They used to bowl at the Atlantic City Convention Hall. Yes, an indoor football game, in a location far from a domed stadium. New Jersey did better on Friday when the Billings Outlaws defeated the Albany Firebirds 46-41 in Arena Bowl XXXIII.
How was the Boardwalk Bowl surpassed in the Garden State? The Arena League Championship was played in a shopping mall. Yes, a mall. The American Dream in East Rutherford.
“A championship game site unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”
American Dream Mall’s ArenaBowl XXXIII begins now on CBS Sports Network! pic.twitter.com/MVaFrEHvuf
– CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) July 19, 2024
Billings held off Albany to win its first Arena League championship. The Firebirds have new ownership in 2024 after a short and chaotic run with Antonio Brown — yes, that Antonio Brown — as their 2023 owner.
The star of the game was Duane Brown, who caught nine passes for 125 yards and five touchdowns. Isaac Harker threw the TD passes.
For Albany, Jake Medlock threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Medlock injured his leg during the game, put on a brace and somehow managed to finish the contest while limping badly.
Firebirds kicker Dylan Moghaddam works as a mechanic in Florida.
His last kicking job was in Germany.
He received a call on Wednesday asking him to join the team for the title game.
Today’s ArenaBowl is the first time he has kicked an arena football game in his life. pic.twitter.com/sEPt9qKOMr
– CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) July 20, 2024
The Boardwalk Bowl, along with the Liberty Bowl (played at Convention Hall in December 1964), showed that football could be played indoors. And we all know where that took football. Huge domed stadiums all over the country.
