When the AAF kicked off there was an immense amount of excitement around the league and the players. Opening weekend drew millions and millions of viewers and the product did not disappoint. It wasn’t the NFL but it was never supposed to be.
The dream for the AAF was for it to be a developmental league for the NFL. A place for borderline players to come, get paid, and refine their skills then go infiltrate the NFL ranks. At first, this seemed like it was going to be accomplished as countless players stood out.
However, the rumblings of money problems began to circulate.