ABC buying into AFL

[football junkie]

ABC has bought a minority ownership position in the Arena Football League and acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast games for the next five years. This move surely helps solidify the future of the AFL and lands the often beleaguered league a place on major network TV.

ESPN, a subsidiary of ABC, will televise 26 AFL games a season starting in 2007, a minimum of 17 regular-season games and nine playoff games -- including a minimum three wild-card games, three divisional playoff games, both conference championships and the Arena Bowl -- on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.

The network's 2007 coverage will kick off on ABC with a pair of regional games -- Chicago Rush at Kansas City Brigade and Dallas Desperados at New York Dragons -- on March 4. ABC will broadcast ArenaBowl XXI on July 29 from the New Orleans Arena.

The 2007 AFL television schedule on ESPN (all times Eastern):

• March 4: Chicago at Kansas City; Dallas at New York, ESPN on ABC (regional), 12:30 p.m.
• March 12: Los Angeles at Orlando, ESPN2, 7 p.m.
• March 22: Colorado at Philadelphia ESPN2, 7 p.m.
• March 26: Dallas at Orlando, ESPN2, 7 p.m.
• April 1: Los Angeles at Chicago, ESPN2, 1:30 p.m.
• April 9: Georgia at Philadelphia, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
• April 16: Philadelphia at Dallas, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
• April 23: Philadelphia at Columbus, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
• April 30: Philadelphia at Chicago, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
• May 7: Colorado at Chicago, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
• May 14: New York at Philadelphia, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
• May 21: New Orleans at Philadelphia, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
• May 28: New York at New Orleans, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
• June 4: Colorado at Utah, ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.
• June 11: Los Angeles at Arizona, ESPN2, 10 p.m.
• June 18: Chicago at Colorado, ESPN2, 10 p.m.
• June 25: Dallas at Colorado, ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Postseason television schedule
• June 29: Wild card, ESPN, 7 p.m.
• June 30: Wild card, ESPN, noon
• June 30: Wild card, ESPN, 3 p.m.
• July 2: Wild card, ESPN2, 10 p.m.
• July 7: Divisional playoff, ESPN, 3 p.m.
• July 7: Divisional playoff, ESPN, 8 p.m.
• July 8: Divisional playoff, ESPN2, 9 p.m.
• July 9: Divisional playoff, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
• July 14: Conference championship, ESPN, 3 p.m.
• July 15: Conference championship, ESPN2, 12:30 p.m.
• July 29: ArenaBowl XXI, at New Orleans, ESPN on ABC, 3 p.m.

[ATLFalcons]

This is good for the AFL, it'll boost the popularity and possibly make it #2 to the NFL.

[efin98]

About time they took an interest in the sport...plus they don't have anything else to put on the air then!

[brady_branch]

This is good for the AFL, it'll boost the popularity and possibly make it #2 to the NFL.

I'd say the NCAA is #2, if not #1.

Of course, the AFL is cool too, and this is good news. Let's just hope the next video game made of it doesn't suck as much as this year's one did. ;)

[football junkie]

About time they took an interest in the sport...plus they don't have anything else to put on the air then!

Yeah this will be a lot more entertaining than reruns of Cheapseats.

[efin98]

Yeah this will be a lot more entertaining than reruns of Cheapseats.

Or The Contender. Or those horrid NFL skills competitions. Or paintball championships. Or whatever other lesser sport(if you can call them that) they put on the air...

It's too bad they don't have a team in or around Boston, guess I'll have to settle for New York(heaven forbid!)

[CCN]

Are you ready for . . .

dozens of camera shots of Jon Bon Jovi week after week after week. How nice they actually are broadcasting non-Philadelphia games this year.

[brady_branch]

Aw... they're my favorite team! And not because of Bon Jovi. Because they're the closest to my home city.

[ATLFalcons]

Forget Arena Football! Bring back Playmakers!!

[C. Snake]

This is good for the AFL, it'll boost the popularity and possibly make it #2 to the NFL.

I agree. The AFL has really fallen out of popularity the last 10 years, and this could really help it.