Arena Football is Back. Will the Grand Rapids Rampage Be Back?
Arena Football folded their tents in 2019, filing for bankruptcy, but just announced they are out of bankruptcy and ready to begin again in 2024.
Of course, the question on everyone's mind around here is, what about the Grand Rapids Rampage? They didn't last until the end of the Arena Football League, announcing they were shutting the doors and out of business in March of 2010.
It had been an amazing run that began in 1998 and winning their first ArenaBowl Championship in 2001. ABC broadcast the game from VanAndel Arena.
Here's a video from that game and the community celebration following!
Quite a time in Grand Rapids then with a lot of pride and joy.
But, by 2010 they said enough and that they did not have any plans to return at the time.
That was then. What about now?
The league did announce that they will have 16 teams when the 2024 season begins, playing a 10-game season, but did not mention which cities they were, although Albany (NY), Atlantic City, Baltimore, Columbus (OH), Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. were the last teams when the league was last in business.
Rampage games in Arena Football were really exciting since Arena Football is a super up-tempo, high-scoring kind of football that is played on a 50-yard field, half the size of a typical football field, so boy, is it fast!
So, I ask again, what about now and the Rampage? DP Fox, Dan & Pamella DeVos' holding group, quite probably won't be getting back into Arena Football since they, as we know, are the group behind the new pro volleyball team coming to GR, and of course own the Griffins. So the assumption would be that they probably won't be interested in another sports franchise.
True? Who knows! Never say never!
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