Off-Season News

First and formost among the off-season news is the report that the US Government has filed suit on behalf of the players who initiated last years lawsuit against the league that almost cancelled the season. The suit alleges unfair labor practices and it would declare the old collective bargaining agreement null and void. As these things always take time, we'll have to wait until after the new year to find out what the consequences of this action are.

Other news is the rumors of franchises moving and new franchises being awarded. Here I'll try to separate the known from the uncertain.

Rumors are that Toronto may get a team and that it will be the New England Sea Wolves that move there. The AFL would like to have a team in Canada but will it be awarded a new franchise or will a team relocate is uncertain.

What's not a rumor is that the Iowa Barnstormers owner Jim Foster may have to move his team to NYC due to the teams inability to make money in the tight confines of "The Barn" where they play. The league doesn't really want the team that Kurt Warner came from to move so whether it happens or not we'll have to wait and see.

Definately not a rumor is that next season Detriot and Chicago will rejoin the league. The Chicago Bruisers and the Detroit Drive were pioneering teams in the early years of the AFL. The only thing uncertain is if they'll keep their old names. Both teams have been out of the league for several years now.

In the future, we can look forward to expansion in Dallas (2001 or 2002), Washington DC (2002), and New Orleans (2002 or 2003).

Of course, all of this depends on what happens with the Lawsuit. Detroit was supposed to enter the league last season but couldn't due to the near cancellation of the season.

Go To Page: 1

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic