Are You Ready For some Football!?

I know I sure am. Unfortunately, I still have a little over a hundred days to wait. I've been a football fan since I was a kid. Baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, whatever, none of them I followed as much as I did football.

Even though, as I've mentioned before I've been a diehard Cardinals fan. Even though I was born and raised just outside of Philly. Even though they moved. Even though they... well have pretty much sucked pretty much my whole life. Through it all, I looked forward to football season.

That changed two years ago.

A buddy of mine in Grand Rapids got me watching Arena football. After catching the games on TV (I adopted the Buffalo Destroyers, a team which both sucked and moved in the space of one season) I didn't realize I was hooked. That didn't occur to me until the start of last season's kickoff of the NFL.

Compared to arena football, the "outdoor game", as it is referred to by AFL fans and announcers, is painfully slow and borders on downright boring. The players are too often egotistical schmucks. The prices are too high... for everything. How many teams now have seating licenses that you need to shell out for before you can shell out even more for season tickets?

Last season, Philly got themselves into the eighteen year old Arena Football League, thanks to developer Craig Spenser and rocker Jon Bon Jovi. (Ex-Eagle QB Ron Jaworski had been priming the pump for years) Last season I became a season ticket holder for the Philadelphia Soul. The first time I was a season ticket holder for any team.

I made it to almost every home game. The Soul lost more games than they won, but they made a helluvan effort for a team that was cobbled together, from the front office to the field, in something like four months. But more than that, the game, the entire experiance of an arena football game is something one seriously needs to do in person.

For starters, the price is very family-friendly. For the cost of the season ticket package (eight games) you might be able to attend two Eagles games. But more than that, the whole league treats you like they're glad you've bothered to take the time out of your busy life to come out to the game. Everything from the prices, to the timeout and commerical-break contests, to the "Fan's Bill of Rights".

Yeah, yeah. I know. So what if the players are contractually obligated to stay on the field for at least thirty minutes after the game (win or lose) to interact with the fans? So what if the home games are family friendly? So what if they play Spongebob for the kids to sing along with? So what if they have contests for adults and kids? Did I mention the Soulmates?

The big question is... How's the gameplay?

Fast. Exciting. High-scoring. And did I mention fast? Or the walls?

Today it really sank in. Watching the NFL after catching a couple AFL games on ESPN two years ago was one thing. Watching the NFL after going to a bunch of AFL games in-person... fugedaboutit! It was painful. Granted, the Cards losing... again, didn't help matters, but it wasn't the root cause.

I know the "football purists" enjoy poo-pooing the AFL. Most of them haven't watched a single game. Much less, caught one in person. They wouldn't know a Mack Linebacker from an Offensive Specialist. To them I say, give it a shot. Learn the rules. Go to some games.

'Course, it might end up ruining the NFL for ya.

It did for me.