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Is The Arena Football League Calling It Quits?

While I was sitting in on a panel at the Princeton Sports Symposium, Christopher Cabott, a lawyer and adjunct professor asked whether the group of speakers had heard the latest news: The Arena Football League was folding.  I immediately left the room to call up Matthew Watkins, Dynasty‘s NFLPA Advisor.  Apparently, this “rumor” had been spreading for quite some time.  Due to the struggling economy, many “minor league” organizations had seen some of its teams vanish or ask for loans and entire leagues such as the Continental Basketball Association have found themselves on the last dose of life support.  Could the AFL, a property so heavily boosted by an alliance with ESPN, be headed to its death?  As someone looking to get entrenched in representing professional football clients, I sure hoped that the rumors were not true.

The Denver Post has set a deadline of December 19.  If the AFL does not secure financing by that time, the paper says there is a strong chance that the AFL exists no longer.  The one thing that is certain is that there is a lot of uncertainty…among players, coaches, fans, and front office executives.  At least one team will not be putting on pads this season (if there is a season).  The New Orleans VooDoo called it quits in October.  No one knows what is going on, but if The Denver Post is right on its statement of Dec. 19, then we should all find out soon enough.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

One reply on “Is The Arena Football League Calling It Quits?”

No need to say this will be disastrous for American Football agents as an avenue will close. The question is will this have a flow on effect to students opting for another sport over football, knowing that it is even harder to break into professionalism?

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