Arena Football Outside? Um Okay?

The Arena Football League's Spokane Shock have come up with the second dumbest idea I've ever heard of for a sporting event.

Yesterday, they announced they will play a regular season game this summer, outside.  Yep, outside. Arena Football.  Outside.  Think about that for a second; Arena Football; outside.  A game that was created specifically for indoors, will now be played outside.  At least when the NHL plays a hockey game outside, it's in the natural habitat for the game.

The Shock say they'll set up boards and nets around a standard-sized 50 yard field for Arena Football on a the artificial turf of a 100-yard field.

Why would you want to go this game?  Unless you're on the sideline, you're going to be so far away from the action, you lose the 'feel' of Arena Football. Look at the seating chart, the ticket prices make me even more appalled.

By the way, $75 per ticket for an outdoor football game, that's supposed to be played indoors is ridiculous.  I'm sure they'll get some suckers to buy the sideline passes, but not enough to break the bank.

I wonder how they're going to anchor the end zone nets?  Wouldn't it be funny if they were blown over and they had to delay the Arena Football game because of outside conditions? Or how about a rain delay for Arena Football?

In case you were wondering, what do I think was the dumbest idea ever, for a sporting event?

The 2006 outdoor basketball game between the Texas Tech Lady Raiders and Arizona State at Chase Field in Phoenix.  The game is now largely forgotten and it took place during Kristy Curry's first season at Texas Tech.  Back to the story, Phoenix gets a winter thunderstorm and the geniuses at the stadium don't attempt to close the retractable roof before it starts raining.

So, as Ryan Hyatt was calling the 2nd half play-by-play on KFYO, he and the rest of the players and coaches gets rained on.  The game was suspended, and then called, as the stadium operations crew realized that the court was too wet and there was no way to continue.

I know that minor league sports have to have over-the-top promotions to stand out, but the Shock's outdoor Arena Football game takes the cake.

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