6 Reasons To Give Salt Lake Stallions Football A Chance
Feb 12, 2019, 5:36 PM | Updated: 5:48 pm
(Photo by Christian Petersen/AAF/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah has pro football and it’s good football. It is not gimmicky like other leagues that have tried and failed. You must give the Salt Lake Stallions a chance, and here is why.
I know it’s good football because I went to the Salt Lake Stallions first game last weekend against the Arizona Hot Shots. The Stallions lost, 38-22, but the game gave me hope for the future of pro football in Utah.
The Salt Lake Stallions belong to the American Alliance of Football. The AAF has two conferences, an east, and a west, with four teams in each conference. Teams hail from San Diego to Orlando and plenty of cities in between.
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The stallions will play their home games at Rice Eccles Stadium. Tickets range from $19-$100 which brings me to the first reason you should give this team a chance.
Family Friendly
I can’t wait to take my family to a game. It is an affordable way to spend a Saturday or Sunday.
Professional sports are expensive now, to the point of freezing out average fans. This is a way for football fans to enjoy a game without breaking the bank.
Interactive
There’s one more reason this is family friendly, specifically teenager friendly. The team has a fan interaction app.
In the app, fans can choose what will happen next in the game and see if they guessed correctly. The little players on the screen line-up just like the players on the field. I may not be a millennial, but I know my teenage son and his friends will love this feature.
there is a place for the #AllianceOfAmericanFootball, the in game app is a winner!!!! It's worth watching.
— Scott Mitchell (@19scottmitchell) February 11, 2019
More than College Football
This is not college football. If it was on par with college football, I doubt it would succeed. It is more than college football.
It’s also not NFL football. It hits that sweet spot right between the two.
This is worth watching. https://t.co/BgBoOO7RbP
— Scott Mitchell (@19scottmitchell) February 11, 2019
Strategy For Review
I really like the AAF’s strategy for reviewing calls. They have an extra official, who is not on the field, who watches the game through a camera and has access to replay.
This official can let other officials know when a call is missed without anyone throwing a flag.
Another cool part of the review process is that the review official wears a microphone. You can actually hear their assessment of questionable calls.
Stadium Atmosphere
This is the part I was most skeptical of. I wasn’t sure the stadium or the fans would be lively like NFL or college fans, but they were. They had great music and the fans were loud.
Most impressive? The fans already had “team-chants” and it was only the first game.
Local Ties
Players with local ties are possibly the biggest asset this fledgling league has.
The game was in Arizona and when they announced the players from the home team who had ties to local colleges like the University of Arizona or Arizona State the fans went wild.
The Stallions have plenty of players with Utah ties like Matt Asiata (Utah), Dres Anderson (Utah) and Jordan Leslie (BYU). This immediately gives me, and other Utahns, and emotional connection with the team.
Bottom Line: Check Out The Stallions
This league comes at the perfect time, right at the end of the NFL season when fans are craving more football.
My advice to you is to check out a game, give them a chance. I think you’ll love it.
To hear all of my thoughts about the Salt Lake Stallions listen to the full episode of Helmets Off here.