Fifty Yarder:

As candidates pan for voters who could change the balance of power in Congress in next month’s elections, the American Arena League and Professional Arena Football have spent their autumn on a campaign trail of their own. They’ve been vying for the litany of teams whose league affiliations remain undecided and could change the landscape … More With AAL and PAF Recruiting To A Draw, Survival Of The Fittest Is On Hold

In 1996, Jason Gibson found himself flat broke with a gas tank nearing empty on the drive to an open tryout for the Albany Firebirds. He was forced to spend the night at a rest area off the New York State Thruway until his dad could send him enough cash to cover a fill-up and … More Invitation-Only Workouts Challenging Arena’s Open Tryout Industry

The thunderstorms passing through Philadelphia last Thursday night created a soft start to the NFL season for me. By the scheduled start of the Eagles-Falcons game at 8:20, only isolated pockets of fans were gathered across the wilderness of Lincoln Financial Field’s open seating area, and the thin crowd conjured memories of a summer filled … More NFL Could Regain Its Compete Level Using Arena Rules

For the past season, my lunchtime routine has consisted of clicking on Facebook for the soap-operatic drama of the American Arena League Forum. Today, however, instead of dialing into arena football’s version of ‘As The World Turns,’ I landed in some Wellesian ‘War Of The Worlds’ episode being broadcast by Professional Arena Football. Despite two … More PAF Repos AAL’s Forum In Latest Blow To Flailing League

The National Arena League is that place between sleep and awake where you still remember nightmares of the AAL as the higher order to which you’re accustomed comes back into focus. It’s the Pearly Gate at which “pro” football really becomes professional.  It’s where communities passionately embrace their teams and hate the opponent. It’s where you … More Zebras: A True Asset To The NAL

Following Gregg Fornario’s August 15 launch of Northern Arena Football, the prevailing sentiment is that this sport needs a new league about as much as the world needs to invent another way to make doughnuts. There’s an inherent fear about diluting its limited talent pool with a broader base of teams, or by over-saturating the … More Why Fornario’s NAF Is A Rising Tide For Arena Football

There’s no question Billy Back is a great coach. Maybe the National Arena League Coach of the Year. He earned the Indoor Football League equivalent of that honor in 2016 with the Wichita Falls Nighthawks. This year, he’s been downright Belichickian. His Carolina Cobras have been the most consistent team in the NAL, and he … More That Being Said, What The Hell Was Bill Back Thinking There?