Post by DiamondThief on Aug 23, 2020 12:04:14 GMT -8
9/18/20 --
The Oakland Panthers have announced that the team will go cormand for the 2021 season due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oakland, an expansion team owned by California businessman Roy Choi and Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch, are the third Choi team to opt out of next season. SCtoC learned four weeks ago that the Cedar Rapids River Kings and the San Diego Strike Force will go dormant for the season. While the return of the River Kings is up in the air, the Strike Force have indicated that they will make a return in 2022.
In a statement on their website, the Panthers cited "significant economic repercussions and uncertainties caused by COVID-19," for taking the year off, and that the team "the team intends to prepare for a return for the 2022 season." The team thanked the Oakland community for embracing the team and they are unwavering in keeping professional football in Oakland. Choi cited the desire to provide accessibility and family entertainment; things which the team may not be able to fully apply if there are restrictions to having fans in the arenas.
“Oakland has always been a hub for passionate sports fans, and we are focused on making the Panthers a hometown favorite,” Choi said in the statement. “When we launched the Oakland Panthers last September, it was important that games be safe, accessible, family entertainment where parents create lasting memories with their families at an affordable price. We ask for everyone’s support as we look forward to our 2022 season.”
Panthers president Scott McKibben thanked fans, staff and affiliates as well as vowing to return in 2022. "We want to thank our fans, sponsors, our dedicated staff, coaches and players, our Oakland Panthers Dance Team, and our media partners The KBCW 44/Cable 12 and KNBR 1050. We hope to be back in 2022 to compete for a league championship.”
The Panthers became the first expansion team to join the Indoor Football League following the 2019 season. They made the announcement on September 10, shortly after the league announced the move of the Duke City (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Gladiators from Champions Indoor Football to the IFL. Oakland was poised to play it's first game, a home match up against the Iowa Barnstormers on March 14. However, that game was eventually cancelled after the league suspended the season due to the pandemic.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
8/23/20 --
This site has learned, through a pair of independent sources, that two Indoor Football League teams will go dormant for the 2021 season, though there may be good news for one of them.
The San Diego Strike Force and Cedar Rapids River Kings, both primarily owned by California businessman Roy Choi, will suspend operations for next season. The Strike Force plan to make a return in 2022, per our source. The long-term fate of the River Kings is unknown at this time, but typically there are some possible options on the table in such a situation.
Our sources did not have word on the Oakland Panthers, an expansion team owned by Choi and former Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch. By all current indications, the Panthers will continue operations to start their inaugural season in 2021. Per league officials, the season is tentatively planned to begin in March.
San Diego joined the league prior to the 2019 season. They struggled to a 1-13 record largely due to the fact they joined late in the off season. Ameer Ismael was tabbed to become their first head coach, but left to take a coordinator position with the National Arena League's Columbus Cobras. Former San Diego Chargers defensive end Burt Grossman was brought in just over two months prior to the season's start. While the team struggled, there was market improvement. Kick returner and wide receiver Marques Johnson was a standout, leading the IFL with 2,229 all-purpose yards; third-most all time in league history. Johnson was named IFL Special Teams Player of the Year and won the same honor in SCtoC's 2019 Golden Helmet Awards.
The Strike Force were involved in one of two games played in 2020 prior to the league postponing (and eventually canceling) the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. San Diego used a stout defense overtake the Bismarck Bucks in central North Dakota, 50-36. It was the first road win in team history. Following the 2019 season, the team underwent a complete revamping of a new logo, color scheme and uniforms. It's likely that those will still be in place should they, in fact, return in 2022.
Cedar Rapids goes quiet as one of the league's longest-tenured teams. The River Kings were entering their ninth season and second under the ownership of Choi. Like the Strike Force, they played just a single game prior to the season cancellation; a 54-39 home loss to the Quad City Steamwheelers. The River Kings transformed from the Cedar Rapids Titans after Choi bought the team in the fall of 2018. They changed their name, logo, colors and uniforms.
Options for a return for the River Kings include ownership opted to resurrecting the team at some point or if a sale to a new owner were to take place. Over their eight-plus seasons in the IFL, Cedar Rapids went 50-67 in the regular season and 1-4 in the playoffs. They advanced to the conference round of the playoffs four straight seasons, from 2013-2016, but lost to the eventual champion Sioux Falls Storm all four seasons. The Titans/River Kings have had a rough go of it over the past three seasons, winning just five games in 44 tries.
Every professional sports league in the United States suspended their seasons following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some leagues, such as the National Basketball Association and National Women’s Soccer League, it was temporary. For others, it was to look to what would be the following season; as was the case with the IFL. On March 13th, the IFL was the first indoor football league to announce it was suspending the season before the league officially canceled the season on April 13th.
The news comes less than a week after the IFL welcomed the Massachusetts Pirates to the league; extending the league's reach to the East Coast for the first time in history. The league also was set to see expansion teams the Panthers, Frisco Fighters and Spokane Shock. The latter is a new incarnation of the Shock owned by former Seattle Seahawk Sam Adams. Additionally, 2020 was to see the IFL debut of the Duke City Gladiators of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Those teams are still on the list for 2021.
Returning to the IFL next season are the Bucks, Storm, Steamwheelers, Arizona Rattlers, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers and Tucson Sugar Skulls. The league will enter its 12th season next year.
SCtoC also has learned of another possible expansion franchise to be added to the slate of teams. However, due to our policies, we do not report on rumors; rather, confirmed fact. Any further expansion news will be reported here only when it is confirmed.
This article will be updated when further news becomes available.
-ANM
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