The Comfort of Being Home
Christopher M. Duchene
Thursday April 8, 2004
After concluding with post-game activities, including the press-conference, and speaking to some players about the game, I decided I would stay for awhile and see just how many fans would stay to meet the players. After about 45 minutes after the game had concluded I went up to the concourse where the players were to be signing autographs and was surprised to see as many people as there were waiting to greet the players. After seeing an enormous line that seemed to never end, I thought, “what the heck, let’s see how long AFL fans are willing to stay in line just for the opportunity to meet some players.”
About 25 minutes later I was still in line when I noticed Wrangler owner Greg Feste and head coach Skip Foster walking up the line, greeting fans and telling them just how much they appreciated there patience. Then the players started to get closer; some at an autograph table and some even walking up the line, mingling with the fans.
The first words to pop out of many players mouths were, “did you have a good time?”
And you could see the smiles on every single fans face in that line when he or she was asked that question. I heard kids asking their parents who that certain player was, who had just shook his or her hand, and many parents did not even know who they were waiting in line to meet. All they knew is that they were there to meet their team. The team that is representing their city.
Seeing this just showed me that when they said the Arena Football League was fan friendly they were not kidding. At the moment many AFL teams are getting their victories at home, and it shows in the Wranglers’ case. The Wranglers are 3-1 in Austin and at home is where they have shown that they do have the talent to compete with any team in the league. After coming off a road loss to the Los Angeles Avengers last weekend, the Wranglers look to rebound at home against the Georgia Force who currently sit at 4-5. The Wranglers stand at 5-3, only two games out of first place. The Wranglers and their fans do know though that they control their destiny.
If the Wranglers believe they can get there, then the fans will believe they can get there. And that should make for a heck of a crowd in Austin this coming weekend.
Christopher Duchene is from El Paso, Tx. He currently lives in Austin, Tx and is a Freshman at Austin Community College majoring in Sports Management. After college he hopes to attend law school where he will study sports law hoping one day to become a successful sports agent.
