How can the AAFC manage to get the NFL to take all of its teams, and what would be the ramifications of the Super Bowl starting 20 years or so early?
How can the AAFC manage to get the NFL to take all of its teams, and what would be the ramifications of the Super Bowl starting 20 years or so early?
49ers, I think.How many teams moved to the NFL when the AAFC folded? I know my Browns did but who else?
49ers, I think.
The AAFC had a huge problem with parity. The Browns only lost four games in four years in the league, and the 49ers only lost four games to non-Browns opponents in the last three years of the league. Those were probably the only two viable teams to join the NFL, the others likely would have folded as the Baltimore Colts (no relation to the current day Colts) did after their 1950 season in the NFL.
The AFL also made some really good business decisions ith the goal of forcing the NFL to the table. They started bidding wars over quarterbacks and other big name players (John Brodie from San Francisco, Roman Gabriel for the LA Rams, and Mike Ditka, from Chicago all signed AFL contracts in the period of a few weeks ) along with the on-going competition for College players. The AFL teams were paying out what, at the time, was seen as insane (Brodie led the NFL in passing yards and TD's in 1965, made $35K, the AFL Oilers offered him to a contract that was worth between $650K and $1 MILLION for three seasons).Parity was a major reason(the other was the
presence of TV $ to pay the bills)that the
AFL made it & the AAFC didn't. Of that league's original 8 teams, 6 won the cham-
pionship @ least once, whereas in the AAFC,
as you pointed out packmanwiscy, the
Browns won the title every year of the AAFC's existence.
Now the Situation by 1960, Dons may move to San Diego, Cardinals will still relocate IOTL to St. Louis, The End Result
Eastern Conference
Capital: Boston Patriots, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Century: Baltimore Colts, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Western Conference
Central: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Cardinals (relocated from Chicago)
Coastal: Dallas Texans, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Dons (relocated from Los Angeles), San Francisco 49ers
As for Expansion: Probably during the 60's, Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Minneapolis and Seattle will be among the possibilities so the league will expand to 20 teams by 1965 or 1966.
The AFL also came along at the right moment in terms of the growth of TV and they were able to capitalize on it.
More like Divine Intervention.True, so the AAFC would need something to bolster them. Radio, perhaps.
True, so the AAFC would need something to bolster them. Radio, perhaps.
More like Divine Intervention.
The AAFC had too many teams trying to go head-to-head with established NFL teams. It isn't a coincidence that the only two teams that survived were several hours drive from any NFL city.
Probably the best way the AAFC could bolster itself would be to take a page out of the book of a contemporary league that was in a remarkably similar position to it, the Basketball Association of America. That being, cannibalize teams from the NFL to replace the weaker teams in the league that couldn't keep up with Cleveland and San Francisco. They succeeded in luring one because of its owner's desire to use Yankee Stadium, but if they could have gotten more they potentially could have forced a merger on their terms like the BAA did to the NBL.