I saw more than a handful of reports pointing to how the AAF had higher ratings than the NBA game Saturday night. The vast majority thought that was notable. As I recall, it was something like a 2.1 share versus a 2.0 share for the NBA.
What no one mentioned, at least that I read, was a mention of the numbers when the XFL debuted. As I recall it was over four times as many watched versus what the AAF drew Saturday night.
A new league versus one that has a selective type of audience. Reality is we have a group of NBA watchers and a group that don't watch until the playoffs. A new football league is going to attract viewers for the simple reason, it's new.
It's my opinion the AAF is looking to become a developmental league for the NFL. If they are able to fill that niche, it'll be around a long time. But, there's one catch in my view. The longer Vince is around the league--even with his monetary contributions--the worse it will be in terms of being accepted as a legit football league.