Fifteen years of AFL Football, But 10 is Magic
Andrew Mason
Tuesday March 27, 2001
On the other hand, the only players to wear "10" will be those who choose it as their jersey number. But it just might be a more significant number when it comes to examining where the league stands, how drastically it has changed, and how far it has come.
It was 10 years ago that the two longest-tenured teams in their cities, the Tampa Bay Storm and the Orlando Predators, first put down roots in the sandy Florida soil. Since, they`ve become the solid sequoias of the league after withstanding an organizational crisis or two.
Ten years ago in late March, the season was still two months away. Now, we`ve already seen the first preseason game, with the Quad City-Peoria battle of champions set to take place before the NCAA Final Four.
Ten years ago, the league was just eight teams strong. Now, 47 teams play in the AFL and af2, with 24 more set to line up in other forms of 50-yard football.
Ten years ago, the league was a weigh station for former NFL players on their way out of the game, like maligned former Colts quarterback Art Schlichter. Now, it`s the launching pad for the NFL`s brightest star, Kurt Warner.
Ten years ago, the best the league could do for television was a contract with the Prime networks, which ensured that games were tape-delayed in some markets where baseball took precedence, and completely unseen in others. Now, four networks broadcast games to a full nation over the course of this season.
Not all the changes are for the better; with the rise in prominence comes an increase in pressure.
Ten years ago, a coach could keep his job even after a winless season, as Dave Whinham did with the Thunderbolts. Now, coaches can be dismissed even after playoff appearances, a harsh reality Michael Trigg was party to following an 8-6 finish with the Milwaukee Mustangs in 1997.
Ten years ago, players made just enough money in a week to buy groceries. Now, the league is one year removed from labor issues that rivaled those of more seasoned sports organizations.
Ten years ago, Albany was a viable market for the league. Now, it`s gone, consigned to AFL history in the same way cities like Decatur, Portsmouth, Providence and Canton are in the NFL.
Those are the prices that must be paid for advancing from the breakdown shoulder to the left-hand lane of American sports. Yes, 15 is certainly keen. But it`s 10 that makes one remember when, and is a reminder not just of how far 50-yard, eight-on-eight football has come, but of the cost of making it to the big time.
Andrew Mason was at the Tampa Bay Storm`s first home game on June 1, 1991 and has followed the game ever since. While in college, he served as content editor and co-founder of The Storm Shelter, a Web site which covered the Tampa Bay Storm on the Internet from 1996-99. He also volunteered with the team`s media relations department in 1998 and currently contributes to ColoradoCrush.com. He's covered the NFL for various on-line outlets since 1999.