Then again, the team was an anemic 5-11 last season. And in a town
known both for packing stadiums and for booing the home team more
loudly than the opposition, Bon Jovi is well aware that warm
memories and "You Give Love A Bad Name/Wanted Dead or Alive"
medleys over the
Wachovia Spectrum's sound system won't appease
Philly fans forever. The City of Brotherly Love loves a winner, and
Bon Jovi and the rest of the Soul organization are hard at work
trying to give them one. "There was a honeymoon period because we
were new and I was the co-owner of the team and there are die-hard
football fans here," he says. "But we didn't win. We have to win
for them now. And we will."
Besides ensuring future victories, here's what else Bon Jovi has to
say about his team, his band, his adopted city, and more.
Why an Arena Football League team?
What was intriguing to me about the AFL was that, for a football
junkie like me, it was an opportunity to be around the game more
often. As an entrepreneur, there were opportunities with a
merchandising deal, a uniform deal, and putting something together
that was grass roots and that we could make bigger than anyone had
ever dreamed of.
What kind of fans are the folks in Philly?
The fans are so loyal. They are in love with their teams. The
people here are different than the New York fans because New
Yorkers have the Jets and the Giants, the Knicks and the Nets, the
Mets and the Yankees. These people live and breathe Eagles, Sixers,
Flyers, and Phillies. They always want a champion.
You once had Al Gore and Bruce Springsteen in your owner's box
at a game. When out-of-towners come for games, where do you
recommend they stay?
Opposing teams really enjoy the
Loews Hotel. We put our recruits up
there, too, sometimes when they're in town for a weekend. My
partner with the Soul, Craig Spencer, co-owns The Ritz-Carlton, and
it's certainly another first-class hotel.