They say that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, a lesson that the fledgling Alliance of American Football learned resoundingly on Tuesday, as the 8-week-old league joined the XFL, UFL, and USFL as the latest NFL alternative to fold, a source told ESPN.
The 8-team alliance was hampered financially almost immediately, with Tom Dundon, the owner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, infusing $250 million into the league after its first week of games in February. But it wasn't nearly enough to offset a variety of problems, including insurance issues, negligible fan (and commentator) interest, and the NFL's refusal to allow its lesser players from appearing in the AAF.
The Alliance — whose head coaches included former University of Florida coach Steve Spurrier and Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Mike Singletary — gained attention in mid-March when NFL and CFL washout Johnny Manziel signed with its Memphis Express. Following the league's dissolution on Tuesday, the quarterback tweeted, "great concept, good football on the field and fun for fans to watch. Just not enough money to go around which has been the main problem with 'other' leagues for a long time." Manziel and some 400 other Alliance players can at least take solace in the fact that for a few short weeks, they made a handful of football lovers unexpectedly happy.
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