It is always painful for a sports fan to see something great be lost due to egos and greed. Arena Football is a quiet treasure here in America and is deeply cherished by it's fans. However, the encarnation of the Arena Football League that could have set the world of fire, was forced to fizzle out because of egos, greed, arrogance and incompitance. The AFL could have been as big as the NFL, don't believe me, WANNA BET ???
Arena Football is addicte, it's not always the greatest on television, but once you've been, you're hooked. Fast paced, high scores, lots of action, it's higher tempo keeps you up on a higher pace. Not to mention, unlike the NFL, Arena Football is very fan friendly and fan interactive. You're right there, almost on top of the game and the action, you really feel like more a part of the game.
There was only one decent push for the AFL when NBC agreed to carry one game a week and feature it as a big event. They worked out some great commercials with the tv show, Las Vegas, featuring to famous team owners, Jon Bon Jovi and John Elway. They even featured the twos "rivalry" in an episode that lead up to the two teams meeting that weekend. But it takes more than one season and one push to keep people going, if they had tried it for one more year, the send featuring 2 games per week, it could have been far more successful.
The other downfall was the lack of thinking and innovation on the part of those connected with the NFL and AFL. When Emmit Smiths NFL career was winding down as a Dallas Cowboy, Emmit wanted to keep playing, Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, didn't see it that way. Instead of being creative and stepping up to new ideas they simply got into a pissing match and many suffered their split. Emmit Smith went on to play some forgetable years for the Arizona Cardinals and, I believe, tarnishing his luster in the NFL.
The solution would have been to offer Smith a contract with Jones's Dallas Desperados arena team. "Come on Emmit, you've set every record in the NFL, now come do the same in the AFL and give Arena Football a Superstar to help market the league." Some years later, the same could have been done with Brett Favre and fans wouldn't have to have been put through the painful circus that went on around his last years.
This is another prime example of people, CLAIMING, to be "thinking outside the box", when in fact, they are spending too much time thinking about a "box" that doesn't exist, and never has!!!
Simple FACT, the Arena Football League we had, could have worked and should have worked, it honestly would have been easy. None of what I have said is "Monday morning quarterbacking" I thought of all of this back when the events were transpiring, surely someone else could have had these ideas, why weren't they tried ?!?
Well, there is a new Arena Football League now, and I strongly suggest that people support their local teams, and to HOUND then to try things that will build the league up. Something that could be a training ground for Future stars of the NFL and for the Superstars of today to keep their star shining without tarnishing it in League that has passed them by. Also allowing these veterans to pass down what they have learned and experienced to a new generation.
Kickin' A Little,
Stormy
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