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Post by DiamondThief on Nov 12, 2015 20:13:42 GMT -8
Nov. 12, 2015 -- It appears the Arena Football League will lose another team for the 2016 season.
Commissioner Scott C. Butera announced in a statement on the league's website that the owners of the San Jose Sabercats have elected to discontinue their membership in the AFL.
In the statement, Butera said the league would search for new, viable ownership for the Sabercats, who played 20 seasons in the AFL.
The following is the commissioner's statement:
LAS VEGAS – Arena Football League Commissioner Scott Butera announced today that, for reasons unrelated to League operations, the owners of the San Jose Sabercats have notified him that they will no longer continue as members of the AFL.
Butera said that the League is working to secure a new long-term owner for the storied franchise, which played its first Arena game in 1995. He also extended the AFL’s deep appreciation to the SaberCats ownership group for all the contributions they have made to Arena Football.
“We have a remarkably loyal fan base in the San Jose area and we are working aggressively to secure new ownership for the franchise as soon as possible,” Butera said. “In the process of rebuilding, there is an evolution that brings change and growth. In the coming months, we will reveal a strategic growth plan for the AFL, including completion of agreements with a number of expansion opportunities.”
The move by the Frys comes amid widely spread accusations of the team paying players "under the table." The league has a salary cap of a little over $1,400 per player, per game. Long-time followers of the league have pointed at the Sabercats as one of three or four teams who engaged in this practice in for the 2015 season; one which saw San Jose win ArenaBowl XXVIII in August.
The AFL folded two teams -- New Orleans VooDoo and Las Vegas Outlaws -- and lost the Spokane Shock when they moved to the Indoor Football League.
- ANM
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Post by Kasey on Nov 13, 2015 11:29:05 GMT -8
i can only wonder how this will affect the upcoming season.
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Post by David on Nov 13, 2015 13:30:12 GMT -8
The AFL may be saying they're pulling strings on getting a new owner to keep the franchise alive, but all the media outlets and ArenaFan are leaning to the side of the team being finished. If they do return, they're likely to play in Stockton in an "af2/IFL market." My gut feeling says the SaberCats are finished.
As for the AFL, you're looking at 8 teams and the National Conference is unbalanced (5 teams American, 3 teams National). If the league really wants to survive beyond 2016 they're going to have to make drastic changes (shorter schedule, abolish the conference system and make it a single entity).
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Post by Kasey on Nov 16, 2015 11:26:44 GMT -8
it seems like eliminating conferences and divisions for at least this year would be the way to go. it's not an issue with the American Conference since they still have five teams, but the National Conference just wouldn't look right as far as the playoff race is concerned. the schedule also should be reduced. the added travel for National Conference teams would be bad enough as it is. this is all assuming the number of teams stays the way it is now.
what ever is decided, it co ld be a short term solution until the league could build it's number of teams. i really hope this commissioner actually does have a plan.
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Post by David on Nov 17, 2015 11:49:48 GMT -8
. i really hope this commissioner actually does have a plan. ArenaFan's been stating that Butera has a plan, and it involves courting more NHL/NBA owners to have involvement in the AFL. The hope is they would provide more stability and promotion of the product, and supposedly it'll be better in the long run for the health of the league. Of the 8 current teams, Tampa Bay and Cleveland are the only ownership groups that have stakes in pro sports (Tampa Bay - Lighting, Cleveland - Cavs). That also opens a can of worms for the current owners, specifically if they are willing to stay or if they'd have to sell the majority ownership to an NHL/NBA owner figure. There's no implication that they wouldn't be able to fit in the league, but the point has been made that ownership groups like the one in San Jose are not viable for the future of the league. What will it mean for Portland? I'm not sure. Paul Allen doesn't come off as someone that would want a stake in the AFL, but I could be wrong. |
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Post by Kasey on Nov 17, 2015 19:45:20 GMT -8
. i really hope this commissioner actually does have a plan. ArenaFan's been stating that Butera has a plan, and it involves courting more NHL/NBA owners to have involvement in the AFL. The hope is they would provide more stability and promotion of the product, and supposedly it'll be better in the long run for the health of the league. Of the 8 current teams, Tampa Bay and Cleveland are the only ownership groups that have stakes in pro sports (Tampa Bay - Lighting, Cleveland - Cavs). That also opens a can of worms for the current owners, specifically if they are willing to stay or if they'd have to sell the majority ownership to an NHL/NBA owner figure. There's no implication that they wouldn't be able to fit in the league, but the point has been made that ownership groups like the one in San Jose are not viable for the future of the league. What will it mean for Portland? I'm not sure. Paul Allen doesn't come off as someone that would want a stake in the AFL, but I could be wrong. i'm very much of a won't believe it until i see it type of person. i will say that the idea of linked ownership seems like a good idea. i'm not sure they will be able to pull it off. Paul Allen owns the arena and i know they were trying to fill open dates so they contacted prospective AFL owners and found Emmert. as far as i know in San Jose, they have the Sharks of the National Hockey League so the AFL is probably trying to work with them. i can't see any other team in the Bay Area really being an option. |
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Post by David on Dec 3, 2015 22:43:37 GMT -8
SaberCats posted a cryptic statement regarding their future, but sounds like to me that the team is done.
A few hours after the SaberCats posted that, ArenaFan tweeted this.
That's more than enough proof to confirm that the SaberCats are history.
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