"Doing it right"

[exit322]

This is a term that we hear thrown around, and it's a term that I throw around quite a bit.

In terms of indoor football (at the team and league level), what does "doing it right" mean to you as fans of the sport?

In very general terms (and this'll be the topic of my next article), to me "doing it right" means this: Doing anything and everything necessary to ensure the professionalism of the teams and league.

Paying everyone, paying your bills, and playing the full schedule has become the standard for "hey, that's a great job" in indoor football. Just playing the full schedule has become the standard for "'eh, good enough" in this sport. That's not good enough.

What are your thoughts as fans of the game?

[thefridge81]

Where do I begin?

- First and foremost PAYING YOUR BILLS BEFORE YOU PAY YOURSELF!
- I'm a numbers guy, so accurate statistics
- Not waiting till the last minute to prepare for game day.......
- Communication, Communication, Communication

[nksports]

Leagues willing to do due dilligence before giving someone levereged to the hilt a franchise. Teams that have venue deposits paid up well before the season starts.
Just basic business practices.

[Tatonka]

I think there's alot of people working daily in this sport who know how to do it right. All it takes is getting the right owners together, and the right leadership to take control of the many egos that populate the sport.

Egos are a part of any sport, so you can't immediately dismiss those with strong ones. The smart ones, however, are the ones who recognize when things aren't being run professionally.

Without players, there would be no games... but without owners, there would be no teams. Without strong leaders to organize and guide the owners, there will be very few stable leagues.

[Andre Tippett 4 HOF]

What are you doing now Tatonka?

[Minor League Man]

I think there's alot of people working daily in this sport who know how to do it right. All it takes is getting the right owners together, and the right leadership to take control of the many egos that populate the sport.

Egos are a part of any sport, so you can't immediately dismiss those with strong ones. The smart ones, however, are the ones who recognize when things aren't being run professionally.

Without players, there would be no games... but without owners, there would be no teams. Without strong leaders to organize and guide the owners, there will be very few stable leagues.
Genius.

Too bad the CIFL banned you...And my mom thought I couldn't take correction...If she looked at the Spitaleris, she'd be impressed by me!

[exit322]

There are very few stable leagues. WIFL. Maybe the UIF, though they're gonna lose a few. Perhaps the IFL, but I don't know.

Yeah, too bad I can't read the CIFL board, either. Then again, I suppose all I'd have seen in that thread is someone complaining because others tried to rally the CIFL owners into doing just what the WIFL did: take that leap. Do it yourself.

Home Depot and Lowe's didn't thrive because people were just too immersed in making sure someone else did all the work, did they?

[Bruiser]

There are very few stable leagues.
Can you enlighten us on why your IFPA would
be any different though? I can't fathom
why any of the other leagues would
have started their venture knowing it
would be un-stable.

[Fez]

Exit322 and Tatonka, I'd be interested in your reply to these comments by the CIFL owner posted on the CIFL board. I don't know anyone involved, and am just interested as an outsider.

Here's his post:


« Reply #3 on: Yesterday at 02:57:54 PM »
Jeff Spitaleri
CIFL Co-founder
Administrator
All-Star



Offline

Posts: 1166


Re: "Doing it right"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is funny that this appeared on our message board today. I have a major update for everyone...

Over the last 6-8 months we have worked hard to create a solid league in the CIFL. We, like the other leagues, have experienced some issues this season that gave our league a black eye. I believe that as a league we did the right thing by eliminating teams that we didn't feel should be in our league, thus proving that we want to get better and we want to be the best.

We have been contacted a few times each day by those interested in either joining our league as an expansion team or bringing their existing team over to the CIFL. In an attempt to solidify what we have, we really have not looked too much into expansion, only going with what we feel are the most qualified people to run teams in this league. We don't want the money or the ability to call ourself the biggest league, we want to have the best teams and to be able to call ourselves the best league. We owe that to our owners, to our players and to our fans, and we stand by that.

Today was a tough day for me because I have found some disturbing news over the past week. Last Friday, owners of teams in the CIFL opened their email to find an email from the IFPA, email address of yourindoorleague@yahoo.com. This email contained some very private information, some true, some not about our league and operations and future plans for indoor football. I was blown away to see such detailed information and ideas so similar to ones that we have either entertained or have written on our dry erase board in this office at some point. As I read on, I realized that this email had to come from someone with in the league office, someone that I put my trust in to be here working with me on a daily basis. I was right.

When we created the league I was very nervous about those that I would deal with and always watching over my shoulder because I didn't want to have the day where the knife was driven into my back. Well, I regret to say that I must have let my guard down because it happened with that email, however, the old web address glifl.com has some old email addresses that are still valid and a while back I set a catch all for all the glifl.com email accounts as a back up on Yahoo, those would then just end up in a big GLIFL folder. After reading the email over and over I decided that I should clean up some of my mailboxes and in there I found the yourindoorleague@yahoo.com activation email linked to Sean (Tatonka) that he registered it on the Thursday before sending the email. In addition to that was the email draft of what was sent to our owners written by Josh (exit322) which was then modified before being sent as there are some changes. Essentially, two of the people that I have worked closely with over the past two seasons have been working together and plotting to destroy the CIFL and its image to the owners, thinking they would come on board with their ideas that we have come up with this offseason. I have never felt so violated and betrayed in business.

These two members of this forum will be no longer. I have banned them both for something that I believe is unforgivable. I have not worked countless hours over the past two years trying to bring the fans quality minor league football entertainment to have it taken away or have my trust and business breached upon by those that think this is just some easy set up and that they can do it better.

This message will make its way through the message boards online and anyone that shares any important league info with these two should reconsider because it is in my belief that they were going to target every league, not just the CIFL. People need to know. This is unfortunately what this business is, a business where you can't trust anyone and you always have to keep your guard up because someone is always waiting to take you down, always.

I feel that we have a lot of work to do in preparation for the 2008 season and most owners believe that the things to be changed or fixed, such as stats, film and officiating are the major hurdles that we have to take care of. I am here to say that I agree, and that we are listening to the owners and to the fans to make this league the best there is and that they will be better. These are minor issues that just need some compliance and organization and they will be there for all to enjoy. We have set a high standard for what is acceptable and our fans know better than to just say "ok". You want the best and that is what we are here to give you, it is what you deserve. We appreciate the standards that we are being held to, it is what will make us stronger and the owners, players and fans will benefit from it! Thank you for being loyal to the CIFL and making your voice heard where you want to be to your owners, we won't let you down.

Jeff Spitaleri
Co-Owner CIFL

[exit322]

Owners owning a league already gives it more stability, because the operating decisions are made by them (not by some outside party that doesn't care about the teams). Re: WIFL.

It was a calculated risk on my part. One whose payout is currently unknown (unless you only equate success to owners leaving the CIFL for that, which obviously isn't happening). The ball is now in the CIFL's court.

Is this particular league a risk to them? Of course not. But to think that this is the only time something like this has happened...that's a joke. Total joke. Every other league is contacting these teams, and it's quite feasible that eventually one of them will actually take a team.

If this acts as a wake-up call for the CIFL to actually do something and fix its problems (and there are many, most stemming from what appears to be a blatant disregard for operating professionally...as we all have seen), then the email sent out to the owners was not in vain. If that acts as a way for the CIFL to actually become the league I thought it could when I convinced you all how great it was in 2006, then it was a success. I keep talking about "doing it right." That was a shot for me to put my money where my mouth was, and it obviously didn't work out in that regard.

But if it's even a small part of changing the way the CIFL does "business," then it did work. And that's now what I hope for from it. Actual action to change things. Not the same crap the CIFL has been talking about while letting everyone in that says they've got the money to do it. When actions change, I'll believe that it's getting better. Until then, this was simply another calculated risk in the game of indoor football that didn't work out.

[Bruiser]

Owners owning a league already gives it more stability, because the operating decisions are made by them (not by some outside party that doesn't care about the teams)
To say the owners own the league would be all BS too.
Foster tried that in the 2nd year of the AFL (well
they were "investors" in the league... but acted as
pseudo-owners for the various teams.) The way he recalls
it, everyone thought their meager offerings entitled them
to all the decision making. Let's face it, among any
group of people you have those that are leaders (bullies
if you will) and those that are followers. The collection
of personalities will eventually clash, cliques form
and it's a frickin nightmare. Businesses NEED that one head
honcho who makes THE major decisions for the good of the whole,
acts as the arbitrator during disputes and delegates duties.
Indoor League by Committee won't fly, especially at this level
with the relatively small dollars that are attached to the way
too big egos. Historically, anything that has had too many
Indian chiefs and no Indians fails, or gets so bogged down
in bureaucracy you'd wish it would fail. Nope, definately
not the answer to the troubles that ail the indoor football
word.

[Eric Spitaleri]

For you to put information about my personal life in that email was not professional at all, but Josh, and Sean, after knowing you and you stupid ways, it doesnt really shock me.

[exit322]

Yes, Bruiser, that's a good point. That's why it was a calculated risk. One that still has a chance of working out. If the CIFL can fix its errors, most of which are due to complete mismanagement of funds and teams, then the email was still a total complete success.

Obviously, with an owner-owned league, people need to be hired to run the day-to-day operations, with annual review by the owners. That's where Sean and I were coming in with it, but again, that side of the coin did not work out. No matter, doesn't make the email a failure.

If it forces the CIFL to fix its mismanagement, it was a success. If the CIFL still treads down the road of complete and utter failure, then it was a complete waste of our time, and for that I apologize to the fans that make this game great.

[Tatonka]

What was included was the truth, painful as it may be...

The fact of the matter is, it never should have been an issue. I'm sorry that it hurts to hear it, but Josh is right... hopefully, this shocked the CIFL into changing it's operating procedures. Hopefully, your team owners realize that they need more control over what's going in that office.

Davenport and Gettys have become the scapegoats for all the problems the CIFL experienced this past season, and believe me, they deserve their share, but there's plenty that could have been done differently from a league operational standpoint to correct the problems, or even to have prevented some of them from occurring.

That most of the teams did whatever the hell they wanted to is the league's fault... I've never seen such a lack of control before.

[exit322]

The AF2 doesn't fail at it nearly as much as the NIFL, CIFL, or AIFA, Lou.

[cRUSHer]

maybe at certain things Josh , like completing
a season , the sort of thing you say is no longer
good enough.

But when 23 af2 teams had a shelf life
of less than 4 years . Thats plain awful.

.

[Starship Trooper]

OK children.

You're starting to sound like ABA fans (and anti-fans)

Thread closed.