Last Sunday afternoon, I walked in the door and landed in my usual post-church spot on the couch. As I reached for the remote, I got that sinking feeling in my stomach, the same one I’ve had every Sunday for several months since the NFL season came to an end.

I knew opening day of the baseball season was still many hours away, and I prepared for another disappointing afternoon of sporting television. For a brief moment, though, the excitement returned: Was it Masters weekend? I flipped to CBS, no Masters … it was next weekend. What a bummer.

In a last-ditch effort before settling for the Discovery Channel, I decided to check out ESPN2. I prepared myself for some worthless rocket car race live from (insert some random Southeastern city here). But to my surprise, the first thing I saw when the channel changed was a player streaking across a turf-covered field. A second later, he was catching a beautifully thrown ball in stride as he broke the plain of what appeared to be an end zone. Football!

I would later learn that it was an Arena League game. But for some reason this Sunday, it seemed different than past Arena games I’ve tried to watch. Maybe it was because the World Champion Chicago Rush were playing. Maybe it was because the ESPN announcers sold me on it. Or maybe it was because I knew my next best option was watching salmon migrate north over on Discovery. I’m still not quite sure, but somehow I fell for Arena Football.

I decided to do some research on the storied tradition of the AFL so I would actually understand what I was watching next Sunday after church. So, here it is for all you football hungry readers who might be willing to give the AFL a shot next week.

Arena football is played on a 50-yard field. The field is surrounded by dasherboards that are very reminiscent of a hockey arena. The boards are in play unless a player with the ball is forced into them while maintaining possession of the football. Also in play are two huge nets behind the end zones that keep the ball out of the stands on kickoffs because of the short field. However, if somehow the ball does end up in the stands during the game, the fan gets to keep it. A game consists of four 15-minute quarters with eight men on each side of the ball. The fast-paced action usually features more than 100 combined points per game, and there is rarely a dull moment.

Most of the other rules are similar to the NFL except the offense can have one man in motion moving toward the line of scrimmage on each play. Usually a receiver starts about ten yards behind the line of scrimmage and will sprint towards the line. The QB hikes the ball just before he crosses the line, giving the receiver a huge advantage. It also makes for some pretty exciting plays.

Believe it or not, the AFL is now in its 20th season, but it’s just now coming into its own. In the last five years, fan attendance is up 60 percent across the league, and this year ESPN bought in as a minority partnership to cover games on its network channels. The league also features a celebrity cast of team owners including Mike Ditka, Jon Bon Jovi, Tim McGraw, John Elway, Ron Jaworski, Jerry Jones, Deion Sanders and a handful of others who also own NFL and NHL teams.

If this isn’t enough incentive to at least give the league a chance, the Chicago Rush won the championship last year. Believe me, they are fun to watch, too, especially the Matt D’Orazio (Rush QB) to Bobby Sippio (Rush WR) combination. Last week, they connected for five touchdowns and a team record 14 completions and 224 yards.

I have tried to watch games in the past and just couldn’t get into it, but for some reason last Sunday sold me. The AFL caters to the fans and puts an exciting product out on the field. One of the coolest parts of watching the game was being able to hear all of the conversations on the field and in the huddle. It seemed like everyone had a microphone on. It was a really cool experience.

So, if your bored next week and need something to do, or if you are just craving some football, I suggest giving the AFL one more chance.

Frank Vanderwall is a senior in

Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].