louis. The interest from prospective owners for teams in this league has been outstanding, and it's exciting to think that the NIFL could be looking at 30 plus teams in 2006."

Where are these teams going to come from? Who are the owners? 30 teams? How many will fold mid-season?

The NIFL needs to shore up whats there. There are barely 10 healthy operations in this league. Everyone who could bolt has.

"Run away!"
—King Arthur against the killer rabbit.

[Pounder]

If I was looking at this dispassionately, seeing WHERE the teams were, and assuming that new franchises were within driving distance of those teams, I'd argue that expansion IS helping shore up the good franchises.

Oops. If you take my first sentence logically, then you might conclude that I'd assess Carolyn Shiver passionately. Ummmmmm, ick.

Of course, it's in the "bad league handbook" to talk up the league whenever possible. Putting the over/under of actual expansions at FIVE might put those statements in context.

[AllTheRage]

There are still some very strong franchises in the NIFL and yes, proper expansion could do nothing but make it easier for those teams to be able to remain strong by reducing travel costs.

What about the teams that left the NIFL and folded? No one seems interested in talking about them, like Ohio Valley. I guess the NIFL gets the blame for that one.

I will quote Jim Mora, ex Saints coach from the NFL films..."You don't know what we're doing and you never will..."

Some of you cry for hard facts, well, there are none until after the owners vote. Yes, every team that comes into the NIFL and has come into the NIFL are voted on by the league members. So, if they failed, everyone in the league is to blame.

[rams80]

Ohio Valley hasn't folded Mr. NIFL webmaster. I'd appreciate it if you backed off on things like that.

I guess my other sentiment is this (and you can understand, you're from the Show Me State)
Show me something tangible.

[AllTheRage]

There sure seems to be a lot of venom in your posts. Did you get cut from a NIFL team? Did you get cut by the Rage?

As I stated in my previous post, until the owners have a chance to see the financials of the new applicants for membership, and vote on it, there is nothing tangible to report. When there is something, it will be reported, I am certain.

Also, I am not, nor have I ever been a webmaster for the NIFL, Rage or anyone else.

Am I a NIFL fan? Absolutley, it is the best brand of indoor football going. It is the best game, much better than the AFL or UIF. I cannot say about the AIFL, as I know little about them. But, the rules of the NIFL are much better than the other two leagues and are much more look conventional football.

[rams80]

If you aren't Morris, then you are very, very new to indoor football; at least to be saying things like that. The UIF game is very similar (if not identical) to the NIFL in terms of rules and whatnot. Also, to assert that it is better that the AFL is simply ludicrous-the AFL has much, much more talent, more national recognition, and more credibility at this point than the NIFL (even if it is like a human pinball game masquerading as football)

Unless the NIFL has changed its ways from years past, the financial overview of applicants will most likely consist of making sure the expansion fee check clears. Part of me actually hopes they've changed, but the realist in me thinks otherwise.

Finally my personal advice to you is this-back off on the NIFL party line. They've taken a lot of credibility hits over the year and it isn't the firmest stance to take.

[#1 Guard Fan]

Ok sounds like this is a bunch of women in here trying to see who has the richest hubby. Come on all I want is a stable league that can stay together and keep teams in it more than a year. I sure hope the promises so far from the NIFL about having 30 teams come true. I know we need more teams on the south east coast because if not I know the Guard will have a lot of traveling to do this year. In the happy world all the smaller leagues under the AF and AF2 would join together and that would be a POWER house league until then I think all the leagues are about the same.

[rams80]

It's easy to have a thirty team league-just look at the ABA. Oh, you want 30 strong teams? Not happening at this level in any league. The indoor leagues will never band together to form a rival at this level to the af2-there are too many egos involved among ownership.

[Pounder]

To be honest, I don't think there's enough realistically strong franchises to band together IN af2.