The Arena Football League Championship Is Being Played… In The Middle Of A Shopping Mall

Whoever said malls are dying are DEAD WRONG. Where else can you buy things you probably don't need, stuff your pie hole with outrageous amounts of Cinnabon, and take in the championship game of the Arena Football League? Which is aptly named the "ArenaBowl," in case you were wondering (or if this is your first time hearing about the AFL... ever). Later today, the Albany Firebirds will take on the Billings Outlaws at the American Dream Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The "American Dream Center" sounds like a hell of a stadium, but it's actually just the name for the mall that the championship game is being played. After some drama very late in the process, where the Arena League was possibly not going to be allowed to play in the mall, things got cleared up and the stage is officially set: https://twitter.com/NashvilleKatsFB/status/1814094322154840409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814094322154840409%7Ctwgr%5Ea9dd4c99ed0089b9e52cacc408838051533a1e92%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barstoolsports.com%2Fblog%2F3519901%2Fthe-afls-arena-bowl-being-held-in-the-middle-of-a-mall-is-so-perfect Honestly, that's pretty cool. The only issue is that "middle of mall" usually refers to the cheap, unnecessary items that vendors try to sell you as you walk around. The phrase has actually been adopted to describe places and things that aren't all that special, which somewhat undercuts the fact that the ArenaBowl is literally taking place in the middle of a New Jersey mall. But regardless, the stage is set for an exciting finale to the Arena Football League's season. I'll admit, this is quite the creative idea for a championship setting, but if fans show up, it'll be a unique atmosphere to say the least. We can only hope that some gets tackled over the barrier and into the food court: https://twitter.com/FirebirdsAFL/status/1814068550790721890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814068550790721890%7Ctwgr%5Ea9dd4c99ed0089b9e52cacc408838051533a1e92%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barstoolsports.com%2Fblog%2F3519901%2Fthe-afls-arena-bowl-being-held-in-the-middle-of-a-mall-is-so-perfect Best of luck to both the Albany Firebird and the Billings Outlaws as they battle for an AFL Championship. And I'll borrow this X user's message to officially hype up the event: