After not seeing a single live sporting event in ages, I've been to a Temple mens basketball game and now, a Philadelphia Soul arena football game.
I went to the Soul game with Lady and our friends Jodi and Pat [it was their idea]. I expected a minor league baseball like feel and that's what I got. What I didn't expect was the place to be completely packed, which it was. Out of the 17,000+ seats at the Wachovia Center, I'd say it was about 80% full. We were four rows from the back on the top tier; $13 tickets are a pretty good deal. The seats weren't too far from the field and the sight line was very good. While I'm talking about the venue itself, I should note how rediculously clean it was. Granted, it's only seven years old, a place like that gets a ton of foot traffic and it is sparkling. Lady was amazed at how clean the womens bathroom was. I can't comment on the mens room though.
The game itself was entertaining. If you look away for more than 30 seconds, you're likely to miss a score. The 50 yard field is quite condusive to high scores. If you thought the St. Louis Rams had a quick scoring offense, watch these guys for five minutes. The final score of the game was 72-43. The Soul lost.
They had tons of games during every stoppage, people singing Bon Jovi songs, kids running around the field and even the "Kiss Cam" where the various video cameras zoom in on unsuspecting couples and plaster their faces on the JumboTron egging on a kiss. The halftime show was courtesy of a great local drumline. I can't remember the high school they hailed from, but they were good. And after the game, the players changed and came back onto the field to sign autographs. Some members of the Philly Real World cast were supposed to be there too, signing, but we didn't stick around to find out; the lines looked an hour long.
It was a fun experience and I'd go back and see another game sometime, but I don't think I'd watch them on TV. One of those better live than on television experiences.
Pictures to come later on in the day.
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