Alaska, Memphis out?

[PIONEERSFAN101]

I'm getting word that Alaska is out due to lack of funds and Memphis is also out. Memphis was not a shocker, but the Alaska news is a little more shocking. The source is very high and reliable, but if anyone can confirm the news, that'd be great.

[rams80]

Ummmm can't say I'm surprised about either. Anyone who remembers Hawaii would tell you that Alaska would probably not have worked out.

With Memphis, I guess years of having flies show up to games finally caught up to them.

[Pounder]

Macon is going "on hiatus" now... probably a bit more to come.

[preeths]

I think Alaska's non-start may be a good thing. Unless the team draws great crowds and can subsidize travel for the visitors, it's just too expensive.

[phydeaux72]

I think Alaska's non-start may be a good thing. Unless the team draws great crowds and can subsidize travel for the visitors, it's just too expensive.

Then again, that's the af2 for you. I'm not anti-af2 like some. But, it wouldn't surprise me if they actually do have a team in Alaska in the near future, if even for only one season, just to show everyone that they can pull it off, much like having their championship game in San Juan, PR. Sure they might have had a good crowd, but the fans of the team that should have had home field advantage got the shaft, in my opinion. The af2 seems to be doing things like this lately in what appears to me to be acts of mere arrogance. I realize that they have money, but c'mon, this isn't the NFL or AFL.

[Minor League Man]

Then again, that's the af2 for you. I'm not anti-af2 like some. But, it wouldn't surprise me if they actually do have a team in Alaska in the near future, if even for only one season, just to show everyone that they can pull it off, much like having their championship game in San Juan, PR. Sure they might have had a good crowd, but the fans of the team that should have had home field advantage got the shaft, in my opinion. The af2 seems to be doing things like this lately in what appears to me to be acts of mere arrogance. I realize that they have money, but c'mon, this isn't the NFL or AFL.
Nobody can confirm the news, so their non-start is just a rumor for now.

[Xpress]

Dang shame!!!! Memphis had a good team. Most entertaining sport I have ever watched. Terribly managed. I have a ten year old who could do better!

[Geoff]

According to a few people on the arenafootball.com boards, Memphi will be back for 07 but not after that.

[jwalters]

I hate to tell you guys, but, that announced crowd at the arena cup was a lie. Many people didn't get to see the game because of the regional broadcast but I watched it live. If you include the players, coaches, cheerleaders, league vip's, and announcers there were maybe 2,500 in the coliseum. The crowd was good as far as the decibal level but there were not 5,300 people there.

[phydeaux72]

If you include the players, coaches, cheerleaders, league vip's, and announcers there were maybe 2,500 in the coliseum.

The IFL scouts that attended the game say there were even less than that. Not to mention that the af2 didn't even bother shipping the sidewalls. They ended up having to build them out of plywood and everytime the players would run into them, they would crash through. It must have been a complete embarrassment that it wasn't better organized, especially considering that it was af2. With the money that the league has and the kind of money the franchises pay in dues, they deserve a better product. Furthermore, no minor league championship should ever be held at a neutral site. That's just plain dumb. League meetings? Maybe. But certainly not a game.

[jwalters]

Your right 72. I have said for a long time that the neutral site arena cup was a bad idea. The worst part, I think, about watching the game was the fact that there was nobody coordinating the the event. The broadcast would go on and off at random while the action was happening and the on field stuff was hectic. I like the Shock dancers and all but a couple of times they ran on the field and did nothing. They just stood around like they were about to do a routine. I'm sure this wasn't the dancers fault. The league didn't have anybody doing game day operations. The last thing was the fact that they were using the Macon Knights turf. They didn't cover it up with the Arena Cup logo or Puerto Rican flag or anything. It was really bad. I wonder if, on the official DVD, the league will sink to using CGI to put 5,300 people in the place.