- Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic is one NBA player who did not take a knee or wear a “Black Lives Matter” t-shirtPosted 3 days ago
- Mystics now say Elene Delle Donne, who takes 64 pills a day for chronic Lyme disease, will still be paid if she opts-out of the WNBA seasonPosted 2 weeks ago
- Coronavirus victim Dwight Jones left a legacy in Detroit as a coach and humanitarianPosted 2 weeks ago
- Farewell, Norwich City. Will the Canaries return to the Premier League soon?Posted 3 weeks ago
- BLM movement reaches mid-major Howard University with commitment from Makur Maker, a 5-star recruit who was wooed by several power schoolsPosted 4 weeks ago
- Which teams will surprise in the NBA bubble?Posted 4 weeks ago
- Here’s hoping Makur Maker’s choice to attend HBCU Howard becomes a trendPosted 4 weeks ago
- Maya Moore can now celebrate perhaps her greatest victory, and not with UConn or the Minnesota LynxPosted 1 month ago
- Former Kansas guards Devonte Graham, Frank Mason just finished breakout pro seasonsPosted 1 month ago
- The NBA, NBPA, and Yale University join forces to fight COVID-19Posted 1 month ago
First night of Alliance of American Football action was promising
- Updated: February 10, 2019
Former Arkansas wideout Mekale McKay was a standout for the San Antonio Commanders (Tom Reel, Staff/San Antonio Express)
The AAF had existed for one play, one snap, and I already had an opinion on it.
I guess you could call it a ‘snap judgment.’ (Ok, I’ll stop).
San Antonio Commanders quarterback Logan Woodside dropped back, stepped up, fired– and hit a streaking Mekale McKay in stride. The former Arkansas wideout snatched the ball out of mid-air like he had suction-cup arms, pulled it down and kept running until he was taken down on a nice tackle.
At that moment, I knew this league had a chance.
San Antonio went on to beat San Diego, 15-6, in, admittedly, not the greatest football game I’ve ever seen. But the first half, which finished 6-6, was entertaining enough. It was back-and-forth, fast-paced (thanks to short commercial breaks and split-screens showing players during them) and easy to watch.
It was real football–higher quality than college, not quite as ‘roided out and Hunger Games-like as the NFL.
It’s a secondary football league without the nonsensical bravado and phoniness of the XFL. Call me crazy, but after one game–I think it’s got a shot.
America is football-crazed, and has been for a long time, but if ever there was a moment that you might think the game’s grip on the country’s sporting landscape has loosened, this might be it.
Fans, and would-be players are preoccupied with concussions, the CTE crisis has become a nightmare for the sport, and it’s deteriorated because of the safety regulations that, necessarily, were put in place.
It’s not the same gladiator-like sport that it was in the 70’s or 80’s or 90’s–hell, it’s not the same sport that Tom Brady started playing when he came into the league.
All this considered, you might think that the time for another football league has passed.
And yet–watching the AAF on Saturday night didn’t feel like a pointless chore.
It didn’t come with the moral angst that the NFL elicits, alongside its national anthem controversy, countless domestic violence incidents and steroid issues that no one EVER talks about.
It was fun. It was entertaining. It just felt right.
And I think it just might stick around a little while.
More crazy football:
