Success starts at the top for Soul

By John McMullen

Philadelphia, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) - The storyline was obvious. Two tortured cities fighting for that elusive berth in a championship game.

It was Philadelphia versus Cleveland... The tormented folks of "The City of Brotherly Love" versus the abused population of "The Forest City."

Disappointment has become a cottage industry in Philly since the 1982-83 Sixers took home NBA gold with Dr. J, Moses and Mo. In fact, WIP has built its entire foundation on the city's disgruntled fan base.

"The drought" is now legendary in these parts, recently reaching the century mark when the Flyers bowed out of the NHL playoffs to the Pittsburgh Penguins -- 100 seasons without a championship and no end in sight.

As bad as Philly fans feel, Cleveland might even be worse. Although the city doesn't have four professional teams -- the NHL's Barons fled in 1978 to merge with the Minnesota North Stars -- its followers have been waiting for championship glory since 1964 when the Browns were the NFL's best.

Arena football will never be Philadelphia's first choice for a title. It's a fringe sport and the Wachovia Center was half empty on Saturday for the National Conference Championship Game. That said, you have to start somewhere and the Soul are on their way to ArenaBowl XXII after thrashing the overmatched Cleveland Gladiators 70-35.

Make no mistake, a win in New Orleans isn't going to count against the "drought" but it would be far more meaningful than say a Wings title or a Phantoms crown.

The AFL is on ESPN and a pair of Soul owners -- rock legend Jon Bon Jovi and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski -- have done quite a job in making the Soul the marquee franchise in the league.

Yep, the Soul are the New York Yankees of the AFL. They are the Dallas Cowboys, the Boston Celtics, the Montreal Canadiens...So, maybe the major teams in both this town and Cleveland can learn a little from Bon Jovi's team.

"It means a lot especially with the decisions you make," Jaworksi said after today's win. "You're not always going to be right. We were an expansion team here. It is hard to turn things around in any league when you're starting out from scratch."

So there you have, no hard and fast rule exists that says Philadelphia or Cleveland have to be a second-rate.

Think about it, our city isn't New York but last I checked we certainly had far more resources than Boston, Dallas or Montreal. Meanwhile, Cleveland can certainly compare to those cities.

Of course, Dave Montgomery, Jeffrey Lurie and Ed Snider don't want you to believe that and I have the feeling the folks running things in the "Mistake by the Lake" feel the same about their constituents.

In 2008, ownership decides championships in every sport at every level. Wanting to win doesn't guarantee anything but it sure helps.

We happen to have the best ownership group in the Arena Football League and will be playing for a championship.

The other sports?

Unless things change at the top...get used to 200. It's right around the corner.