Arena Football: It’s Our Game
Tim Ball
Thursday January 29, 2004
“I’m sorry, what was your name?”
The face, though filled with the emotions only a playoff loss can cause, was speaking words of politeness through the veil of disappointment.
“Tim. Tim Ball, from ArenaFan.”
“Go ahead, sit down. What’s up?”
The setting: 2002 Semifinals postgame interviews in the San Jose visitor’s locker room. Head coach Fran Papasedero and his Orlando Predators were just knocked out of the playoffs one game away from the ArenaBowl.
The warm and fuzzy look didn’t come naturally to Papasedero, but he sure got the feeling across. He was concerned about making a reporter feel supported and appreciated. That show of class came when coaches in other leagues would have surrounded themselves with agents and busybodies, not by pulling up a chair for one of a dozen rambling reporters.
Coach Papasedero was lost to Arena Football a season later in a single car accident during the week prior to last season’s ArenaBowl XVII. His two-year old daughter Vivian survives him.
“Off the field, Fran was a generous, caring fun loving man,” said AFL Commissioner David Baker in a statement released by the league. “We are thankful for the impact he had on the game. He will be deeply missed.”
Arena Football is now eighteen years in the making. It is based on a togetherness and a bond between spectator and professional, and it is changing the face of sports. Growth is the sign of a healthy body, and a healthy body is the sum of all its parts working together well.
In a league designed as much for the fan as the athlete, a disappointed head coach delivered on that promise when he had the chance.
He wasn’t just Orlando’s coach; he was one of ‘our’ coaches. He will be deeply missed.
It’s ‘our’ league
“Are we doing enough to fill the seats? Does your family enjoy the games?”
Anyone who knows me knows I’m far from shy or reserved, but I looked at SaberCats head coach Darren Arbet, with the chaos of preseason tryouts flying all around us, and couldn’t find the words. I was momentarily stunned. These people do care.
Another “Head Coach” concerned about me as a person and a fan? After getting over the surprise question that had me silenced, I gave him my honest answer: “Too many corporate seats!”
As young men tried to literally take flight to impress this Championship head coach, here he was thinking about “us” out there in the seats.
“Let’s talk about this later,” said Arbet.
And after handing me his card, I realized he meant it.
Welcome, come on in
Let’s face it, having Jon Bon Jovi own the Philadelphia Soul is cool. And it’s good for league promotion. However, I noticed, with all of the press stories heralding his new business venture, that he mentioned in one article, he wanted to “enjoy the games with his family.” He liked the ‘game’ of Arena Football.
On MSNBC Wednesday night, Bon Jovi spoke openly about the players doing it for the right reasons; guys caring about playing the game for the love of it.
How often does an owner in the outdoor league ever care about anything other than skybox sales and salary cap? And in how many other pro sports is there a love for the game anymore? Can you say ‘steroids’ or ‘Keyshawn?’
Mr. Bon Jovi, welcome.
Well, sort of.
Fans sit two feet from the field in this league and also, one seat behind the opposing team. There won’t be a rush for autographs either, in Chicago or anywhere else, once the opening kickoff hits the screen.
Caring and carrying the league
“I like the league and the game of Arena Football,” said Keith Tokar, a season ticket holder and treasurer of the SaberClaws fan club. “My team is the SaberCats above all, but I’ve watched games on TV since TNN first covered the games in ‘96. Tampa Bay playing Arizona has always been one of the best games to watch because these teams have been in the league for so long.”
After the shock of losing the 2003 semifinal settled in, the Western Division rival Arizona Rattlers went from foe to family as soon as the shock of losing dulled in the minds and hearts of San Jose fans.
“That loss was tough to take,” Tokar admitted, “but if it has to be someone else playing for the championship, it was OK that it was them.”
Reluctant respect replaced rabid rivalry as soon as players started signing autographs on the field at the HP Pavilion.
“You know, Sherdrick Bonner’s a pretty nice guy,” said one SaberCats fan (Ken) that kept his name to himself (Ken). “And seeing Hunkie Cooper in tears made me realize how much this means to these guys. If it can’t be us, I’m glad it was Arizona. Besides, we get them at least twice next year.”
Suddenly it was “The Western Division vs. The Tampa Bay Storm.”
Just like that.
Is the future ours?
It’s almost ‘go’ time and the league is doing what we need. What should we do as fans?
First, care about the personnel. We’re all lucky Dallas Desperados quarterback Jim Kubiak wasn’t permanently injured. A season of watching from the sidelines may be a blessing in disguise.
Wear your Arena Football t-shirts as much as possible. Games are affordable enough; we can give the game some free advertising. Invite someone to see a game. Invite someone else to see a game.
Realize that we are all in this together. Arena Football survived because the players and fans wanted it, too.
Don’t think you can’t complain! Call the league office and let them know what’s up! There should be “FREE T-SHIRTS” at every game, so we have a fresh one everyday.
Start your own website. America has the first amendment for a reason!
And care. What drew me to the sport was you, the fan. What keeps me buying tickets is the sport. My family and I thank you. There is no fan like an Arena Football fan, and no sport that delivers on a promise like ‘our’ sport.
Finally, remember it’s all about the people involved: you, me, them. It’s about that exchange between coach Papasedero and myself, even though it only lasted two minutes almost two years ago. I will never be able to speak with him again.
And coach Arbet, he really does care. I stretched no truths before.
It`s 18 years and counting. The little sport that could just did.
Tim Ball is a writer in the Chicagoland area. Married and father of three, his opinions on Arena Football reflects the positive aspect of the game as a family event second to none in pro sports.
