ArenaFan Interview: An old school fan speaks out
Fran Stuchbury
Wednesday September 20, 2006
Q. What interested you in going to a Chicago Bruisers game?
A. A friend at work had read in the paper that there was a new pro football team playing in the summer. The first thing I thought was, "Oh no, not another USFL or something." But he said it was indoors at the Rosemont Horizon and the guys played both sides of the ball. Hmmm, score a TD and then turn around and intercept a pass? Hey! We did that sort of stuff playing those 4 on 4 gridiron wars (so we thought) during our lunch break. I was intrigued, the arena was close to home and season tickets consisted of a whopping three games, so the investment wasn't major if I didn't like it.
Q. What did you think of the first AFL game played in the Rosemont Horizon?
A. The first possession the Bruisers had ended in a FG try which they recovered off the net. The officials called a TD initially and then placed the ball on the 5 yd line (at least the officiating hasn't changed in 20 years.) Still, to go from a fourth down field goal try to regaining possession deep in enemy territory was wild. I was hooked. It was a closely fought game, went to OT, and exciting to the end. I left wondering if this thing was fixed like pro wrestling was. Way too much action to be a "real" game, I thought. But I suspended my disbelief and anxiously awaited the next home game.
Q. What was the AFL like its first season?
A. Fast. It went by so quickly. The team sponsored a BBQ around the 4th of July and it was hot that afternoon. But there was Gene Nudo cooking those burgers like a pro. And the players and dancers were all in attendance and signing autographs just like they do to this day. I still have the game program signed by the team that day. I'm missing Head Coach Ray Jauch though. He's the only one I missed. So Ray if you're out there I'm still searching for you. Season ticket holders also received a golf shirt with a Bruiser logo and V.I.P. stitched on the chest. Even though it was short, I had a blast that first season.
Q. In 1988, the Bruisers went 10-1-1 and hosted ArenaBowl II but lost to the Detroit Drive 24-13. The team was loaded with talented including QB Ben Bennett, who earned AFL MVP honors and DS Durwood Roquemore who had 11 INT’s. How was the experience in attending an ArenaBowl with a passionate hometown?
A. The atmosphere at the Horizon was fantastic. And to tell you the truth, Bruiser fans thought this ArenaBowl game was just a formality. We were destined to be crowned '88 champs. But the Bruisers just didn't have what it took that night to outmatch the Drive and their coach Tim Marcum, an eventual AFL legend. It's not an excuse, but the Bruisers were pretty beat up by that final game. Our QB Ben Bennett was knocked out of the contest for a bit but came back in like a real trooper to try and make something happen. I contemplated that even though we didn't win this one, "big deal", we'd win the next. Little did I know, it was the birth of the Detroit dynasty I was witnessing that night, not Chicago's. I met Ben Bennett years later at a Green Bay vs. Manchester af2 game. Bennett is currently the head coach of Manchester's af2 club. He was kind enough to sign a Bruiser's mini-helmet and we both reminisced about how so long ago that ArenaBowl was. But I could still see it in his eyes, he wanted that one in '88 real bad.
Q. After the 1989 season the Chicago Bruisers folded. How disappointing was to lose your team.
A. There was only one game at home that season, and I didn't even attend. Going from a full season in '88 to what amounted to a barnstorming tour in '89, the writing was on the wall. I thought the league was going to fizzle out just like the WFL and USFL did. Imagine my surprise when the league returned in 1990 but with no team in Chicago. I was disappointed and did not understand at the time how some of the other cities could find owners and we couldn't.
Q. What AFL teams did you follow until the Chicago Rush got a team in 2001? Did you go to any other cities to watch Arena Football games or did you just follow on TV?
A. Because a lot of the Chicago players eventually ended up in Orlando, I adopted the Predators as a team to root for. And that original "ripping claw" logo they had was cool. I was not a religious follower of the league though. While channel surfing I might stop and watch a game, and I did subscribe to the Arenafan BB/newsgroup during the mid-90's, I think Ken Gill ran that, didn't he? Anyway, it was the precursor to the current ArenaFan website. Also I attended a few Milwaukee Mustangs games, but it just wasn't the same (must've been that teal & purple color scheme, yuck.)
Q. Did you immediately get season tickets when the Chicago Rush got a team?
A. No. I did not. At the time, I was a season ticket holder for the XFL Chicago Enforcers and my son and I were more interested in the Enforcers and their playoff run. The XFL season was winding down just as the AFL was starting back up in Chicago. Honestly, I didn't think too much of the Chicago Rush and their staying power (kinda funny in hindsight since the XFL imploded within a month after their first season ended.) But we did finally attend the last half of the season. The highlight of that inaugural season was beating Orlando in back to back games. First in the final regular season game at home and then in the Jungle the following week to begin the 2001 post season.
Q. Did them naming Mike Hohensee a guy who has been involved with the AFL since it first started, influence your decision?
A. Not really. I knew he had been around forever, but mostly remembered him as the guy the Pittsburgh Gladiators used to rotate in and out at QB all the time... and of course, as our "Spare Bear" QB (scab player during the NFL players strike) for a few games in 1987.
Q. Were your active in trying to get friends to check out Arena Football games?
A. We already had our set band of misfits that went to the Bruiser's games, but our main focus was having a good time. We left it up to our team's marketing folks to recruit new fans.
Q. Who do you go to Chicago Rush games with?
A. It started as a father/son thing, but by 2004 my son was in his late teens and was more interested in basketball, girls and being as far away from his old man on the weekends as possible. Other than the regulars I meet up with at the arena, my circle of family, friends and acquaintances have little interest in Arenafootball. I'm in sales and can't sell people on this sport, so I can empathize with the AFL's Sales & Marketing staff.
Q. You went ArenaBowl XX in Las Vegas. How was that experience? Would you prefer the league to not have neutral site ArenaBowls and let the team with the best record host it like it use to be?
A. While the 2006 Championship game was thrilling to me, it would have been that much more satisfying to whoop Orlando in the Jungle. I despise the neutral site ArenaBowl and was close to saying goodbye to Arenafootball two years ago when the neutral site was announced. It's really very simple. Because such a high percentage of the teams make it into the AFL playoffs, home field during the playoffs should be the reward for the best regular season W-L record. It only makes sense so that the regular season is perceived to be worthwhile. The highest remaining seed should be playing at home for the Foster Trophy.
Q. How come the television deal with NBC didn’t help the league grow? What went wrong with that partnership? How much does it hurt franchise values now that NBC is not involved?
A. I think Arenafootball is best devoured by the senses live and in person. TV is OK as a second choice but if one can witness the event live there is no comparison. What went wrong? Low viewer ratings didn't give much incentive for NBC to push the product and you know they were gun shy after taking a $35 million bath with the XFL. The NBC partnership was an opportunity for the AFL to sink or swim on its own merit and the American viewing public gave them their answer. Your average John
Q. Fan doesn't care to watch the AFL on TV. The problem is an Arenaball game is an experience. You cannot capture that with three or four TV cameras. I think the league will lose the patrons that went to games strictly to mug for the NBC cameras. You know the type. You see them on cell phones behind the dugouts during a Major League Baseball game. Television audiences will shrink, but I doubt arena attendance plummets. You'll still have the people going that love the experience as much, or more, than the game itself.
Q. What your take on the unlimited substitution rule now Ironman players are now extinct? Throughout the years you saw great Ironman athletes like Barry Wagner. Are disappointed some current AFL players might not make the roster because they are not specialized at one position? Do you feel this rule change will bring in new fans like some people think it will?
A. The league believes following free substitution, and eventually a two platoon system like the NFL's will attract more new fans than the ones they lose through attrition. Only time will tell, but I prefer to look back on the other NFL copycats and historically the survival rate is not pretty. I enjoyed the fact that players were forced to hone their skills on both sides of the ball. Of course most were stronger at one skillset than others but that was the charm of Ironman football. You had to be a gifted athlete to play both sides. I wonder about guys like DeJuan Alfonzo, who is the ultimate utility Ironman. He showed his worth during the Rush' playoff drive and to me put on a true Ironman performance during that final stretch of games that helped win the Championship trophy for the City of Chicago.
Q. Are you happy with the job AFL Commissioner David Baker is doing?
A. I've met the Commish twice and have had email conversations with him on topics ranging from his plea to fans for a grassroots media blitz to his son Sammy who's an All-American OT for USC. I like the guy, but his hands are tied by what the owners want, not what he wants. Personally I think he's a great front man for the league. But you can only shovel the BS for so long before you start drowning in it. I don't see him hanging on as AFL Commish for much longer and he's said as much. The Fan Bill of Rights is all but dead and Baker is a legacy to the past that I think the new breed of AFL owners wants to bury.
Q. How do you see the AFL progressing the next couple of seasons? Are you afraid it’s going become more like an NFL game?
A. Of course I think the direction is towards NFL-lite. I believe the league has convinced itself the best way to turn a profit is to copy the NFL model. It's the easy way out instead of correctly marketing what has kept them afloat for the past two decades, which is a unique and exciting game that is DIFFERENT from the NFL.
Q. Will you be renewing your season tickets for the Rush this upcoming season?
A. Unfortunately, I won't. I figure it's time to pass the torch and let the new style of Arenafootball carry on. I had a tremendous amount of fun during my two tenures as an Arenaball fanatic, culminating in an AFL Championship for the Chicago Rush that I was fortunate enough to witness in person. I'd like to think I'm going out on top... just like Jim Brown. ;-)
Fran Stuchbury has been the host of ArenaZone since 2003. In 2002 he was the co-host of ArenaFan Radio with Tim Capper. While in school, Fran was the host of the original ArenaZone radio show on his college radio station, where he interviewed many league names such as Kurt Warner, league founder Jim Foster, and Commissioner David Baker. Fran lives in Southampton, Pennsylvania and works for the website SportsNetwork. Fran will be attending all the Philadelphia Soul home games this season and will be covering arena football for ArenaFan Radio and OurSportsCentral. He has followed the AFL since its first game back in 1987 and has been part of the media since 1998.
