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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1963)
PaA'e 8 College Station, Texas Thursday, January 31, 1963 THE BATTALION FOR 3RD YEAR AFL Came Out In Red, But Progress Was Made By HAROLD V. RATLIFF Associated Press Sports Writer The American Football League lost money for the third straight year but considered that it made progress because the loss was less than the preceding year, which had been less than the first. Only Houston would give the figures, probably because Houston was the only club that appeared to have made money. Owner Bud Adams said it was $100,000, brought about mainly by the fact that Houston led the league in at tendance with 200,285, drew well on the road because it was twice champion and dragged down $76,- 000 more from television. THE FIRST YEAR of the pro fessional league, founded by one of the heaviest losers, Lamar Hunt of Dallas, saw the eight clubs dropping about $2,500,000. The second year found them losing around $1,500,000. In 1962 they managed to cut it to possibly less than $1,000,000. Which indicates that they may come close to breaking even in 1968. They will be better pre pared to handle paying crowds, have the weak New York franchise strengthened by sale and they also will profit from a big break given by that wonderful football game— the championship playoff between Dallas and Houston. THE DAY this game was played there was no competition any where. It was the only sports at traction on television. And the AFL proceeded to take advantage of the situation, by playing a tense game that went into two over times. It thus became the longest game in football history. Commissioner Joe Foss said the value came from the fact that it furnished the league just the ad vertising necessary. “You have to put on a good show, flash your wares before the eyes of the millions, get the people to talking about you,” said Foss. “This great championship game did just -what I had been wanting all the time. Now I find every body discussing the league, even talking about the signing of drafted players. This all will be reflected in the gate next season. THE AFL, incidentally, is mak ing quite a showing in signing more top draft choices than ever before and competing very well with the older National Football League, which has more clubs and therefore is in a position to sign more players. While prospects for next season are bright, no one is kidding him self that the AFL is fully estab lished and is certain to eventually equal the NFL in strength and re sources. The AFL is not up to the NFL in quality. Bulldog Turner, co^ch of the New York Titans and long associ ated with pro football, pretty well expressed it when he said: “The AFL can’t expect equality in qual ity until it get the top quarter backs. That is the spot whei’e the AFL still is behind the NFL.” TURNER ALSO expressed the opinion that next season would be the make or break period. The clubs are going to have to quit dropping so much money. Even their wealthy owners are going to get tired of it., In three years only one club has managed to fin ish in the black. Dallas, the 1962 champion, lost perhaps a couple of hundred thousand. This was be cause Dallas had to compete with an NFL club in the same city. Dal las will know next season whether it is to win the local attendance fight. Lamar Hunt says the Texans are going to do it, what with their championship, the signing of top draft choices, etc. But the Dallas Cowboys have the resources to meet the challenge. Another thing that confronts the AFL is rising costs. They have to draw more fans now than they did the first years of the league. Where 20,000 would get the job done for some of the clubs the first year, now they must pull in 25,000. Dallas could do it with 28.000 in 1960, now it is 32,000. Only three of the clubs averaged 25.000 or better last season. BOSTON WAS faced with the situation of not having enough seats in the stadium to handle suf ficient patronage to break even. Next season Boston will have Fen way Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, which will seat 48,000- det Lots More from EM more body in the blend vrt'A- - .S inr more flavor in the smoke QLjD more taste through the filter FM LTER S LIGGETT t MYERS TOBACCO CO. It’s the rich-flavor leaf that does it! Among L&M’s choice tobaccos there’s more longer-aged, extra-cured leaf than even in some unfiltered cigarettes. And L&M’s filter is the modern filter all white, inside and outside — so only pure white touches your lips. L&M’s the filter cigarette for people who really like to smoke. \fAlNIMUM PR/CS-MAX/MUM QUALITY BOLOGNA CHICKEN HENS ^ Lb ,49c ROUND STEAK °^r. 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