Spokane has long had little-man syndrome. We've been the little guy to Seattle. Our Cougars have been the little guys to the Huskies. Our Eags have been the little guys to the Montana Grizzlies. Our sports teams have been minor league compared to the bigger cities, but they've always been well-supported and well-attended.
Ask the Spokane Indians, who have led the Northwest League in attendance for how many years? Ask the Spokane Chiefs, who on a sell-out night have the best atmosphere in junior hockey. Period.
And Ask Spokane Shock fans.
Dare I say, Spokane has had the best game-day atmosphere out of any Arena Football team. The Shock from the start have been the top standard in the af2. But it was the af2. Minor-league. Not in line with all the bigger cities.
Now that they're part of the AFL, this team from Spokane is beating up on cities like Jacksonville, Chicago, Milwaukee ... you know, big markets. I know the AFL isn't the NFL, but pound for pound the Shock are showing that this city can support a big boy sports team.
And they belong in the big boy sports discussion.
The Arena Bowl will be insane on Friday night. Insane! I've been to one arena cup and I've never heard a crowd more behind it's team. It just doesn't get loud, it gets eardrum busting. It gets to the point where the hair on the back of your neck starts to stand up, your mouth starts to drop wide open and you ask yourself "I'm really part of this, wow!"
You know when you watch a sports moment and you get a "chill" during the real dramatic scenes. You'll get more than a few chills this Friday at the Arena Cup. You'll see a team in love with a team, and a team that appreciated the support they get from the crowd.
Either way, Orlando and Tampa Bay are in some serious trouble right now.
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