Washington DC close to getting an AFL team in 2017

[coachingubigr]

Indoor football is on life support. When the AIF is the only league expanding, there are problems.

[preeths]

The Arena Football League was really good at fostering the idea that it was this-close to being a quasi-major league to ownership groups, but it was always a niche. Once the numbers on NBC proved as much, it became clear there was no way to cover its burgeoning expenses in the near term or long and the bottom dropped out of the franchise values.

You'll have to ask Leonsis why he's doing it. Looks as if the AFL's been on his radar for awhile.

[toad455]

if the AFL was a serious & viable league, they'd easily be at 20 teams by now. They wouldn't have lost long time teams like San Jose, Colorado(Denver), Spokane, Iowa, Chicago, Kansas City & Nashville. They would've had teams in place in cities like Washington DC, Brooklyn or New York City. Right now that's 9 teams, plus the current teams in Portland, Los Angeles, Arizona, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay & Philadelphia. Possibly bring back teams to Salt Lake City, Atlanta & Dallas/Houston and there's your 20 teams.

[preeths]

They're gonna go where they have ownership. The league is concentrating on attracting NBA and NHL owners (possibly with sweetheart deals?), though I'd doubt they'd turn down too many rich guys.

[suge night]

This plan would only work if the NHL or NBA team owned the arena of course thus a need to fill any empty dates arena would be simply sitting. Otherwise doesn't make solid business sense without a TV contract in tow, its the only way an arena team makes sense to own without that its a money pit.