There were lines of fans waiting for the doors to open. But, the announced attendance of 17,643 notwithstanding, at least half the seats were empty.
This isn't meant as a criticism. There isn't much the Soul could have done differently or better to capture the hearts of sports fans here. The franchise still has the sparkle of co-owner Jon Bon Jovi and the credibility that comes with Ron Jaworski's affiliation. A game is still a nice value for a family outing, especially compared with the ever-rising prices charged by the four major sports.
It's not a bad niche to fill, but that's what it is. A niche.
This was as good a chance as the Soul had ever had to gain serious ground in this market. The Flyers and Sixers not only failed to make the playoffs, leaving a giant void, but they both traded away their best players during the season. NHL and NBA TV ratings are down, and most of the playoff talk was about how boring the tournaments were.
The Soul began their season on March 9, perfect timing for filling that void. They started 4-0; then, two games later, quarterback Tony Graziani got hurt. The team went through its version of the Mike McMahon era until Graziani came back. With last night's win, the Soul got back to 8-8, with a chance to host a playoff game.
That would be a first for the four-year-old Soul.
If the Arena League can't steal fans in this climate, then it's probably not going to happen. After four years of declining ratings on NBC, the AFL debuted on ESPN this year. According to the Nielsen ratings, the average AFL broadcast is seen by about 300,000 viewers this year, compared to 1.2 million last year.
So it's not the Soul. It may not even be the league. The reality is that, except for the all-powerful NFL, TV sports ratings are trending downward across the board.
