Fansided

XFL looking to buy some of the AAF’s old equipment

By Brad Berreman

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MARCH 31: Detail shot of Atlanta Legends helmet before the game against the Birmingham Iron during the Alliance of American Football game at Legion Field on March 31, 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MARCH 31: Detail shot of Atlanta Legends helmet before the game against the Birmingham Iron during the Alliance of American Football game at Legion Field on March 31, 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) /
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The XFL is apparently trying to keep its costs down to the extent it can, with an eye on buying the AAF’s unused equipment.

The latest attempt at spring football, the AAF, didn’t even make it a full season as it couldn’t stay financially solvent. The second rendition of the XFL is set for 2020, with reports of better television deals and the prospect of better financial support from WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

But it takes a lot of money to functionally operate a sports league, and the XFL is trying to be frugal in at least one key area.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, Alpha Entertainment, the parent company of the XFL, is hoping to buy some equipment from the failed AAF. It would include helmets, shoulder pads, tackling dummies, metal lockets, shields and “hundreds of rolls of athletic tape.” Alpha has made a $37,500 deposit on the equipment, with an eventual total purchase price of $375,000.

The AAF’s bankruptcy filing is set to leave the league’s many creditors high and dry, or at best getting pennies on the dollar for the debt owed. Bankruptcy trustee Randolph Osherow has formally sought court approval for the equipment sale to the XFL, while acknowledging the narrow market to sell the gear.

"We always hope to get higher offers,” bankruptcy trustee Randolph Osherow said, via the Express-News. “The problem is, it’s a very small market. This is all professional football gear. So it’s probably only going to be sold to someone in the professional football business.“Colleges have their own way of getting equipment. It has to go through a budgeting process. They are really not in the auction-attending business."

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The AAF’s equipment is currently being stored in a warehouse in San Antonio, and it’s easy to see the gear as the most liquid asset for the defunct league to unload. The XFL surely won’t be using AAF helmets as-is, but anything else that’s in good condition is certainly immediately usable. And the stuff is probably gently used at that, which is even better as the XFL prepares to start operation.

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