They play arena football for love, not money

By Steve Silver

Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 | midnight

There won't be any millionaires vying for the ArenaCup Saturday night at the Orleans Arena.

No international endorsement deals. No cable television coverage. And probably no celebrity girlfriends overshadowing the game either.

The AF2's ArenaCup 10 is certainly not the NFL's Super Bowl.

Yet while the hits are just as hard and the risk of injury just as high, the 40 AF2 players from Spokane and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton competing for a championship Saturday night will be lucky if they can earn a few extra hundred dollars for capturing that title.

The appeal is something greater than fame and fortune.

"Nobody loves football as much our players do," said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers head coach Rich Ingold, who will lead his Pioneers against the Spokane Shock for the AF2 championship at 7 p.m.

"That's what this league is about. We want guys who love the game. Believe me, there are a million players out there who are good enough, but they won't sacrifice for the game. These guys here have really sacrificed to play this game and they want to keep the dream alive."

That dream of making a career out of a game they love is what motivates the majority of AF2 players to work other jobs to support themselves during the 18-week regular season.

Most AF2 players earn between $200 and $500 per game with a minimum $50 victory bonus – not exactly the $310,000 minimum rookie salary in the NFL.

"It's not a big paycheck, but this is a chance to open doors," said Spokane quarterback Nick Davila, who played at the University of Cincinnati. "I got cut from the Cleveland Browns and most guys in this league have been at that level. We got a taste and we want some more of it. Right now this is the only other American football league until the (United Football League) starts."

Although the upstart UFL will certainly provide opportunities for some AF2 players to return to traditional 11-man football, the harsh reality is that the collapse of the Arena Football League will force a number of these players out of football.

Before suspending all operations for the 2009 season due to financial instability, the AFL employed more than 350 players in 15 cities earning a minimum of $31,000.

According to Kurz, more than 40 percent of the AFL's players came from the AF2.

Some players are already beginning to prepare for the bleak minor league football opportunities by training for other jobs.

Davila is studying to earn a teaching degree while his teammate and Las Vegas native Jeff Van Orsow is close to obtaining a commercial pilot license.

"It's hard to think about it being over, but there is life outside of football," Van Orsow said. "A lot of us have good tape from this season to show to other coaches, so you never know."

For at least one more night, though, the Spokane and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton players will have an outlet to showcase their football abilities under the Las Vegas spotlight.

"A number of bubble guys who didn't make the NFL are sitting at home on their mom's couch," Ingold said. "These players are here out of pure love. This is a great venue for our championship. It's a first class opportunity for everyone."

Steve Silver can be reached at 948-7822 or [email protected].