Amid Doubt, AFL's '09 Season a Go

Cash-strapped league plans to play on despite worries of some owners
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2008 7:12 AM CST
Amid Doubt, AFL's '09 Season a Go
Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, left, and musician Jon Bon Jovi, part-owners of the Philadelphia Soul, hold up the AFL Championship trophy , Thursday, July 31, 2008.    (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Arena Football League blazed attendance records last year, reports the New York Times, but when league honchos met last night, it was to decide the murky future of the 2009 season. Though they decided to play on despite the gloomy economy, the league's untoward business model remains a concern: "We’re going to work on the economic model either way," said one owner.

High-profile owners are growing weary of punting money into the league without return, and some execs think a year off is what it needs to streamline. “We need a model that collectively works for the group,” said one owner. “At this point in time—and given the limited revenue streams that this model has—we have to look at prudent expense management and ways to produce revenue."
(More Arena Football League stories.)

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