The Super Six Football League

[SmilinJack]

Fall 2006

Jackson Thornton, entrepreneur billionaire, founds the Super Six Football League. The new professional football league will feature six franchises from large markets and be televised by Thornton’s own cable network. Each franchise will be sold to the top financially qualified bidders (purchase capital and operating capital). Play will begin in the fall of 2007 and a permanent six week schedule will determine the four playoff qualifiers. These four teams play a single elimination tournament to determine the Super Six Cup Champion.

Franchises will consist of 45 man rosters with a 5 man inactive taxi squads. Players will be paid a base salary on a per game basis with bonuses paid for being a starting player. Because each team has a base salary plus bonuses paid to starters, there are no contracts and therefore, a salary cap is irrelevant. Any player actively on a team roster is considered a “rights-owned” player and is owned by the team for which he plays. A franchise forfeits a “rights-owned” player if he is released. A released player becomes a pool player and can be claimed by another franchise. A five round pool draft is conducted at seasons end. The pool is made up of any free “rights-owned” player whom declares himself eligible for the draft.

Starters consist of 24 roster spots and these players are paid $5,000 per game, 21 depth players are paid $2,500 per game and taxi squad players are paid $500 per game. Being named a starter is significant enticement for competition. These players are paid from the “salary initiative” fund by the league itself.

Franchises are required to pay the base weekly “salary initiative” to the league office every Monday following match play. This amount is based on the set number of roster positions and is not based on actual roster positions filled. Therefore, a team cannot employ fewer players to pay a lower fee. On Mondays, a team pays $120,000 for Starters (24), $52,500 for depth players (21) and finally $2,500 for taxi players plus player insurance premiums of $25,000. The total “salary initiative” fund of $200,000 per team per week or $1,200,000 is used to pay all players the following Friday. Franchisees keep any and all profits earned from ticket sales, merchandise, and radio broadcast sales. The Super Six can be a very profitable business venture. The business plan is set up to guarantee the financial viability of the league and teams and equalizes team spending.

Winter 2006

Thornton has his six owners/franchisees. The top six bidders out bid hundreds of other applicants and qualified with enough operating capital to secure a franchise. The base franchise fee or starting bid was $50 million. The winning bid prices are undisclosed; however, leaks suggest the Los Angeles franchise may have been purchased for $250 million and Chicago may have been obtained for only $67 million. The league coffers are filled with 100% of the minimum fee $50 million per team for a total of $300 million. This money is used for league operating expenses and to help offset any unforeseen league/franchise financial burdens. Franchisees are responsible for operating expenses of their given team. Any franchise monies above the minimum fee were paid to the Super Six Football Corporation. SSFC owns the Super Six Football League and JTTV. Fifty-two percent of stock in the SSFC is owned by Jackson Thornton and the other forty-eight percent is owned equally by the six franchisees.

Spring 2006

The six SSFL owners spent the winter months hammering out league rules, a schedule and voting on numerous issues. The biggest decision the owners faced was the selection of a league commissioner. After much deliberation the owners selected 56 year old Carlos Venza, former United States Foreign Ambassador to Puerto Rico. Venza gained much experience in sports administration as a lawyer for the Puerto Rico Baseball League and having served as an interim commissioner for one season. He later became involved with politics and became the foreign ambassador for Puerto Rico. He recently has been actively involved in the development of organized youth baseball in Puerto Rico. “I’m honored. I will strive to make the SSFL a top league and hopefully an international league,” said Commissioner Venza at his press conference.

The League Summer 2006

In June 2006, the commissioner officially presented the six franchises, although ticket sales had began for teams as soon as stadiums had been secured, the Super Six with uniforms, nicknames and logos were finally presented to the public: Boston Smugglers, Chicago Bootleggers, Los Angeles Dons, New York Tycoons, Philadelphia Lawmen and Phoenix. A free agent draft was set for Tuesday July 4th. “The birth of super teams, for a super league should be held on the day this super power nation was born,” said Venza with a sly smile. Training camp begins for the following week and will run until kickoff in September. A long camp is required for teams to weed out poor athletes, find better ones and get these teams polished and ready for opening day.

JTTV began its television coverage with its new show Inside the Super Six. The first show covered the draft and daily programs on Inside the Super Six covered everything from training camps, to player bios and other promotional stories. The hype machinery is in full roar.

Next: The Teams…

by SmilinJack

[Marauders]

The Super Six Franchises

Boston Smugglers (Orange and Black) LOGO: Smugglers
Large market/Regional rivalry with New York
Mascot: Samuel Adams as a Pirate character
Owner: John Sullivan, Owner of Maritime Shipping Company
Stadium: Sullivan Field/Grass/56000
Head Coach: Morton Reynolds (Fun and Gun)
Key Players to Watch: DB Mares and PK Ouk
Notes: Team nickname derived from early American colonies’ history and the legends that Sam Adams was a smuggler/merchant/trader.

Chicago Bootleggers (Brown and Gold) LOGO: C
Large market/Rivalry with Philadelphia
Mascot: none
Owner: Stephen Weil, Owner of Union Trucking Distribution Co.
Stadium: Soldiers Field/Grass/75000
Head Coach: Wayne Shroeder (Fun and Gun)
Key Players to Watch: DL Sitt and WR O’Clair
Notes: Nickname derived from the prohibition era mobsters who trafficked in illegal alcohol, hooch, spirits, hair of the dog etc…

Los Angeles Dons (Red and Silver) LOGO: LA
Large Market/Rivalry with Phoenix
Mascot: Sword wielding Spanish Nobleman
Owner: Gordon Hill, President, and CEO of Milton Motels International
Stadium: Metro Pacific Park/Grass/65000
Head Coach: Sam Pryce (Fun and Gun)
Key Players to Watch: QB Mattias
Notes: Nickname derived from respected Spanish Nobleman and early Spanish settlers of California. A Spanish title of respect that precedes a person’s name i.e. Don Venza.

New York Tycoons (Blue and White) LOGO: NY
Large market/Regional rivalry with Boston
Mascot: Wall Street Businessman w/ Top Hat circa. 1920
Owner: Charles O’Grady, Investment Portfolio Fund Manager
Stadium: Madison Park/Grass/60000
Head Coach: Cole Williams (Fun and Gun)
Key Players to Watch: DL Ferndez and WR Yach
Notes: Nickname derived from rich roaring 20’s Wall Street tycoons.

Philadelphia Lawmen (Teal and White) LOGO: Lawmen
Large market/Rivalry with Chicago
Mascot: Whig wearing founding Father
Owner: Quinton Sanders, President, and CEO of FreeLawyer.com
Stadium: Veterans Park Stadium/Grass/55000
Head Coach: Zach Wajosicwicz (Fun and Gun)
Key Players to watch: DL Enomoto and LB Langoni
Notes: Nickname derived from early Constitutionalists, Lawmakers, and government officials.

Phoenix (Red and Orange) LOGO: PHOENIX
Large market/Rivalry with Los Angeles
Mascot: Phoenix, a flaming bird a hawk or eagle
Owner: Lucas Barnes, Owner of Flying Phoenix Shoes, Inc.
Stadium: Municipal Park/Grass/45000
Head Coach: Graham Scott (11Graham43)
Key Players to Watch: QB Bolles and WR Safer
Notes: No nickname but uses its City name as its nickname…means rising from the ashes.

Jackson Thornton’s vision for this league is based on the Rugby tours and tournaments like the Super Eight and the Super Six. Six teams annually battling for the Super Six Cup in a short round-robin schedule of games; however, the six week schedule is used to eliminate two teams and seed a single elimination tournament to finally determine the champion.

SmilinJack