The Alliance of American Football

The end of the NFL season is always kind of a downer for most fans. Regardless if their team won the big game or had a down year, the end of the season means no meaningful football games for six months or more. Things can being to look bleak, as fans wait for free agency and the draft.

Enter the Alliance. The Alliance of American Football, or AAF, is an upstart league that is currently in the third week of its inaugural season. The first year teams are located in Arizona, Atlanta, San Antonio, San Diego, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Birmingham, and Memphis. Reception has been mostly positive, as its TV numbers on CBS for the debut weekend were strong.

But what might be the best thing so far about the AAF is that it's fun.  There are teams full of guys who just want to extend their playing careers and get some on-field experience for another shot at the NFL.  These players are playing for the love of the game. The games have been high quality and filled will hard hits, trick plays, and great offense and defense. The rosters are made of a large amount of players from the state that the team is located in (for example, Alabama players on the Birmingham team) which gives the league a home town feel. Social media has fans already choosing allegiances and changing their handles to reflect their team spirit.

There are a few changes to the rules in the league. There are no kickoffs, and no extra points. Teams that score touchdowns must attempt a two-point conversion. The play clock is also 5 seconds shorter that NFL play clocks. Finally, there are no onside kicks. Teams wanting to attempt an onside kick must attempt to convert a 4th and 12 from their own 38 yard line. A complete list of rule changes can be found here.

The Alliance is hopefully here to stay. It is a great fix for those NFL fans still craving the fix that only football can give them. For more information on the Alliance, including schedules, merchandise, and more, please visit aaf.com

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