Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
May 27, 2013 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
BASEBALL
American West Baseball League: The proposed independent AWBL will not start play as planned in 2013, but will continue working toward an inaugural season in 2014. The Nogales (AZ) Desert Ghosts, one of the proposed 2013 AWBL teams, could play an exhibition schedule this summer. Other 2013 teams were to include the Bisbee (AZ) Copperheads, Las Cruces (NM) Sun Rays and the Fullerton (CA) Flyers, which did not have a home field. Other announced AWBL teams that disappeared in the past year included the Long Beach Splash, North County Cannons (San Diego area), Yuma Desert Rats and the Orange County O's team that was to be staffed with Colombian players.
Frontier League: The city of Parkersburg (WV) is moving forward with a study to determine the financial feasibility of a new ballpark that could become home to a Frontier League team. The city was home to the Ohio Valley Redcoats in the Frontier League from 1993 through the 1998 season.
United League Baseball: After playing as a division of the North American League (NAL) for the past two seasons, the ULB was reorganized and recently started the 2013 season as a separate six-team league. Prior to joining the NAL, the ULB had operated as a separate league for five seasons (2006-10). Only the Abilene Prairie Dogs did not return of the six Texas-based teams that made up the NAL United Division in 2012. The ULB added the Alexandria (LA) Aces to replace Abilene for 2013. The five other teams include the Edinburg Roadrunners, Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings (Harlingen), Fort Worth Cats, San Angelo Colts and the Texas Thunder travel team, which was called the McAllen Thunder last season.
Pecos League: The independent Pecos League has started its third season and has grown from six to eight teams for 2013. The Las Cruces (NM) Vaqueros did not return from last season, but the league added three new teams and realigned into a North Division and a South Division. The North Division features the returning Santa Fe (NM) Fuego and Trinidad (CO) Triggers, along with the new Las Vegas (NM) Train Robbers and Raton (NM) Osos. The South Division has the returning Alpine (TX) Cowboys, Roswell (NM) Invaders and White Sands Pupfish (Alamagordo, NM), along with the new Taos (NM) Blizzard.
BASKETBALL
Independent Basketball Association-Premier Basketball League: The IBA-PBL, a merger that started this spring with inter-league play among IBA and PBL teams, has ended. Six PBL teams called the Indiana Diesels (Columbus), Rochester (NY) RazorSharks, West Virginia Miners, Bloomington Flex, Sauk Valley Predators and Lake Michigan Admirals have left the IBA-PBL and are now listed as part of the PBL, which will hold its own season-ending playoffs next week involving four of these six teams. Four of the remaining IBA teams will hold their own season-ending playoffs next week.
National Basketball Association: The owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats plans to change the team name to the Charlotte Hornets in time for the 2014-15 season. The Charlotte Hornets were a 1988-89 NBA expansion team that relocated to become the New Orleans Hornets for the 2002-03 season. The New Orleans Hornets recently changed their name to the New Orleans Pelicans. The NBA added the Charlotte Bobcats as an expansion team for the 2004-05 season.
Women's National Basketball Association: The WNBA started its 17th season this week with the same 12 teams aligned into a six-team Eastern Conference and six-team Western Conference. The WNBA has had the same teams and alignment since prior to the 2010 season when the Sacramento Monarchs folded and the Detroit Shock relocated to become the Tulsa Shock.
American Basketball Association: The ABA has announced a team called the Denton (TX) Destroyers has been added as a travel team for the 2013-14 season. The team plans to join as a full ABA member in 2014. The league's 2013-14 expansion team called the South Coast Fire is based in Jacksonville (TX), not Florida, as reported last week.
Beautiful Ballers League: The new women's BBL plans to start play next weekend, but the posted schedule has only seven teams. An eighth team called the Birmingham Belles team is no longer listed.
FOOTBALL
Arena Football League: The AFL is planning to start an AFL China league that could debut with six teams in September or October 2014. The league is planning an exhibition game in Hawaii in October 2013 and a pre-season games later that month in Shanghai and Beijing.
Ultimate Indoor Football League: The Lakeland (FL) Raiders team of the UIFL was having attendance issues during the 2013 season and might not have the finances to play upcoming road playoff games. The team's owner says the team could relocate to another city for next season.
Xtreme Indoor Football League: Owners of the Marion (OH) Blue Racers from the Continental Indoor Football League and the Dalton-based Georgia Rampage and St. Charles-based Missouri Monsters from the Ultimate Indoor Football League are leaving their respective leagues to form the new XIFL that will start in the spring of 2014. A new team called the Columbus (OH) Beast is also listed as part of the XIFL.
Professional Indoor Football League: The Lake Charles-based Louisiana Swashbucklers of the PIFL have folded with a 4-4 record and one home game and three road games remaining on its 2013 season. The PIFL is expected to operate a team to complete the Swashbucklers' road schedule, while the remaining home game could be played at the end of the season in a potential expansion. The team started as the Southwest Louisiana Swashbucklers in the 2005 season of the defunct National Indoor Football League. The team became the Louisiana Swashbucklers when moving to the Intense Football League for three seasons (2006-08). The team then played three seasons (2009-11) as part of the former Southern Indoor Football League before joining the PIFL for its inaugural season in 2012.
Sugar N Spice Football League: The Texas-based women's SSFL has started its second full season with seven teams. The league had five teams last season, but added the new Houston Venus and LRGV (Lower Rio Grande Valley) Pirates, who were originally announced as the South Padre Pirates. Teams play full-contact arena-style football (both indoor and outdoor) and players are outfitted in two-piece uniforms. The five returning teams are the Austin Angels, Corpus Christi Mermaids, Laredo Roses, RGV McAllen Mystics and Texas Cowgirls (San Antonio).
HOCKEY
Southern Professional Hockey League: With the Peoria Rivermen and Bloomington Blaze joining the SPHL for 2013-14, the league will try to add other teams closer to these markets in 2014-15 and has had calls from interested markets.
North American Hockey League: After the Wenatchee (WA) Wild of the Tier-II junior-level NAHL announced plans to move to Hidalgo (TX) as the Rio Grande Killer Bees for the 2013-14 season, the league's Fresno Monsters team is trying to move to Wenatchee where the team would be called the Wenatchee Wild for the 2013-14 season. The league still needs to approve the relocation. A lower-level junior hockey team called the Fresno Monsters will remain in the city for the 2013-14 season as part of the Western States Hockey League. There have been reports the NAHL's Jamestown (NY) Ironmen team will not return next season.
North American 3 Hockey League: The Tier-III junior-level NA3HL, which is affiliated with the Tier-II North American Hockey League, plans to increase to 18 teams for the 2013-14 season with the addition of the Chicago Junior Bulldogs team from the Minnesota Junior Hockey League. The team had been part of the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League prior to moving to the MnJHL for the 2012-13 season. The league's Quad City Junior Flames team, which is moving from Davenport (IA) to Madison (WI) for the 2013-14 season, announced the team will be renamed the Wisconsin Whalers.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer: The owner of the Manchester City team in the English Premier League and Major League Baseball's New York Yankees are partnering to establish a new MLS expansion franchise called New York City FC. The new franchise is expected to start play at a temporary facility in the 2015 season and will become the league's 20th team. The MLS has been trying to work out plans for a new 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in Queens that would become home for the expansion team. The New York City FC is expected to become a cross-town rival of the league's New York Red Bulls, whose home field is in Harrison (NJ). After state funding fell through for a proposed soccer-specific stadium to house a possible MLS expansion franchise in Orlando, the owner of the Orlando City Lions team plans to obtain outside investors to make up the funding shortfall. The Lions currently play in the Division-III United Soccer Leagues PRO league.
United Soccer Leagues - Premier Development League: The PDL was forced to revamp the 2013 schedule for its Mid Atlantic Division after the Bermuda Hogges announced they would not be able to participate due to funding cuts from sponsors and other sources.
United Soccer Leagues - Major Indoor Soccer League: It looks as though the MISL's Wichita Wings will not return for a third season in 2013-14. Team ownership has been trying to sell the club, but a potential buyer recently pulled out of negotiations with the league. Another new buyer would need to be found in the next 45 days.
Dan Krieger is the creator of the "The Leagueology Almanac 2011-12", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.
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Professional Indoor Football League Stories from May 27, 2013
- Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
