Am I the only one who is super pumped for the revival of the AFL? Personally, I was heartbroken when the league filed for bankruptcy. Good thing it's coming back this year!
Here's what you need to know; arena football is better than the NFL for several reasons.
1) The teams have better names. From Chicago Rush to Colorado Crush, these teams have some pretty sweet names, way better than the Miami Dolphins and the Texas Cowboys. My personal favorite, the New Orleans VooDoo is sadly no longer in existence.
2) Legendary rock star Bon Jovi is the owner of the Philly Soul. In my opinion, he's a cooler celebrity than oh say, Bob Kraft?
3) The field is only 50 yards and the goalposts are smaller. This isn't your average football game (though the ball itself is identical)! Teams consist of twenty active and four inactive players; this cuts down on how many names you have to remember, always a plus! There are eight players on the field at once: four offensive, three defensive and one linebacker.
4) It's easy to learn! Movement of the ball is easy for NFL fans; there are four downs to advance the ball ten yards. Field goals, touch downs, extra points, and two point conversions all work the same way and are worth the same scores. There are four fifteen minute periods.
5) But it's not the same as the NFL either! For example, a field goal is worth four points when it's scored by a drop kick instead of placement. There is no punting. AFL passing rules are the same as those in the NCAA, pretty gosh darn cool! In OT, each team gets one possession to score, a very fair system if you ask me.
So now that you've got the basics down, you too can be excited about the league's comeback. I know I am. I am especially excited that prior to the league going bankrupt, they had been looking into expansion to Boston. Well, season tickets here I come! That would just be incredible.
Hopefully a rebranding and some management adjustments will let the sport succeed this time around. So give it a shot, I promise you'll love it!
