This is Part 2 of the Depressed Steelers Fan's Guide to the Pittsburgh Power.  For Part 1, please click here.

What’s the story with the Power?

The Power has a high-profile ownership group that includes Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann.  The Power’s home field, the Consol Energy Center, is the newest and arguably nicest facility in the league.  Don’t anticipate any sellouts though—attendance at AFL games usually peaks at around 12,000 fans.

Is it true the team was originally called the River Wizards?

This is correct.  Local radio host Mark Madden initially reported this on his drive-time show.  There were also rumors that the team would not be wearing black and gold uniforms.  As if they had the gall.  Give a raise to the marketing executive who anticipated the public backlash by suggesting a name and forcing the team to wear the colors of the city flag.

Were there ever any other arena league teams in Pittsburgh?

Yes—the Pittsburgh Gladiators were one of the inaugural franchises of the AFL.  In fact, the Gladiators played in the AFL’s first regular-season game and appeared in the first Arenabowl (that’s the championship game, and yes—there is a trophy).  The Gladiators moved to Tampa after four years in the ‘Burgh.  After a 20-year absence, the AFL is back in Pittsburgh. 

Are AFL players making it rain?

In a word, no.  Each team gets a designated “franchise tag” player, who makes $1,000 per game.  In a sixteen game season, that’s not even enough to get in the door at many of the high-end clubs.  Estimates vary on what everyone else makes, but most media types agree that the average player makes somewhere around $6,000 or $7,000 for the season. In other words, don’t quit your day job. 

Does the AFL have any NFL connections?

Kurt Warner: From AFL legelnd to Super Bowl hero.

Not officially, but the AFL welcomes many washed-up NFL veterans every year.

Who are the most famous AFL players?

Kurt Warner, hands down, is the most famous guy to ever play in the AFL.  He was slinging balls for the Iowa Barnstormers—he took them to 2 Arenabowls but lost both—long before he became an NFL MVP and went to three Super Bowls.  He is the closest thing there is to an AFL legend. 

Other big names include former Dolphins receiver Oronde Gadsden, former Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox, and self-proclaimed bad boy Todd Marinovich.  Perhaps the most interesting and surprising former AFL player is Cliff Branch.  An NFL Hall of Fame nominee, Branch played 14 seasons with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowls and earning four Pro Bowl selections.  He finished his football career in 1988 with the AFL’s Los Angeles Cobras.

What’s the backstory with the AFL?  Will they go bankrupt again?  And what is af2 and why isn’t it capitalized?

The Arena Football League, or AFL—not to be confused with the Australian Football Leauge—was invented 30 years ago last week by a young entrepreneur and USFL executive named Jim Foster.  The first game, however, wasn’t played until 1987, when the league began with four teams based in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Denver, and D.C.

During the ‘90s, the AFL followed the lead of just about every other professional sports league and expanded rapidly.  “Arena ball” gained a cult following and there was enough interest that a spin-off was formed, a developmental league known as af2, which became the ABA of arena ball.

Much like other sputtering underground sports leagues, the AFL had many franchises switch cities or cease operations.  In 2009, with debt piling up and after a few key franchises folded, the AFL declared bankruptcy, af2 was dissolved, and the entire 2009 season was cancelled. 

When the league re-launched in 2010, it included several former af2 teams.  Currently the AFL has 18 teams, four divisions, and two conferences.  AFL teams average about 8,000 fans per game, or just a few hundred more than the WNBA.  I wonder if they will ever use that in an advertising slogan?

Is there fantasy football for the AFL?

If you looked hard enough, I can almost guarantee you could find an AFL fantasy football league, reserved only for the most desperate fantasy sports nerds on the planet.

Can the Power succeed in Pittsburgh?

There’s no doubt that Pittsburgh is a sports-crazed town, and football is at the top of most people’s list.  The Gladiators didn’t have much of a following in the late 80s, but several other odd sports teams have had brief runs of success.  Notably, the Pittsburgh Spirit, an indoor soccer team, developed a cult following in the early ‘80s and actually drew more fans than the last-place Penguins in 1983-84.

The Power has several advantages before they even begin playing football:  1) a big-name owner (Swann), 2) black-and-gold uniforms, and 3) the real possibility of an NFL work stoppage.  They will also be playing in one of the best new arenas in professional sports.  If there was ever a good time to start an arena team, this is it.  Let’s hope they can at least beat Philadelphia.