The Arena Football League has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased all operations, AFL commissioner Randall Boe said in a statement Wednesday.
“We’re all disappointed that we couldn’t find a way to move forward, and we wanted to thank our fans, our players, coaches, everyone who loved Arena League Football,” Boe wrote.
“We simply weren’t able to raise the capital necessary to grow the league, resolve the substantial legacy liabilities and make it financially viable,” he added.
The league had suspended operations in October. In his statement, Boe added that refunds are being processed and thanked fans, teams, partners and sponsors for their support.
The AFL was founded in 1987, making it the third longest-running professional football league in North America after the Canadian Football League and National Football League.
With a significantly smaller field than its NFL counterpart, AFL games were faster-paced and higher-scoring.
The AFL gained popularity in the early aughts; at its height, 19 teams competed in 2001 and 2004. In 2003, the AFL worked out a deal with NBC to televise league games, but two league and network severed ties in 2006 failing to reach a deal.
The AFL moved around to different networks, eventually ending up at ESPN2 in 2019 as its popularity declined.
Only six franchises remained by the time of the 2019 bankruptcy: The Columbus Destroyers, the Philadelphia Soul, the Baltimore Brigade, the Washington Valor, the Albany Empire and the Atlantic City Blackjacks.
The announcement comes before one of the biggest football days of the year, with three NFL games (Bears vs. Lions, Bills vs. Cowboys, Saints vs. Falcons) slated for Thanksgiving Day.
10 All-Time Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Fails
Turkey Day is almost here, which means that all across America, La-Z-Boys will soon be dragged in front of TVs and channels will be changed to NBC, because the annual viewing of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is upon us. One way to get hyped for this year's festivities is to remember some of the most epic fails of years past. From the infamous Uncle Sam and Spider-Man incident of 2012 to the numerous bystanders injured when balloons collided with street lamps, here are 11 of the most unforgettable -- and uncomfortable -- moments in the parade's history.
Cat in the Hat Balloon Hits Lamp Post, Injures Woman In 1997, the "Cat in the Hat" balloon hit and broke a lamp post. A rogue piece of the metal fixture flew and hit a woman in the head, fracturing her skull, the New York Post reported at the time. She spent a month in a coma, and later sued Macy's for $395 million in damages.
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Popeye Dumps Water on Crowd In 1957, Popeye the Sailor Man's hat collected so much rainwater that it filled up and, well, it had to go somewhere... so it dumped onto unsuspecting parade-goers beneath it.
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The Uncle Sam and Spiderman Incident of 2012
Who could forget this hilariously awkward and NSFC mishap from 2012? The night before the parade -- that's when they inflate the balloons and get them ready for the next day's festivities -- these two balloon pals shimmied together somehow, and Spider-Man's face accidentally got up close and personal with Uncle Sam's butt. It wasn't what it looked like -- but it did look like that.
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Kermit the Frog Deflates
This one gives new meaning to the phrase "It's not easy being green." Hovering six stories high and 24-feet wide at his best, in 1985, the Kermit balloon suffered a rip in his belly region and began to deflate, causing him to sink down dangerously to the ground -- and the people holding onto his strings.
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Superman's Arm Rips Off
Also in 1985, the Superman balloon suffered a loss of limb. One of the balloon's arms ripped off, causing the remainder of the severed appendage to dangle loosely, its frayed edges blowing in the wind.
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Sonic the Hedgehog Injures Off Duty Cop
According to the New York Times, in 1993, the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon hit a lamp post at West 58th St. and Broadway. A piece of the lamp post fell and landed on off-duty Suffolk County police captain, Joseph D. Kistinger, breaking his shoulder.
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Rex the Dinosaur Pops
In 1993, Rex the Dinosaur's nose caught a traffic light and ripped right open. But in case you were wondering, no, this is not Rex the Dinosaur from "Toy Story" -- he didn't make his Macy's parade debut for another two years. This Rex, who is reddish-orange color rather than green, is from the 1993 animated film "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story."
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Barney's Side Rips
In 1994, Barney suffered a critical hit from a lamp post, tearing his side and deflating him. Another one bites the dust.
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M&M Balloon Collides With Street Light, Injures Two Sisters
In 2005, yet another collision occurred, this time with a street light and an M&M balloon. Parts of the street light broke and fell to earth, injuring two sisters, according to the New York Times.
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SpongeBob Gets Punctured
In 2006, lamp posts once again had the last laugh when one came face-to-face with Nickelodeon's beloved under-sea dweller, SpongeBob. Though he is porous in theory, his balloon-form is sadly not immune to being punctured.
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From balloon-on-lamp post collisions to that “awkward” Spider-Man and Uncle Sam moment
Turkey Day is almost here, which means that all across America, La-Z-Boys will soon be dragged in front of TVs and channels will be changed to NBC, because the annual viewing of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is upon us. One way to get hyped for this year's festivities is to remember some of the most epic fails of years past. From the infamous Uncle Sam and Spider-Man incident of 2012 to the numerous bystanders injured when balloons collided with street lamps, here are 11 of the most unforgettable -- and uncomfortable -- moments in the parade's history.
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