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The Atlanta franchise in the new Alliance of American Football, which will launch its inaugural season in February, will be named Atlanta Legends.
"Atlanta is making legends – that's what the city does," said league co-founder Charlie Ebersol. "He does it historically, he does it in sports terms. When I think of the word "legend", there was a quote … someone used to say when I was little. They said, "The players come and go, but the legends live forever," and it was literally in reference to Hank Aaron …
"It's a city built on legends and built for legends."
– Michael Vick will lead the offensive of the new professional football league team in Atlanta
Ebersol, a television and film producer, co-founded the AAF with Bill Polian, a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, with the intention of providing former NFL and university players with a second opportunity to show their talent and play the game that they like.
Ebersol, whose first sports job was at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, said the AAF wanted to have one of eight league teams in Atlanta, not only because of the Martin Luther King Jr. legacy and major contributions such as the civil rights movement, but also because of the impact of the city on the world of sport.
"There is passion and energy for the sport in Atlanta. I do not know how many cities around the world have missed many cities across the United States. … For me, Atlanta represents this kind of approach to sport and we want to be part of it, "said Ebersol.
AAF is working to recruit not only the players that the fans will recognize, but also the coaches. The league announced in April that former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will join Alliance Atlanta as offensive coordinator and legendary university football coach Steve Spurrier will be Alliance Orlando's head coach.
"The people we're able to do through the regional distribution of players will be names that people have heard of and who may have a deep interest in knowing they're from Georgia, Georgia Tech or from Clemson or South Carolina. or in small schools in the Atlanta area, "said Legends head coach Brad Childress.
The biggest change in AAF on the part of college and professional football that will appeal to fans is the intentional shortening of the duration of the match. With many of the AAF teams adopting a no-huddle attack and league plans to set a 35-second clock, league officials expect the games to last a little over two hours.
– A new professional football league will start early next year
AAF also hopes to attract fans by pricing ticket prices at reasonable rates, limiting ads during broadcasts and offering several opportunities for players to interact with fans.
"I think every time you're able to get guys who are guys for the first time or second chance, you're lucky to have guys excited and (interact with) the audience," he said. Childress. "Let's face it, they are trying to move on to the next step, they must be noticed in the movie that they have presented. Their film is their resume, so I would expect to have a group of energetic and high tempo guys.
Childress, who recently served as an offensive analyst for the Chicago Bears, has 40 years of experience as a Minnesota Vikings coach and offensive coordinator for the Chiefs of Brown and Kansas City.
AAF will launch its inaugural season in February 2019 when the Legends, who will play at Georgia State Stadium, will be joined by teams located in Orlando, Memphis, Salt Lake City, Tempe, Arizona, San Diego, Birmingham and San Antonio. . The names of other AAF franchises have not been officially announced.
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