What The Hell Was The AAFL?

Running a start-up business can be one of the most stressful things in the world; a crushing weight of expectations and hopes, the investments (both monetary and personal) that must be made worthwhile, all conspire to exert considerable pressure on the entrepenuer. Competition is always a serious issue, too: what if someone out there is already performing your job? What if they're better than you? How do you compete, and compete smart? What if your competition is the NFL?

In spite of what would seem to be insurmountable odds, the minds and investors behind the All-American Football League held their draft in January with an interesting game plan in mind: set up teams in college football hotbeds, and populate the teams with players who experienced their glory days at nearby universities. This way, fans would get to see the players they loved in college, without those pesky intra-state rivalries and underage cheerleaders.

Granted, you're never going to see home-state heroes like LaDanian Tomilson or (shudder to think) Vince Young in this league, although Ricky Williams' career trajectory seems like a perfect fit. Who you will see are players who did actually graduate and who weren't (in most cases) good enough for the NFL. Among the "draws" for Team Texas is former Texas A&M Wes Bautovich, who is prominently featured in advertising for the league. If you're saying "who?", you're not alone. Bautovich was a role-playing DB for the Aggies in the final years of the "Wrecking Crew" defense; he's also 28 years old, hardly a rookie's age. Hmm.