Last night at Stabler Arena the LV Steel Hawks record fell to 1 and 5. The only thing more disappointing was Jimmy T’s poor performance in the musical chairs competition held mid-4th quarter. He was first to go and I shouldn’t talk as I only lasted 2 more rounds myself.
It was fan appreciation night and there was a good showing of fan support. Word is that the first 3 home games brought in 2,000 plus fans each time the gates opened and that’s not too bad. Myself and Steel Hawk’s Booster Club President Gene McCombs were invited on field to observe the official coin toss… not sure how much luck we gave them though, as the toss went to the Chicago Slaughter.
The Slaughter came to visit the Lehigh Valley via bus. That’s a long trip in a bus but the most interesting aspect was the Chicago team’s head coach. None other than Steve McMichael who spent seasons in the NFL with the Patriots, Packers and most notably the 1985 Superbowl Champion Bears. The defensive tackle then entered the world of professional wrestling starting out with supporting Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania XI and continued with a stint as a commentator and wrestler in the now defunct WCW.
Also saw a mention of the Noise Nation on Twitter from Ironpig’s General Manager Kurt Landes, who was in attendance last evening. Good to have the support of some old friends and glad to see him out there supporting the Steelhawks like a kind older brother.
Really, I know Stabler Arena isn’t the greatest. It’s been there forever and still has a lot of signs of the past. I even saw an old pay phone in there. No beer sales and concessions are a bit sparse in comparison to Coca Cola Park. Understandably, it’s also considered one of the smallest fields in the arena football network. (Here comes my but)… but, we really should support this team. It’s fun. It really is. Support them now and they stay around. I’ve heard talk of shady teams/owners of the past but this group of folks is great. They want to give you the best fan experience. They love football and love providing football to the Lehigh Valley. If we support them, they will stay.
I know what you’re thinking.. they stay.. where? Stabler? Why would we want them to “stay” there. Well if you don’t live under a stone you know there will be an indoor arena constructed in this area (somewhere) for the use of the Phantoms hockey team. Yes, you can play indoor football in a hockey arena and I guarantee the accomodations will be better there. Oh, for those who choose to, I would think there would be beer too.
So here’s what I’m saying… Support this team. Only 4 more home games this season and get out there and have some fun. We keep the team around and it will get better.
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
I don’t think people in the Valley are that into this Arena Football. They tried the Arena Football here once and they didn’t last long. I know Tyler liked it, but Tyler will watch any sport. I even caught him watching golf once. haha It would be nice to see them stick around, but there’s not much support, and I don’t see them staying here to long. Sorry, Dan. Just my honest opinion.
Well that is true, but 5 years ago we weren’t much a baseball town either. The Phillies hadn’t started their run of NL East pennants and we had no connection to the sport other than the Ambassadors. I’d say the venue makes a huge difference in attendance. The Ambassadors played in the old Bicentennial Park and drew terribly low attendance numbers. I know I love baseball, but I don’t think we could fill Coca Cola Park every night with people like us who love baseball. The rest of those folks come for the food, the atmosphere, the entertainment and of course the groups of friends who have become more like family over the past 4 years. I really believe that with a new arena complex (one that includes beer), the Steel Hawks would be supported as the Ironpigs are now. Also, as always, I appreciate honest opinions. 🙂
From what I learned and saw last night, I’m going out there to support the Steelhawks. They impressed me – and I’m not talking about the game we saw on the field.
IF they can get into the new stadium, it could be good for them. I just hope they can wait long enough for the stadium.