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The Great Indoors
Matt Purdue
06/01/2004
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Major league baseball bemoans labor strife and doping innuendoes. The
National Hockey League recently endured the bankruptcies of three teams.
National Football League (NFL) franchises cost at least half a billion dollars.
Compared with professional sports teams these days, junk bonds seem ironclad. So
where can an investor turn to assuage his sports enthusiasms without losing his
shirt? Judging by ascendant TV ratings and the enthusiasm of a growing fan base,
the Arena Football League (AFL) could be just the ticket.
 | | NEW YORK'S Lincoln Dupree defends against San Jose’s Barry Wagner. |
The AFL is the
only professional indoor football organization in the world. In fact, it is the
first sports league in history to have patented its game, practically
guaranteeing a competitor-free existence. First played in 1986 in Rockford,
Ill., Arena Football mixes elements of standard football and pinball, and, with
a nod toward James Caan circa 1975, just a touch of Rollerball.
The game is
played on 50 yards of synthetic turf (half the length of an NFL field), with
eight players per side. (The NFL uses 11.) There is no punting, and kicked balls
can be played off huge nets at either end of the field, resulting in
lightning-paced gameplay. Adrenaline-loving fans seem mesmerized not only by the
frequent scoring, but also by watching players get slammed into padded sideline
walls. The AFL reports that average attendance across the 19-team league has
increased 30 percent since 2001 (to more than 12,000 a game) and all-important
TV ratings are up 27 percent over 2003, surpassing the National Hockey League
and many college basketball games.
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