NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Arena Football League

The OSC Interview: Arena Football League Commissioner Scott Butera

by Fran Stuchbury
August 25, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)


OurSports Central contributor Fran Stuchbury spoke briefly to Arena Football League Commissioner Scott Butera following the Jacksonville Sharks' 61-56 victory over the Philadelphia Soul in the AFL's American Conference Championship at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Sunday, August 23rd. Butera, a former investment banker and casino executive, is completing his first season as commissioner of the AFL.

Fran Stuchbury: The last two Arena Football games came down to the last play with Jacksonville defeating Philadelphia 61-56 and in the National Conference Championship, the San Jose SaberCats defeating the Arizona Rattlers 70-67. Is this the version of Arena Football fans will love and get hooked on?

Scott Butera: Yeah, this is exactly what we are all about. This is the essence of the Arena Football League. Amazing excitement, amazing scoring, both games down to the wire, it doesn't get any better than this. We had two very competitive games and four well-coached teams; it was all good.

FS: Is the ArenaBowl XXVIII being played in Stockton on Saturday night at 7 pm Eastern on ESPN better than moving the game to Monday night and playing it at San Jose where it would draw a larger crowd?

SB: They could play this game in Siberia; everybody would be there. There is so much excitement right now. So it's great to be on ESPN on Saturday night. It's going be in prime time for us, so it's going be an amazing job.

FS: What does the AFL need to do in the off-season to improve?

SB: We're just going to get bigger and better, add more teams, and add more excitement. We are going do a lot more marketing. The sport is growing like crazy; it's a great harbinger for things to come.

FS: How many teams do you expect to play in the AFL next season?

SB: It's really more about the quality of the teams than the numbers. We are going to add systematically in markets. We are going to be focused on the Northeast and Midwest. We are looking for the right owners so it depends on us finding the right people to be part of this great organization.

Check out the Arena Football League Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...

Arena Football League Stories from August 25, 2015


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central