Ex-NFL Star Ricky Williams Says New Football League Will Update Old-School Ownership Structure
*By Michael Teich*
A group of former NFL stars are launching an alternative professional football league for the offseason that will give players and fans a financial stake in their team's success.
“We looked for markets where there was not a professional team, but a big enough market to support a team,” Ricky Williams, former two-time All American and one of the founders, told Cheddar in an interview on Tuesday.
The planned Freedom Football League will initially have 10 teams ー San Diego, Oakland, Birmingham, St. Louis, Texas, Oklahoma City, Portland, Ohio, Floria, and Connecticut were named as the first crop of cities to welcome teams from the FFL.
It marks a major divergence from the XFL, another professional league aiming to give fans a dose of football during the NFL offseason. The XFL, backed by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, announced last week the eight cities it will bring teams to in its inaugural season in 2020. The XFL will reportedly be targeting major TV markets including New York City, Los Angeles, and Dallas.
Williams said part of what makes the Freedom Football League unique is its ownership structure ー the purchase of season tickets will allow fans to own part of the team.
“It’ll be like owning a stock. If you’re team is doing well and making money, you’ll be getting a check in the mail.”
Players, too, will own part of the team, Williams added.
Williams also referenced the Freedom Football League’s approach to player health and safety as a differentiator from the NFL. Concussions and CTE have been a difficult issue for the NFL to manage. Almost 300 concussions were reported during the 2017 season, the highest total in any season since the league began sharing data in 2012.
“They’re making an attempt,” he said. But “the structure of the ownership is really old-school.”
His main role in the league will be director of health and wellness, a position that will allow him to make players’ safety on and off the field a priority.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/football-league-launched-by-nfl-stars-gives-fans-chance-to-own-stock-in-teams).
Orangetheory Fitness is redefining the future of workouts with smarter tech, strength-based programming, and community-driven studios built for what’s next.
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
