American Football League - Fictional History

MATCH FIXING SCANDAL ROCKS PAFC As the rift between the AFL and PAFC continues to grow, one of the most glaring differences that have emerged has been player pay. If you were riding the bench from team to team, then the pay was almost as much as a semi-pro player. But if you played for a team like Chicago or Indianapolis that had the money and competed for titles year in and year out, then you’d be paid comparably to a player in the AFL. This massive disparity in pay left a majority of PAFC players to either test their luck elsewhere or protest the league to increase their wages. President Bradshaw was not keen on increasing the minimum pay for players, as the league’s finances at this point were cutting it close to bankruptcy. Unbeknownst to Bradshaw, a few players reached out to their fellow players in the AFL to unionize, forming a football player’s union to advocate for fair wages. The league looked like it was on even more uneven ground and ready to fold at any point at its curren...

Another relatively mild December day caused River Field to be the most packed it has ever been. The 29,500 seat stadium was somehow able to cram in just about 32,000, and tensions were still tense between fans after the end of last year’s championship game. Some even had to be removed from the stadium after getting into a scuffle before the game even began. The Federals were still upset about the result of the previous meeting, while the Rivermen still held the high ground and were determined to keep it. Q1 The Rivermen would win the coin toss, and chose to receive the kickoff for the first half to get the upper hand on their rival. They would start by methodically working their way downfield, trading handoffs between RB’s Perry Ferguson and Billy Garcia. QB Lester Parker mixed in a few passes to get the drive within the twenty. Parker looked back on a first and ten and threw over the middle to hit one of his WR’s, but instead LB Howard Treadaway put himself in the way for the intercep...

West Division Final: St Louis Stallions @ Cincinnati Rivermen The Stallions had not only achieved making the playoffs in their first season, but in their first playoff game they managed to take down the Hogs in somewhat convincing fashion. Their next obstacle might be an even more daunting task, now having to face the new power in the West in Cincinnati. The Rivermen were eager to defend their title, and winning against the upstart Stallions will guarantee they plan another game at home for the championship. The grounds crew had cleared some snow that had fallen in the earlier hours of the day, leaving the field conditions less than ideal at kickoff. Q1 The Stallions would win the coin toss and choose to get a head start against one of the best teams in the league. They relied on RB Kevin Knox to inch his way down field, which was easier said than done. St Louis QB O.J. DeMille had to step in to bail out his team, hitting WR Anthony Wheatland for a solid first down and finding TE Scott...

East Division Semifinal: Buffalo Hammers @ Boston Dragons The City of Boston had seldom seen its professional football teams playing past the regular season. But just two short years of the Dragons being in town have made up for the last 30 years of lackluster play from the assortment of teams. The clouds managed to part over Lansdowne Field for the first postseason game at the historical park, and the first true test for the expansion team against perennial playoff contenders in the Hammers. Q1 The Dragons would get the ball first in an attempt to start their playoffs on the right foot. It would start out in the right way, as QB Sam Eagleburger found WR Lloyd Lawson for a big 20 yard reception on the first play of the game. That momentum would peter out right before midfield, and Boston reluctantly punted the ball away to the Hammers. They would not have the explosive first play, instead gaining a single first down before giving it back to the home team. The Dragons made better progre...