AFL: Adapting to the New League
It's a goofy game to be sure and although I'm still trying to wrap my head around the AFL's version of America's passion, I'm beginning to develop and affinity for it.
This is where my head has been these past few weeks - hanging around Cleveland Gladiators practices, learning the rules of the game and I've received the pleasure of being assigned to cover the team.
Will it ever equal the NFL in terms of popularity? I highly doubt it, but I will never say never. I will, however, give the brain trust behind Cleveland's second AFL team (the Cleveland Thunderbolts were the first) for putting together an entertaining package. For those who don't know, that would include Bernie Kosar, formerly of the Cleveland Browns.
The game itself is fast paced. I liken it to watching a game of pick-up football in the backyard. It's fun to watch and rarely boring, especially if you like offense.
But what's shocked me is the fact that the crowds have actually shown up the first two game. It was to be expected at the home opener - more than 17K came - but on the day after a snowstorm dumped more than two feet on most people, another 14K watched at the Quicken Loans Arena.
The AFL may have something here. The Gladiators may succeed where the Thunderbolts failed because of stable ownership, a stable league with a national TV contract and a partner in ESPN that has a vested interest in expanding the audience and the league. It doesn't hurt that the team plays in a venue that can't be equated to being a "white elephant on the prairie."
