Buzzmaster

  (11:01 AM)

Jon Bon Jovi is here!

Jason McDermott (Chicago)

Bon Jovi! of all the things you could invest in, why did you choose the AFL?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:02 AM)

I'm a huge football fan and I really believed that as accessible and affordable sport played in a safe environment on TV, this could be the model for future pro sport.

Chelsea

Jon would you trade your music career to have been a pro athlete?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:03 AM)

No. I think everyone wonders what it would be like to have been on the other side, to fill Elway's shoes on The Drive or to be Jerry Rice for a day. But the idea of trading my career for that...I think I got a pretty good deal.

Greg Bott, Hazleton, PA.

Jon, Do you think tony will have a better year and stay injury free. If so can we win it all?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:04 AM)

No one can predict the future, but Tony's had a great training camp and it seems that our offseason acquisitions will really help in the protection of our franchise player.

Marta (Newark, NJ)

Jon, As the owner of the Soul, you obviously love football... Any aspirations of one day owning an NFL team?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:05 AM)

Sure, who wouldn't? But I could buy a small European country for less money.

Justin (Chatham, NJ via Glendale, AZ)

If you guys could change any rule or rules in the league, what would change?!

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:06 AM)

I think that the great rule change that has been made this year, I'll refer to it as the "Elway Rule"...the implementation of the free substitution rule will change the way the game is played and all credit goes to John Elway.

Lane (Kukuihaele, HI)

What does the sponsorship of Russell Athletics bring to the AFL? Now that the league has 19 teams was this necessary for the AFL to survive?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:07 AM)

No, it wasn't necessary and we've had deals prior with other uniform providers. But it is nice that Russell is committed to a 5-year plan and they want to succeed as the best uniform provider the AFL has had, so we look forward to the relationship.

Colleen, Philadelphia, PA

Jon: Because of the sports history in Philadelphia, do you feel the pressure of the fans that desperately are looking for a championship of any kind?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:08 AM)

I don't feel the pressure, but we're very aware of Philadelphia's desire to win. And it's the Soul's desire to win, both on the field and off.

Bobette (Delaware, OH)

The AFL's mission statement refers to "exceeding our customers' expectations." What plans do you have in 2007 to exceed your fans' expectations (well, other than the Soul taking the title!!)? Will there be any Soul or Crush memorabilia on display at the AFL's exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:10 AM)

It's always been the mission of the Philadelphia Soul since its inception to provide affordability, accessibility and a community presence second to none. You also have an owner that's been very involved in the activities at all the games. If anyone in pro sports can tell me that their owner's out there singing, I'd like to see an example of it.

Carmine Zappola (avenel,NJ)

Hey john and jon, how are ticket sales going for your teams? How do you think ESPN will handle the league as compared to NBC?

Jon Bon Jovi

  (11:18 AM)

I think the great difference between NBC and ESPN is one is a network that featured sports and the other is a 24-hour network that it can be covered on various platforms. It will give us a chance to show that we've got a great product and year-round football.

Buzzmaster

  (11:18 AM)

Thanks Jon for stopping by. Next up is John Elway. Send in those questions for him NOW!

Buzzmaster

  (11:21 AM)

John's here!

Tracey (Marlton, NJ)

As arena football gains a more dedicated following, do you think the league will start to see more "marquee" name players emerge with contracts and endorsement deals to match?

John Elway

  (11:22 AM)

We hope so. I think that the more the players make, the more success the league is having and the more attention the league is having. We hope that the endorsements grow for the players.

Brian Fox - Los Angeles, CA

Mr. Elway - Despite not being a big fan of the free subsitution rule I still feel that this will be an exciting year for the entire league as coaching will be more challenging. I still say as long as we have the nets and side boards it's still Arena Football. What is your response to those fans that are afraid that the AFL is becoming NFL-Lite and that the AFL will eventually be history with the rule changes? Thanks and good luck this season.

John Elway

  (11:23 AM)

I don't think that the AFL will ever be history, because of the restrictions that we have playing on a 50 yard field. AFL will always have its own distinct look. With the substitution rules, it makes no sense to have a guy on the bench and not play when I'm paying him. That made no sense to me.

Jamaal (Mount Laurel, NJ)

John, so far, has the AFL grown at the pace that you expect?

John Elway

  (11:24 AM)

It's grown. It never grows as much as you want it to. It hasn't grown as much as I wanted it to, but it's grown and we're working hard to increase our fan base.

Brian (Denver, CO)

Hey John. Do you think that your Crush will go back to the ArenaBowl and win AB XXI in New Orleans?

John Elway

  (11:25 AM)

I think we can compete for it, there's no questions. You have to get lucky. Injuries can hurt you. When we look right now, we feel like we can compete. There's no question.

Mark Bailey, Colorado

this is for Elway.. how will the afl being on espn compare to it being on nbc? is it good and bad or all good?

John Elway

  (11:36 AM)

I think it's very good that we have a 5-year committment from ESPN. Therefore from the league's sense, it's a good move. Plus all the platforms that ESPN has, it's great. Plus to be consistently on Monday night, our people will be able to tune it. It's a better time slot for us.

Joe (Chicago, IL)

John, Do you think the AFL will move the schedule again next season?

John Elway

  (11:37 AM)

No, we're hoping that we will stay right where we are for a long, long time. NBC was trying some different things, but we're trying to stay right where we are, year in, year out.

Alex Gammons

John, what kind of numbers do you think you would have put up if you had played in the AFL instead of the NFL?

John Elway

  (11:37 AM)

It definitely would have been a lot of fun playing in the AFL. Seeing how much the QBs throw it. I would like to think I would have put up some pretty good numbers.

Allison

John, which part of the AFL that's different from the NFL do you like best?

John Elway

  (11:38 AM)

I like the fact that we have nets and everything's live off the nets. That's a real exciting part that's different.

Mark (da cube)

Hey John, how much control do you have over the team? Are you out making trades, signing players, running the daily operations of the team?

John Elway

  (11:38 AM)

I am. It's my main job. I also don't like to step on my coaches' toes. I get involved in the preseason and training camp. But as far as football and game week. I let the coaches coach.

Marc (Atlanta)

Do you enjoy seeing AFL players make it big in the NFL or are you disappointed to see a star player leave your league?

John Elway

  (11:39 AM)

I am happy for them, because if they make the jump and go to the NFL, monetarily, they'll be more successful. We're not competing with the NFL. But to see a guy make the jump, I'm happy for him. The ultimate highlight for them is to make it to the NFL. I'm happy for them.

Nate, Denver

I just wanted to thank John for helping out The Boys and Girls club of Denver with the ticket vouchers for the kids during non-sold out games.

John Elway

  (11:39 AM)

Good. We're glad we can help.

Tim Callahan (Whitinsville, MA)

Do you think the more physically active demands of arena football "age" a player faster, thus reducing a players football longevity?

John Elway

  (11:39 AM)

I don't think as much. I think it's more difficult to play both ways. With the rule changes, hopefully it will allow guys to stay around a lot longer by playing more than one way.

Jeremy (Chicago, IL)

John, would you consider the Chicago Rush the Crush's biggest rivals?

John Elway

  (11:40 AM)

Yeah, I would. We have a great rivalry with them right now. Having worked together with some of their guys. We look at Chicago as our biggest rival. Plus they're the defending champs.

Eric (York,PA)

Mr Elway, what is your ultimate goal for the AFL, is it to compete directly with the nfl, or is it to be something different, for smaller groups of fans to come, enjoy, and not have to sell their car to afford tickets?

John Elway

  (11:40 AM)

I think it's just to continue to see the league grow year in and year out. To see people really enjoying it and get behind their teams. That's our ultimate goal.

Jim Draucker Dallas TX

Hi John, How has Club Crush helped to promote fan friendly football and to help sell the team to the public?

John Elway

  (11:40 AM)

I think No. 1, we make our tickets affordable and make it fan friendly for the players and the team. We get our players out into the community. And our players like to do that. Accessibility of our players is what helps us out.

Janice, Baltimore, MD

Hi, John. Why is it so hard to find AFL merchandise in retail stores? I see NFL all over, but AFL not at all. It would really help to get the word out about the AFL if it was seen more in WalMart, K-Mart, etc.

John Elway

  (11:41 AM)

That's the difficult thing. We're continuing to work on a retail partner. Our relationship now with Russell Athletic should help us with that. We're working on getting our merchandise out there.

John Elway

  (11:41 AM)

I appreciate your willingness to chat. We look forward to kicking off the 21st year of Arena Football.