Visitors to the Mall of America in Bloomington are probably accustomed to seeing musical performances and other events in the rotunda area.
They played the Arena Football championship at a shopping mall (instead of Target Center)
ArenaBowl XXXIII was Friday, with Billings defeating Albany at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, N.J. It made for a surreal broadcast, one that could have been avoided.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 23, 2024 at 5:14PM
To my knowledge, though, MOA has never hosted a nationally broadcast championship football game. But maybe we can’t rule it out in the future?
The Arena Football League culminated its 2024 season — its first year back in action since 2019 — with ArenaBowl XXXIII on Friday. The title game reportedly was originally scheduled for Target Center, but when Minnesota’s new Myth franchise folded after two games there was apparently a change of plans.
It instead landed at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, N.J., leading to a scene and CBS Sports Network broadcast that you had to see to believe.
It was a fitting end, one supposes, to a tumultuous and surreal season for the Arena Football League — something I talked about on Tuesday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
Per the AFL’s web site, the game wasn’t officially moved to the mall until June 27, less than a month before it happened. And pardon me for not knowing it was supposed to be at Target Center in the first place. Nobody I have talked to knew this was supposed to be the case.
They then put out another press release last week just two days before the game confirming that the game was still happening at the mall amid reports that the league was in financial trouble and that the title game was in jeopardy.
Indeed, the game did go on.
This video, sent to me by reader Andrew, does a good job breaking down the scene at the mall. Now, it should be noted that the space is configured for an indoor skating rink. That makes it at least suitable for the small field of the Arena Football League.
Many of the fans in attendance were essentially mall-goers who would pause their shopping and check out a few plays.
In the game itself, Billings defeated Albany 46-41. Pictures of the victorious team after the game had stores in the background.
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We might never see something like this again. But ... let’s say this: I highly doubt I would have written a single word about this game had it been at a conventional arena (other than, you know, Target Center).
Maybe the Arena League, in all its clumsiness this season, stumbled onto something sort of brilliant?
Here are four more things to know today:
*Also on Tuesday’s podcast, Jon Marthaler joined me to talk Minnesota United soccer. It somehow descended into a critique of Manuel Margot, who of course ended up having a strong game for the Twins in a 7-2 win over the Phillies last night.
*Dean Evason is further proof that the NHL loves its recycled coaches. He’s the new boss in Columbus.
*An e-mail from reader Richard about Monday’s Joe Mauer post: “I’ve seen several references to Joe’s ‘single strikeout’ in high school history, including your column today. I remember seeing Joe play in my hometown Jordan ballpark during an all-star game shortly after his senior year. He struck out once while facing a Jordan pitcher named Jacob Wolf if I remember correctly. I also remember a fan saying that was the first time Joe struck out since he was a sophomore in high school. So there’s a bit of mystery behind the ‘single strikeout’ legend.”
I found a old story corroborating Richard’s memory about the all-star game.
*Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins is expected to join me on Wednesday’s podcast, while Ben Goessling and I will be recording a new Access Vikings podcast later today.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
