Rosters are much smaller, so most players play offense and defense instead of specializing. And the sidelines are basically hockey boards with some padding — and advertising — running the length of the field.

“My best friend in the NFL was the sideline. I was fast enough that I knew I could get there before anyone could catch me. You don’t have that here,” White said. “You run into a wall.”

The AFL got an unsolicited public relations boost in 1999 when former Iowa Barnstormers quarterback Kurt Warner led the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl title. Warner’s journey from the AFL to NFL and Super Bowl MVP discredited the theory the indoor game was made up of athletes who weren’t NFL caliber.

And for those who still thought it was a fluke that wouldn’t last, AFL teams have some big-time financial backing. Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway (Colorado Crush), singers Jon Bon Jovi (Philadelphia Soul) and Tim McGraw (Nashville Kats) and coaching legend Mike Ditka (Chicago Rush) are parts of ownership groups.

Bon Jovi said he’s happy to promote his team and wears his Soul jersey at concerts. But he wants to see the players get more attention.

“I don’t mind stirring the pot some more because until they start marketing this game, we’re going to be ’Jon Bon Jovi’s football team,”’ he said. “I’m fine with that, but eventually it’s just got to equal out.

“It’s honestly not uncomfortable because I believe in the product. If I was here doing something I wasn’t comfortable doing, then yeah it’s a chore.”

The AFL isn’t the NFL, nor has it really tried to be. Foster had worked in both the NFL and USFL and saw firsthand how hard it could be to compete against the most successful U.S. sports league.

Football fans who prefer a more traditional game, played on a 100-yard field of grass — with maybe a little mud and cold temperatures thrown in — may not be lining up for the AFL, but plenty of others are. Attendance went from an average of 9,155 fans in 2001 to 12,872 last season. Utah and Kansas City give the league an all-time high of 18 teams.

Kansas City wasn’t supposed to join until next season, but was added this year because of the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused in New Orleans, home of the VooDoo. That franchise is temporarily on hold and sent 15 players to Kansas City while cleanup continues in New Orleans.

And if the rapid expansion isn’t enough to solidify the AFL, it’s also about to hit the video game circuit. EA Sports, producer of the Madden NFL and college football video games, is adding the AFL to its lineup this season.

“You’re kind of not a major league unless you have a video game,” Baker said, only half joking. “People have accused us of being video game football and now video game football has its own video game.”