Entertainment value
by Will Carroll Jan 29, 2003
The Firebirds begin their third season on the field
Photo by Ron Hoskins
The names are for the most part unknown. The game is almost the same, and takes some getting used to. The music is loud and the fans often louder, with fireworks and dancing girls leading the way. A giant orange bird known as Spike exhorts the crowd and the mix of families and fanatics respond with passion. Somehow, the Indiana Firebirds have become everything we"ve always wanted from the Colts. The Firebirds manage to be fan-friendly, accessible, affordable and have players that not only seem genuinely nice, but also care about the reaction of their fans and community. After coming to Indianapolis from Albany, N.Y., General Manager Joe Hennessy set out on a mission: to educate Indy as to what his team does and to make sure he had what he calls "the best entertainment value in Indianapolis." Starting the Firebirds" third season, one in which a national TV contract with NBC raises their profile significantly, Hennessy has delivered on his promise. "For the price of one ticket to a Colts or Pacers game, a family of four can come to see a Firebirds game. They get to have three hours of fun in the best arena in sports!" he says. Firebirds fanatic Nancy Lee agrees. She"s been a fan since she walked in the door. "I"ve been to Pacers and Colts games for years," she said at a recent practice. (That"s right - the Firebirds open their practices to anyone, free of charge.) "A Firebirds game is so much more enjoyable. They really get the fans into it and the players are so great." Not only is Lee an avid fan, but she"s gotten her daughter into the game - almost literally. Her daughter joined the Firebird Flames, the dance team, this year. What brings a wife and mother to what"s been described as a "50-yard indoor war"? Lee doesn"t hesitate when asked. "The fans really get into the game. There"s so much action and so little down time. When the music is loud and the team makes a play, there"s almost nothing else like it in sports." Impressive roster Great players are all over the Firebirds roster. Most notably, the best player in the history of the league: former MVP "Touchdown" Eddie Brown. Unlike his equivalents in the NFL, Brown doesn"t have an off-season home in Hawaii. Instead, Brown settled here in Indianapolis when the Firebirds first nested and found himself a home as a high school football coach at North Central. "Indianapolis is my home now," he says. "I want to stay here whenever my career is over and coach." A Hall of Fame caliber player would be a likely candidate for a professional coaching job, but this doesn"t seem to be in Brown"s plans. Asked if he"d like to someday coach in the Arena League, he just laughs. "Too complicated," he says. "High school is where I can make a difference. I can be a role model for some kids." Brown isn"t the only role model; the team seems full of them. Receiver Jay Jones works as a tutor at a local college. Even the team"s resident "wild man," Rich Young, wants to be a role model. "I grew up as one of the kids in baggy shorts and riding my skateboard. I had a half-pipe in my backyard. Those kids need to see one of their own succeeding." Young may have bright red hair and tattoos, but he also makes sure to stop and greet his fans, signing autographs after a long scrimmage. The players and team staff seem to pride themselves on being accessible and part of the community. Despite their lack of a long history in Indianapolis, the Firebirds have gone out of their way to reach out. "We had to get the fans in here first," Hennessy says. "I think that if I can get someone into one game, I can get them back. I"m that confident in the value and the product." Ticket prices range from a hefty $99 for the closest seats - known ironically as the "nosebleeds," where not only might fans catch a football, they"ve been known to end up with a player in their laps - to $5. "Better than half the seats in Conseco go for less than 20 bucks for one of our games," Hennessy points out. As word about the product gets out and additional exposure comes with a national television deal and expanded local television and radio coverage, the Firebirds" target market still can be unaware of the product. Young professionals who"ve been to Pacers or Colts games but balk at the high prices of the "bigger" pro sports haven"t been the largest part of the Firebirds audience. "I just haven"t gone," says Rob Miller, a commercial real estate analyst, while stopping for a cup of coffee at the Conseco Fieldhouse Starbucks. "I know they"re here and I"ve just never been. I guess a lot of it is that I don"t really understand the game." Football + basketball = arena football Miller has a point. To the uninitiated, arena football looks very different, but Hoosiers should have no trouble when the game is described as a cross between football and basketball. The major differences are obvious. The field is only half the size of a "normal" football field and less than half as wide. There are nets at either end of the field and balls that are kicked or thrown into them are live on a rebound. The sidelines are replaced with hockey-style walls. Yes, they"re padded, but running into one full speed still gets one"s attention and falling into one awkwardly can mean the end of a player"s season. There are a few other variants, such as fewer players, different motion rules and some odd defensive rules that even the players have a hard time explaining. Nevertheless, the game is fast-paced and recognizable. What stands out most is the scoring. While the Colts emphasize defense as the key to winning, a typical Firebirds game has both teams scoring in the 50s and some games into the 70s. Teams regularly score in one or two plays and with the Firebirds, the action has only begun when the team hits the end zone, especially if it"s Eddie Brown with the ball. "Part of my pre-season is getting my dance ready," Brown told me. Brown has scored countless touchdowns and had nearly as many dances. A crowd favorite was the "patdown" where Brown would stop against the wall, spread eagle, and another player would pat him down as if he were a criminal. "The guy that patted me down was a prison guard in the off-season. It was great. I was telling the other team that I stole another one!" Brown and other Firebirds stars, such as Raymond Philyaw, former NFL quarterback Craig Whelihan and bruising fullback Leroy Thompson, see good things coming for the Firebirds this year. "The TV contract is just a start," Young says. "We have to play well." Brown echoed this thought. "We"ll be on national TV every game and they"re expecting a breakout star. We have to win for someone like me to break out." The Firebirds begin the 2003 season on the road in Detroit Feb. 2, with the first home game two weeks later on Feb. 16. The season will be almost as fast-paced as the games with the regular season wrapping up just before the Indy 500 in May. The team"s goal is to keep playing after the roars of the Speedway are just memory. "Wouldn"t it be great to have the Arena Bowl in this facility?" Lee asks, looking around a nearly empty Conseco Fieldhouse. "The Colts are a big part of the community, but the Firebirds should be as well. This game is still about players that love the game and talk to the fans. This game isn"t about corporate suites and endorsement contracts. This is the last true professional sport that still revolves around the fan." Tickets for Firebirds games are available by calling 317-482-8080 or at www.firebirds.com.
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