The Alliance of American Football made its debut over the weekend, receiving mostly positive reviews across the board. The two opening games on Saturday, televised primetime on CBS, pulled better ratings than the NBA’s matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder on ABC. Among the contributors to the AAF’s initial success was a host of innovations and rule changes that were well received by fans and media.
Viewers were given a live look at the decision-making process behind replay reviews. Big hits on quarterbacks went unchecked by the officials. The play-clock was shortened, TV timeouts were removed from the equation and two-point conversions were mandatory.