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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

AFL still humming along

by Ed Gross
March 4, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)


But didn't mom always say, "Don't play ball in the house"?

In its 22nd season, the Arena Football League continues to prove doubters wrong.

It was a curious little concept that I heard nothing about until a David Letterman joke gave it life. In 1987, Arena Football made its debut in four cities and on a channel still struggling for live programming, a little network called ESPN. Played on a field half the length of an NFL field and only 85 feet wide, many NFL and College fans scoffed at the idea of the game being played in such a style. Using NHL and NBA arenas as venues, the game had to adapt in other ways. The dasher boards were considered out of bounds, netting had to be used in the end zones, the goal posts were narrower, a punt was non-existent, the clock rarely stopped, and even the scoreboard, when hit by a kicked ball, became part of the rulebook. Eight players per side - most of whom played on both sides of the ball, and a no-substitution without disqualification rule gave the game an "Ironman" marketing concept.

The league's early acceptance was minimal. The next season saw only two of the original franchises return, along with four expansion teams. The coveted markets of New York and Los Angeles helped make some doubters take more notice. That notice almost became fatal as the "guaranteed return" of all six franchises was lost and the league gave serious consideration to canceling the season. Arenaball fans feared that this cancellation would mean the end of the game as a whole. In what seemed like a last minute save, the league reconsidered and retooled for that 1989 season. With the two franchises that suspended operations after the 1987 season essentially returning along with the other two originals and one 1988 expansion team, Arena Football was not only showcased in these five cities, but in five other neutral sites as well. The interest in the ten cities seemed to be enough to convince the league and its owners to continue pressing forward.

The AFL itself has seen change. The number of games played in the regular season varied, being as low as single figures in the 80's, and finally peaking at the 14 that are played today and since 1996. The number of franchises went as low as four, reached 19 in both 2004 and 2007, and currently the number sits at 17. The AFL can also boast reaching into untapped larger cities. Most notably, Des Moines' Iowa Barnstormers from 1995-2000 introduced Kurt Warner to the spotlight. Doubters of the AFL would miss an early chance to see Super Bowl XXXIV's MVP. By this time, it became more difficult for mainstream sports to ignore the AFL. In 2003, the league landed a greater television deal with NBC. In 2007, ESPN and ABC bought into the league, giving it even greater exposure.

The game itself may owe something to other leagues. It was conceived in 1981 during a Major Indoor Soccer League game by Jim Foster, the one-time commissioner and Arena Football League founder. Based on the idea that if soccer can work indoors, why can't football? Not looking to challenge the NFL, Foster devised a game that was a hybrid. This idea would have to wait for the birth and demise of the USFL. If anything, the USFL can be credited for giving football fans and viewers the need to look for alternatives in the spring and summer. Alternatives that are, maybe close, but not threatening to the NFL or its players.

Curiously, the NFL beat the AFL to the indoor concept by almost 55 years. In its early days, the NFL didn't boast balanced schedules, tie-breakers, or a championship game. In fact, a tie wasn't even figured into a team's win-loss percentage. In 1932, the Chicago's Bears finished 6-1-6, while the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans finished 6-1-4, playing two fewer games but possessing the same winning percentage. Had today's standards been used, Green Bay would have won the regular season title with a (10-3-1) record and because no championship game was played then, been declared NFL champions. Instead, both Chicago and Portsmouth agreed to play a game, which would count in the regular season standings, therefore giving a clear cut winner. The game, scheduled for Wrigley Field would be moved indoors to Chicago Stadium, once home of the Blackhawks and Bulls. The reasoning: a week long blizzard had George Halas convinced that the play and attendance would be hurt by the weather.

To accommodate the game, dirt was trucked onto the cement floor, covered by whatever sod could be found. The field was 80 yards long and 15 feet under regulation width. Other rule changes were also made to make the game more manageable. Some changes, would make it into NFL rulebooks the next season. The game itself, was played on December 18th of 1932 with 11,198 people in attendance. They watched Chicago beat Portsmouth by a score of nine to zero. Chicago's lone touchdown was scored on a play that was considered illegal in 1932: a run turned pass, which because a pass wasn't allowed from within five yards behind the line of scrimmage, should have been illegal. The play was allowed to stand, and such a pass under pressure made enough sense to change the rule for 1933. In fact, the entire concept of a championship game would be adopted for the 1933 NFL season.

Arena Football: What to watch for.

- Any pass or kick off of the netting is considered a live ball: Late in close games, passes into the netting can occur, resulting in unexpected interceptions or quick scoring.

- The game clock will rarely stop, mainly on out of bounds plays and incomplete passes, only in the last minute of the game or half, or if the referee sees a need to stop it for a penalty or injury, or in some cases, a TV timeout.

- The game clock will stop: In the last minute of a game, if the leading team is on offense and does not gain positive yardage on a play, thus creating a "no kneel down" rule.

- Beginning in 2007 Free substitution is now allowed, thus ending the "Ironman" concept.

- af2 is Arena Football's minor league system currently boasting 29 franchises in smaller cities (including a revival of the Iowa Barnstormers). The league was founded in 2000, and competes later into the season (August), playing for the ArenaCup championship trophy.

- The AFL championship trophy is called Foster ArenaBowl Trophy, named after its founder. Foster patented some of the equipment unique to Arena football, most notably the netting, in 1990. The patent itself expired on September 30th of 2007.

- Of the ten cities that hosted a game in 1989, only Chicago, Denver and Cleveland currently possess teams. With the exception of Baltimore, all ten host cities would at some point, have held a franchise in the AFL.

In need of trivia??? -- The Tampa Bay Storm, is the only AFL franchise to have existed for all 22 seasons. The franchise played as the Pittsburgh Gladiators from 1987 to 1990 before relocating to Tampa. The Gladiators franchise was in no way related to today's Cleveland Gladiators franchise.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from March 4, 2008


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