Over a Cup of Coffee

by Jerry Hewitt
Published on October 14, 2010 under Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)

I don't normally like to focus on one league, but with the IFL appearing to have lost ten teams heading into the 2011 season, they have come under heavy attack from some, so maybe it is time to take a peek at the IFL and see if the losses are really that bad.

In the Atlantic East it looks like Rochester, Maryland, and West Michigan are gone. I would ask fans to look at each of these teams and see if any were really on any kind of path that might have spelled long term success. None were drawing crowds large enough to say they were in good markets or that ownership was interested in doing what it might have taken to build a decent fan base. To the best of my knowledge, neither Rochester nor Maryland were faced with any immediate financial issues, but West Michigan showed in 2010 they didn't have the finances to keep the team afloat without league help.

In the Central West, only the Sioux City Bandits appear to have left the scene. The cause is rumored to be the owner not liking the direction of the league in how it looks at enforcing rules. It has long been my opinion that just because you disagree, you don't just quit, but instead hang in there and work within the system to get changes you want. That aside, losing a team that has 10 years time in this sport is never good, no matter what league it is apart of. Losing Sioux City was a bad thing and maybe throws a negative light on how the IFL operates.

The Lonestar East appears to be dead. Three of the teams, Austin, San Angelo, and Corpus Christi are all gone and the remainder, Arkansas, has relocated to Allen, Texas. Austin, I believe, had the finances to continue in the IFL, but was in one of the worst-proven markets in the sport and even though they are rumored to relocate to San Antonio, I wonder if a real deal ever happened there. Continuing in Austin would have been a mistake, but losing this team has to be considered a loss. San Angelo had a major ownership shift with the majority owner selling out to the Amarillo Venom ownership who decided to put the team on hold for 2011 pending the IFL placing more teams in Texas after the 2011 season. Personally I see this as a mistake after San Angelo just completed their best season ever on the field and this year could be a good opportunity to build on that on and off the field, but at the same time have to credit the new ownership in looking at increased travel costs. I still feel this one is a loss, though. I personally don't like how Corpus Christi does business. To me it just seems everything is done on the cheap, but they are an established franchise and no league likes to lose those kind of teams. I can't call them a loss since I feel their ownership has not got the best interest of the sport at heart, but only his own interests.

The Lonestar West only lost Abilene. Abilene didn't show it knew what it was doing last season both on the field and off. Attendance was poor and I saw little effort in the marketing area. I wouldn't call losing Abilene a big loss to the IFL, nor a big gain to the SIFL.

The Pacific North suffered two losses including Billings, which many consider the biggest loss in all the leagues. Out also is Anchorage which folded mid season 2010. With no viable ownership found in this market, the IFL had little choice but to let this franchise go even though it doesn't help out sister Alaska team Fairbanks. Losing Anchorage has to be considered a loss even though there was little choice. Losing Billings for whatever reason does hurt. I don't mean just for the IFL, but for the sport itself. It does weaken the entire IFL to some degree although the impact won't be all that evident or even really felt.

Keep in mind that even though the IFL appears to have lost ten teams, they did pick up two very established teams in Wyoming and Reading, both assets. They also have at least three strong newcomers in Wenatchee, Lehigh and Grand Island. Both appear to be financially solid and fit the existing foot print well.

When you look at losses, to be fair, you also have to look at those still in the game and any additions to a league. I feel the core of the IFL remains intact and most of their additions make sense on and off the field and any that feel these losses substantially weaken the IFL are dead wrong. I can say the same for the CIFL and SIFL. All three on paper at least, look like they are on track for a successful 2011 season and beyond. Now if the rumored merger of the SIFL and AIFA does take place, I might want to change my tune on the SIFL depending on how that shakes out.

So let's compare what is happening in the IFL compared to the other three returning leagues.

The AIFA in the east is now comprised of five teams with the best of last year, Reading, jumping to the IFL. It would appear the lone stable survivor is Erie. I can't count Fayetteville being stable when they are on or off the auction block. Richmond appears to be headed in the right direction, but the others are either too new to judge or have proven to not be that stable. Out west all teams except two, Yakima and San Jose, the latter which may move to Stockton, are new. I don't see how anybody could say the AIFA west could be considered stable or going in the right direction when you look at how spread out teams are. Overall the AIFA falls way short as compared to the IFL.

The SIFL finally removed Greenville from their list of teams on the official website. Losing Greenville with poor ownership is a major plus. They do return solid teams in Columbus, Albany, Louisiana, and Lafayette. They added two from the IFL in Corpus Christi and Abilene. Corpus is an established team and has to be considered a stable addition at this point. Last year Abilene didn't seem to know how a team should be operated on or off the field so I'm not sure I can say they are a good pick up. New to the game is Rio Grande Valley, Mobile, and Houston. The book is still open on these three, but in my opinion Houston is not a good market. I hold the past two seasons against the SIFL and will until they prove themselves in regards to bringing in only good teams that not only start the season, but finish without major financial drama.

It appears the CIFL will return all its teams minus one, Fort Wayne. After folding midseason last year, Marion returns under new ownership. They have officially announced one new team in Port Huron and is rumored that maybe West Michigan, dropped from the IFL, may join as well. Returning most of its teams does say good things about this league. Even though all appears to be good on the CIFL front I can find few who compare them in quality of teams to the IFL.

The IFL returns 15 teams. I may have a question mark on a couple as to if they are headed in the right direction, but most, if not all are a good solid foundation on which to further build the league. Additions such as Wyoming, Reading and even Wenatchee help that foundation as does the addition of Grand Island and Lehigh. I can see most out there working hard to make their teams better on and off the field. In closing, let me repeat something I said earlier. If you take a good look at all that is happening in the IFL and can honestly conclude they are weakened overall by their losses, then you are just wrong, but I do respect your opinion and your right to it.

Continental Indoor Football League Stories from October 14, 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.