A girl sitting in front of me stuck out her hand for a high-five from one of the players on the opposing team. As he came closer with his arm extended, she pulled her hand away and laughed at him. The player locked eyes with her in mock disgust as he made his way back to the bench.
Ah, the joys of arena football.
I had the opportunity to go to a Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football game a few weeks ago in my hometown of Youngstown and it was exciting, to say the least.
The Thunder eked out a one-point overtime victory, and the atmosphere inside the building led me to entertain the thought of how a team in Athens would fare.
Bringing a team to Athens would have quite a few positives. First, it would draw the community closer together ' if thousands of people come out to the university's sporting events, one would think they would be on board to support a professional football team.
For those not acquainted with the game, scoring is frequent. It is not rare to see a team put up 50 to 60 points in a game, and while the defensive purists may scoff at that, there will be many people who want to see the scoreboard light up.
Both major arena leagues ' the Arena Football League and its younger brother, the Arenafootball2 (af2) ' play spring schedules, which would not interfere with the majority of the big sports at Ohio.
The interaction between the fans and players is terrific. Nab a couple of front-row seats and celebrate with the players as they run by after scoring a touchdown. Heckle the wide receiver who just happens to be lined up nearby. Players and coaches are accessible for conversation and autographs after every game, which is not something you see in the NFL or even on the college level.
There is incentive for the players, too. I would guess that a lot of Bobcats who want to take their game to the next level would not mind playing games right across the street from where they excelled in college.
Arena football has been a breeding ground for future NFL players such as Kurt Warner, Mike Vanderjagt and Tommy Maddox. Strong play in the arena leagues could eventually lead to taking the field on Sundays in the fall.
A team in Athens would quickly develop rivalries in the smaller af2: there are teams presently located in Youngstown and Cincinnati, Ohio, and in Louisville, Ky.
Although there are numerous positives in having a team in Athens, there are also some negatives. First, it is unclear whether The Convocation Center can hold an arena football field in its present state. Another potential drawback is a drop in attendance once students leave campus for the summer.
The shirts sold on campus describe Athens as a drinking town with a football problem. Putting an arena football team in town would be a terrific solution.
17 Archives
Jason Fazzone
