Arena Football League Returns with Surprising Challenges: TV Broadcasting and Injuries Mar Weekend’s Games

The Arena Football League made a triumphant return this weekend after undergoing significant changes and eventually disappearing in 2020. However, the comeback was not without its challenges. Despite being slated to be televised by NFL Network, the games were ultimately not aired. The NFL has yet to respond to requests for confirmation or comment regarding the failure to broadcast the games.

Despite these complications, current NFLN listings show that an Arena League game is scheduled to be televised on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, one of the teams involved in the league’s return, the Philadelphia Soul, experienced a tumultuous weekend.

On Friday, reports emerged that several players from the team had been released and their luggage was taken from them and locked in a room at a Super 8 motel where they were staying. This led to upheaval within the team and contributed to head coach Patrick Pimmel’s decision to step down just a day before they were set to play the Louisiana VooDoo in Lafayette. In his place, players from the Dallas Falcons of the American Arena League 2 filled in as replacements for the Soul.

The game between the Soul and VooDoo ended in a blowout, with Louisiana winning with a final score of 53-18. Despite this chaotic weekend for the Soul, there was no mention of it on the Arena League’s website. The website appears to be AI-generated and provides summaries of other games – a relief considering that there was no coverage given to another game involving Billings Outlaws and Wichita Regulators which ended with a score of 66-28.