ArenaCup Assessment – Pass or Fail
Gary Stibolt
Sunday August 27, 2006
I also want to congratulate Green Bay for what they accomplished this season as well. As a Steamwheelers fan, we have seen a lot of Green Bay and knew they were a team that would not lay down. They had a fine season and a great post season run. I know none of that matters in the wake of losing the championship but they do have a lot to be proud of as well.
As for the game itself, both teams looked good in the first quarter but if you thought Spokane was not physical on defense, all you had to do was look at their roster. (DS) Leo Fenceroy, (DB) Rob Keefe, and others are physical players themselves. While many would have liked a much closer game in the ArenaCup, it was a game that was decided on the field in similar fashion. Spokane looked and played like they were there to take care of business and even made it look like that is how they have been playing all year, with a lot of heart and a lot of fun. They really looked confident, comfortable, and like they were enjoying themselves. It is hard to compete against that element because it is mental. It doesn't match strength for strength. It was team chemistry and nothing can destroy that in a single game.
But what I want to focus on here is the assessment of the bigger picture of ArenaCup and how it came off. I know a lot of fans have been very upset about the decision to have the game in Puerto Rico. I understand their concern and have empathy for them too. I knew about the decision and then listened to the announcement and I had my own reservations. I didn't buy the whole sales pitch but I did remain neutral and wanted to give the league the opportunity and support to do what they felt was their best option on the table. They had their turn to make it work and now the fans have their turn to say 'I told you so.'
Let's begin with the decision to move to Puerto Rico so we are all reminded of why it was there to begin with. The plan to have the game in Bossier/Shreveport went up in smoke when the NFL announced it was having a preseason game at the Liberty Bowl. It was the Liberty Bowl staff who promoted ArenaCup. Their services weren't fully available and the sponsorship dollars would have been very tough to compete for going up against the NFL. Also adding that the league wants to stand on their own with their product and their championship game and not under the umbrella of the NFL. I fully support the decision to move the venue. I also fully support the decision for a neutral site.
Just a side note on the neutral site thought. Having the game at the highest seeded team venue, we the fans are still faced with making last minute travel and vacation arrangements and having to pay top dollar on flights and risk hotel availability.
The television broadcast announcement looked like a better situation than last year. In this day and age of cable and satellite providers and all the independent programming operators, we are going to have to buy select programming that might not otherwise be available in our current packages or carried by our local providers. Until a national deal is crafted with a major network such as ESPN or Fox Sports (not Fox Sports Net), or NBC, ABC, or CBS, it is going to be this way. The only way, and I know it can be done, if if our local cable/satellite providers agree to pick up the Comcast feed and broadcast it on a local access channel. After all, it was Comcast that carried my local high school state championship game and the local cable provider aired it on a local access channel. To get that done, local owners are going to have to get involved and assist the league in getting that setup.
Speaking of the broadcast itself, the quality was very bad. From a technical perspective, the signal was obviously not digital and it wasn't even done with the best available analog equipment. The game was on and then it was off. As for the production, it too lacked and had a lot to be desired. Audio was weak, and there was no time built into the schedule to offer any type of pregame or post game. The producers kept throwing up score graphics over replays so you couldn't even see the replay. Did they use a bunch of high school audio visual students to run the production room? It looked like it. As for the graphics, they didn't even keep the score board banner with the clock on the screen. We never knew what down it was or how much time was remaining. When they did show it was nice. But leave it up there. The announcers didn't keep us informed of game situations and nor should they...it wasn't radio but you would have followed the game a lot better had you watched the game on TV and turn down the volume and listen to it on the radio (or Internet in this case). I felt for a championship game, the graphics and overall presentation could have been a lot better. It was like no effort was put into the broadcast production. Absolutely none and that is very disappointing.
Commercials were weak if you were going to judge them. I don't put a lot of stock in commercials unless it is the Superbowl. By looking at the side wall banners, some sponsorships were sold and I was impressed that Dodge sponsored the game.
Looking at the whole event itself aside from the game. I know Jerry went down and scanned San Juan before making his final recommendation to the league owners, who by the way, didn't want it or couldn't host it, and voted to have it in Puerto Rico. Comparing this years ArenaCup in Puerto Rico to last years ArenaCup in Bossier/Shreveport, the league took a major step backwards. They had it right last year in Bossier and the sky was the limit for '07 but Puerto Rico turned out to be a bad decision and here is why I think that.
The promoter had experience in promoting NBA exhibition games and other major events but he never had experience in promoting a championship event that required the level of involvement it takes to put on a championship football game. He procrastinated on a few things and only had an interest in selling tickets and sponsorships. Nothing was orchestrated to the level it needed to be. The league did not have some of their own ground people to run the operation like we had in an af2 hosted city last year. The location for business meetings and accommodations was very limited. The Fan Fest was scheduled to be at the Arena to tie into a local event and that fell through in the eleventh hour and had to be re-located. It was reported to me that fifteen fans showed up and that was it. Sure the teams were there and other dignitaries and cheerleaders but from a fan count (it was a Fan Fest after all), there was only fifteen.
To do a game of this caliber you have to have your own people on the ground to coordinate and run the show months in advance. You have to educate communities about what Arena Football is and what the event is that is coming to their city (or country in this case). More advertising needs to be in the mix but I suppose that was limited due to the promoter wanting to make as much money for himself than getting the word out.
My guess is that in scanning the area prior to making the decision, Mr. Kurz was looking things over and saying to himself 'this can work, or that will work, or we'll just have to do it this way but it will work.' I understand when you move your event to a new venue there are going to be some things you have to modify or give up. But my thinking is telling me that if you are having to make that many concessions, then aren't we cheapening the event too? The product itself, Arena Football, was not cheapened, it only looked like it due to the way it was broadcasted. But here you are not dealing with just the product, you are dealing with the event and the total experience. Too many concessions should have been a red flag and I know they tried to get those issues dealt with. But again, with none of your own on the ground looking out for your own interest, it is difficult to get these issues resolved.
The Fan Convention we tried to coordinate had to be re-worked once the decision came about for Puerto Rico. That due in large to the lack of fans that would not be making the trip. The other thing was that the Fan Convention was suppose to be a package item that fans could pick up along with their ticket packages. Again, the promoter didn't want anything to do with packages. He just wanted to sell tickets. He didn't even coordinate an airline deal so fans could get there for less. The af2 National Fan Club is also assessing the situation collectively. We know what we wanted and we recognized the obstacles in our way and tried to ward them off but it boils down to no one on the ground checking things out and looking out for our interest.
On the surface after having the Puerto Rico experience, it sounds like the league is getting in bed with the wrong person if they are truly wanting to expand Arena Football (af2) there. The idea of having an af2 team will greet the same fate as the Hawaiian Islanders and what could be said for the expansion team in Anchorage, Alaska (to start play in '07). However, in Puerto Rico's case, the concern is not about the travel costs (that will sink in later), it is about the right ownership mix for the af2.
There is an "out" clause in the two year contract with the promoter that either the af2 or the promoter can opt out of without penalty. I vote yes for the option. In the final analysis, I think the league realized that they cannot hold the type of event and support the logistics the way they need to without their own people looking out for their interest. The owners learned a valuable lesson too. I believe they will think twice and come up with alternative solutions for the ArenaCup if such a situation should ever arise to force the venue to be moved again.
I understand why they chose Puerto Rico and I don't blame Jerry or the league and owners for making a Puerto Rican decision. Just as disgruntled as many fans were and still are, the league too found themselves in un-chartered territory. One thing the af2 has not done under the leadership of Jerry Kurz is they don't make the same mistakes twice. Say what you want about their decisions and how you feel you have been ignored as a fan, the af2 is still a great league, Arena Football is still a great sport, and we will continue to support it. It was Puerto Rico's promoter that let the league down and that trickles down to the fans.
So outside a great game with two fantastic teams, the Puerto Rican experience was a failure but the af2 and its' fans will be winners in the long run because of it. There were a lot of lessons learned. While going to a vacation destiny is a dream come true for many, if its' all the same to you, I would have loved going to be a part of the ArenaCup in a place that already knows and can embrace what Arena Football and its' fans are all about.
Gary Stibolt has covered the Quad City Steamwheelers since their 2000 inaugural season. He also owns, operates and is the Chief Editor/Publisher of SteamwheelerFans.com, a website dedicated to the Steamwheelers and their fans. He coresponds for other media outlets covering arenafootball2. In addition to leading the Steamwheelers Fan Club, Gary serves as Coordinator of the National af2 Fan Club. He is married with two sons and works as an Infrastructure Analyst for Deere & Company in their Corporate Computer Center in Moline, Illinois.