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Upstart Football League AAF Reportedly Suspends Operations

Upstart Football League AAF Reportedly Suspends Operations

(Bloomberg) -- It looks like the clock has run out for the Alliance of American Football.

The spring league is ceasing football operations eight weeks after its launch, according to NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk.

If the league folds, it would mark an unceremonious end for an organization that got off to a splashy start. When games began airing in February, they drew strong ratings, beating the National Basketball Association in some cases.

Upstart Football League AAF Reportedly Suspends Operations

The league in February was kept afloat by a week-to-week investment from Carolina Hurricanes hockey team owner Tom Dundon, who assumed control of the AAF at the time. Dundon said he’d put about $70 million to $75 million into the league as part of a $250 million commitment.

Dundon had been seeking an affiliation with the National Football League, an arrangement that would let players on the NFL’s practice squads play in the AAF. But such a deal hasn’t come together. The upstart league needed about $20 million to make it to the end of its first season, ProFootballTalk said.

The AAF, founded by TV producer Charlie Ebersol and longtime NFL executive Bill Polian, aimed to capitalize on the down time after the Super Bowl -- and burgeoning interest in sports betting. The league kicked off with eight teams in cities such as Atlanta and San Diego, attempting to build buzz on social media. Backers also included the Chernin Group and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.

Even if the AAF fails, the dream of starting a new pro-football league isn’t dead. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. co-founder Vince McMahon is scheduled to reboot the XFL spring league next year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net

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