Alive and Kicking

Arena Football didn’t wow Orange County during the Anaheim Piranhas’ two-year existence, but the 12-year-old indoor league is proving--much like the NFL has--that a presence in the Southland market is not vital to a league’s stability.

Since the Piranhas folded after the 1997 season, the Arena Football League has added three franchises, landed a television deal with ABC for the ArenaBowl and most importantly, made a new friend in the NFL. The mastermind of the league’s growth and its burgeoning relationship with the NFL is David Baker, the Arena League’s commissioner and the Piranhas’ former majority owner. So far, the Piranhas’ loss has been Arena football’s gain.

Baker’s vision is “year-round interactive football for a whole new generation.” That vision is one step closer to reality now that the NFL has has changed its bylaws and allowed team owners the opportunity to buy Arena teams. Previously, NFL owners were prohibited from owning teams in other football leagues.

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson was the first NFL owner to take advantage of the new exemption in the bylaws, and there might be more to follow. Baker said 11 NFL owners have expressed interest in purchasing an Arena team, including Dallas’ Jerry Jones and New England’s Bob Kraft.

Baker said he hopes NFL owners buying Arena franchises is the start of a long, close partnership with the NFL.

“We’d like to put in the concept of having the NFL as an equity investor in our league,” said Baker, whose office is in Orange. “That would allow us to do a lot of cross-marketing with the NFL. It would also help us get a network television contract.”

Greg Aiello, NFL spokesman, said the NFL is discussing a range of ideas with Baker. “We could not rule those possibilities out,” Aiello said of Baker’s goals. “The NFL would like the sport of football to grow at all levels. What’s good for football is good for the NFL.”

Greg Bensel, director of media relations for the Saints, said Benson got involved in Arena football so he could provide year-round football to the city of New Orleans.

“There is a lull here for us this time of year,” Bensel said. “For us to have a presence in the community all year would only help us. The momentum will be there heading into our season. We won’t have to reinvigorate our fans.”

Bensel said he foresees the New Orleans team, scheduled to become the AFL’s 16th franchise in 2000, and the Saints forming a close bond.

“The new team will train at the Saints facility under the watchful eye of our coaches,” he said. “There will be a lot of correlation, a lot of cross-over.”

There has been some speculation that the Arena league could serve as a minor league system for the NFL, much the way the World League does now. But Aiello said that isn’t the NFL’s intent.

“The Arena league has to stand on its own as an operation,” he said.

Skeptics might argue that the timing of the NFL’s interest in Arena football is a bit convenient given that Ted Turner and NBC recently announced their desire to form another football league. But Baker said he doesn’t believe there is anything to speculation that the NFL is simply trying to keep players away from a new Turner/NBC league.

“[The NFL] has dealt with us fairly from the start,” Baker said. “They’ve never mentioned the other league at all. Certainly the player pool is an issue. But our game really isn’t dependent on stars.”

Baker said his league’s developing relationship with the NFL has also spurred interest from some non-NFL cities, including Anaheim. Baker said he has four parties interested in putting a team back in the Arrowhead Pond, but he added that nothing is imminent.

“I can virtually guarantee you there will be a team back in Anaheim within three years, but my objective is to do it before that,” Baker said. “That’s been put a little on the back burner because of all the interest from the NFL owners.”

This week, Baker was in Cleveland visiting with the Gund family and the IMG Group, who he said are interested in putting a team in Gund Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers. Baker said IMG might be willing to purchase a team for Anaheim if the Gunds buy a Cleveland franchise.

“The Piranhas’ folding disappointed me deeply,” Baker said. “They were special to my heart.”

In Baker’s one season as majority owner, the Piranhas averaged announced crowds of 12,000 and reached the playoffs. The next year, the Piranhas won two games and their attendance dropped about 25%.

Roy Englebrecht, former president and a minority owner of the Piranhas, said he wonders whether an Arena team can ever turn a profit at the Pond.

“We bought our franchise for $700,000, the new Buffalo team is going for $2.1 million,” Englebrecht said. “With that kind of price tag, it becomes a little chancy in Orange County. Summer teams haven’t fared very well here.

“Bless Dave’s heart, but it just doesn’t pencil out.”

Englebrecht added that owning an Arena team would be a less-risky proposition if the NFL became directly involved and offered owners some financial backing.

“They might bestow a lifelong commissionership on David if he were to pull that off with the NFL,” Englebrecht said. “What a phenomenal marketing partner for them. If I were buying a team, I would not do it unless there were parties like the NFL assuring us that losses would be minimal.”

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No Net Gain

Despite advances on the business side, attendance at Arena Football League games has not improved over last year, through Friday’s games.

The average attendance has dropped, although that can be attributed to the Florida Bobcats, who were not included in last year’s averages after playing only two of their 14 games at home. The Bobcats average 1,751 per game in the 4,644-seat West Palm Beach Auditorium; next year, they move to the new Broward County Arena.

The Piranhas, who drew 9,092 per game last year, were replaced by the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Rampage, which has averaged 9,676 for its first five home games.

The average attendance:

1997

*--*

G Attendance Avg. Arizona 7 111,858 15,980 Milwaukee 7 106,868 15,267 Orlando 7 102,528 14,647 San Jose 7 101,631 14,519 Nashville 7 85,984 12,283 Tampa Bay 8 96,058 12,007 New Jersey 7 81,622 11,660 Albany 7 75,785 10,826 Iowa 8 85,071 10,633 Portland 7 66,622 9,517 Piranhas 7 63,643 9,092 New York 7 44,069 6,373 Texas 7 29,928 4,275 Florida 2 NA NA

*--*

League Average: 11,308

1998

*--*

G Attendance Avg. Arizona 5 78,496 15,699 San Jose 5 70,976 14,195 Orlando 4 56,762 14,191 Nashville 6 71,479 11,913 Milwaukee 5 59,364 11,873 Tampa Bay 5 57,603 11,521 Albany 5 51,843 10,369 Portland 6 60,025 10,004 Grand Rapids 5 48,379 9,676 New Jersey 5 46,455 9,291 Iowa 5 45,315 9,063 New York 4 29,899 7,475 Houston 5 15,926 3,185 Florida 4 7,003 1,751

*--*

League Average: 10,138

Sources: Arena Football League, CNN/Sports Illustrated