Over a Cup of Coffee

by Jerry Hewitt
September 29, 2010 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)

It's been a long off season for the troubled American Indoor Football Association, and though they are trying to paint an everything is great picture, fans can easily see that's not the case. Reports are that the AIFA ownership has been very busy trying to unload what is left of the league, at least in the East. I'm speculating they have divided the league in half, East and West. I don't see any way they can unload the West, as the only league who might remotely be interested would be the IFL. Now the East could very well be marketed to the CIFL, IFL, SIFL, or even the new UIFL. In my opinion I am doubting the CIFL and UIFL are in the mix. I have a feeling there is no interest from either.

In my mind I see both the IFL and the SIFL holding all the cards, with neither needing what the AIFA may have to offer. In reality, the AIFA only has three independently owned teams in the East: Richmond, Erie, and possibly Fayetteville. In the West, they have but three also in San Jose, Reno, and Tucson. Yakima is owned in part by the AIFA.

From the IFL perspective, I can see them thinking Yakima might be a good pick up, but they already had chances at Tucson and Reno and passed or at least that was the rumor. I'm speculating they may have also had a shot at San Jose, but passed because of recent changes in California's workman's comp laws. A pair of potential California expansion teams were turned down at the IFL meetings in Chicago. So legitimately the AIFA has little to offer the IFL out West. As for the SIFL, I don't see them being the slightest bit interested. So I'm doubting the AIFA West is even a part of any back room discussions.

The AIFA East is another subject, with some teams of interest to the IFL and maybe even the SIFL. Both Erie and Richmond are solid clubs off the field and would fit nicely in the IFL landscape, although that would mean two teams in Richmond and I have no idea how that would play out. Fayetteville is better suited geographically to the SIFL, but it wouldn't be that far off the IFL's current map. If the SIFL is interested in moving up the Atlantic seaboard, this might be the opportunity they've been waiting for. I'm guessing that AIFA ownership wants something out of this deal as well. It might not be money, but it could consist of just wanting to keep ownership of Harrisburg, Trenton, and possibly Baltimore. The AIFA East is nicely laid out and would be a built in Northeastern Division for the SIFL, or those teams would certainly be easy to plug into IFL existing divisions.

I can't see the IFL paying one dime to get the AIFA. Why should they? Yes, a couple teams fit nicely into their landscape, but I'm betting they would choose to gamble the AIFA outright dies and they can pick up those teams for nothing. Those franchises do not make the IFL much stronger, although it could be argued that the league could buy out the AIFA to protect themselves from the outside chance the SIFL would buy it.

Going out on a limb here, but I strongly feel the SIFL wants to move up the Eastern seaboard. I know they have repeatedly said they are Southern based and believe strongly in their regional format, but let's be honest. Aren't we all used to hearing leagues talk about this or that and turn right around and do the opposite, thinking us fans won't notice they did a 180? Remember the Atlantic Indoor Football League or the Great Lakes Indoor Football League? They're now the AIFA and CIFL, respectively, renamed after adding to their geographical ambitions.

Let's say a deal could be struck between the AIFA and the SIFL. Just what would that mean? To start with it, it opens new territory for the SIFL and in some regards would take the pressure off expansion plans in Texas and Florida. If all remaining AIFA Eastern teams stayed in the package, it would give the SIFL a very nice Northeastern division.

Let's just say this happens. For starters, I can see that quite possibly the CIFL and/or the UIFL might be interested in cooperating with the SIFL. I feel those three are maybe more cooperative minded than the IFL. But there again the IFL doesn't have to cooperate with other leagues to maintain their dominance, or so it would seem. Now I could see the CIFL working with the SIFL to set up an interleague championship game. They might even eventually include the UIFL in that scenario as well. But if you have two or all three of these leagues working together, to some degree that evens the playing field against the IFL.

Right now the IFL is bordered on the North by Canada and in the West by the Pacific Ocean. Outside of expansion within existing territory, all that's left is the Southwest, the South, and the Atlantic Seaboard. Overall I think the IFL is doing a good job in making logical decisions where expansion is concerned, except for the one team: Prescott, Arizona, the first team in the Southwest Division. We can also tell from the proposed expansion plans in the Southwest that the IFL isn't satisfied with just the territory they currently control.

If the SIFL took over the Atlantic seaboard and entered into agreements of cooperation with the CIFL and/or UIFL it would potentially block the IFL from further expansion into those areas or at least give potential ownerships another league or leagues to consider. In effect, the IFL would be hindered in the expansion area by being blocked North, West, East, and South. They may also find their share of Texas getting even smaller as I don't think the issue of IFL Texas based teams jumping to the SIFL is a dead issue. It may be for the 2011 season, but not beyond that.

The next question in my mind is would this be good for the sport? I think the answer there depends upon if one considers the SIFL a stable league on the right path. In its first two years, we have seen a pattern of allowing teams into the league that didn't belong. We also saw more replacement teams from the semi-pro ranks used as fillers. I don't think we've seen more semi-pro fill ins in recent history since the NIFL days. One might want to consider the possibility that longterm, the SIFL might not that much better than the AIFA.

Last, I want to take a look at the AIFA East teams and see if the SIFL is a good fit for them or if they might be better off going to the IFL, CIFL or UIFL. I think Erie, Fayetteville, and Richmond would be assets to any league and maybe it might be more to their benefit to choose where they go instead of just accepting their fate in the SIFL. I guess we could argue that all day, but my biggest concern is with the other AIFA East teams: Harrisburg, Trenton, and maybe Baltimore. Does the current AIFA league leadership retain ownership, or do some existing SIFL team ownerships take over?

Who's to say that if the AIFA league leadership have ownership that we won't see the total lack of successful marketing we've seen in Harrisburg extended to all the teams they own and we hear of attendance in the low hundreds? I think all would agree that would not be good, nor help the SIFL to become more stable. And what if existing ownerships took those teams? To the best of my memory I know of no multiple teams under one ownership that has worked long term. If you don't believe me, look at history. It is doubtful that new ownership could be found for these teams prior to the 2011 season, but that isn't out of the question, just highly unlikely.

Southern Indoor Football League Stories from September 29, 2010

• Over a Cup of Coffee - OSC Original by Jerry Hewitt

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.