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Soul satiates Bon Jovi's need

The rock 'n' roller's ownership of Philly's Arena league expansion team plays off of his love of football.

TAMPA - Jon Bon Jovi needed a fix.

His band, Bon Jovi, had kicked off the 2002 NFL season with a performance in Times Square. It had been invited back for the Thanksgiving Day and Super Bowl games.

Then, just as the interest of the self-proclaimed "football fanatic" was peaking, the season concluded.

"Here I was invited to every highlight of the season," Bon Jovi said during a conference call in September. "It was such a disappointment for me to see it all end. I was really in the blues."

Like many football fans, he found a remedy in the Arena Football League, whose February-to-June schedule helps fill the void between NFL seasons.

But Bon Jovi went one step further, purchasing a majority share of the expansion Philadelphia Soul (1-2), which plays the Storm (1-2) today at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Bon Jovi, whose band has sold more than 98-million records and played in front of more than 32-million people worldwide, has used his appeal to draw new fans to the league, which is in its 18th season.

"He's a young idol. He's an icon," Storm coach Tim Marcum said. "He isn't Elvis Presley, but he sure is close to some people."

Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski had been trying to attract an Arena team to Philadelphia for 10 years. The city landed the rights to a franchise in 2000 but could not work out an arena deal with the Wachovia Spectrum.

Jaworski's vision became reality once Bon Jovi and co-owner Craig Spencer got involved, with help from Dallas Cowboys and Desperados owner Jerry Jones.

"The time Mr. Jones Sr. spent with both Craig and I in that office is probably - no, definitely - what put us over," Bon Jovi said. "His vouching for us with the league and my being convinced of the viability of a team in Philadelphia because of him."

Though he leaves the football operations to Jaworski, who serves as president, and coach Mike Trigg, Bon Jovi helped choose the name, logo, uniforms, coach and general manager. The name Soul is a nod to the musical style Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff created in Philadelphia in the 1970s.

"It's something I was very passionate about," Bon Jovi said. "I think that, like everything we are doing with this team, we would like to break down some walls; from naming to the team colors (blue, gray and white) and our logo (a winged football). We want to be original. We want to be unique."

Bon Jovi is the league's latest "celebrity" owner, joining John Elway (Colorado), Jones (Dallas) and Tom Benson (New Orleans).

Unlike the others, his appeal extends beyond sports into the world of entertainment. While Elway's involvement helped the league gain exposure in national sports publications such as Sports Illustrated, Bon Jovi gained it access to Extra and Rolling Stone.

Last month, Bon Jovi lent his acting talents to a two-minute mini-movie shown in Regal Entertainment Group theaters nationwide.

In the movie, Elway stops by Bon Jovi's house to welcome him to the league. The two decide to "take it inside," where a game breaks out between their teams.

Some people fear the attention heaped on Bon Jovi and Elway takes attention away from the players. But Marcum said their involvement is good for the league, pointing to the 13,000 tickets the Storm sold by Friday in anticipation of Bon Jovi's arrival.

"It's a party-like atmosphere going around," Marcum said. "It's someplace to go, so it helps the overall, "I want to be somewhere' thing. It's a party going on, and then football breaks out."

In the end, it's all about the game, Bon Jovi said.

"We can promote anything," he said.

"But unless you have a product to sell, which is this great game, it's all going to be in vain. I hope that my being able to open the doors is all the introduction that this great game needs, and then the game will sell itself."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Former Bucs quarterback Joe Hamilton was 19-of-29 for 248 yards and six touchdowns and ran for two scores to lift Orlando past Carolina 59-43. Ex-Storm player James Bowden had six catches for 60 yards and three touchdowns for Orlando.

WHEN/WHERE: 3; St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa.

TV/RADIO: Ch. 8; WDAE-AM 620. RECORDS: Philadelphia 1-2, Tampa Bay 1-2.

COACHES: Philadelphia - Michael Trigg (74-75, 11th season); Tampa Bay - Tim Marcum (159-57, 16th season).

THE SERIES: First meeting.

TICKETS: $12-$43 ($100 for front-row seats and XO Club); (813) 301-6600.

NOTES: The Storm hopes to get back on the winning track after dropping consecutive games to Georgia and Austin. Trigg played quarterback under Marcum on Detroit's championship teams in 1989-90. Mike Black replaces Ian Howfield as the Storm's kicker. Lineman Jorge Diaz was activated from injured reserve. Lineman Kelvin Kinney (groin), fullback/linebacker Basil Proctor (thumb) and receiver/linebacker David Saunders (shoulder) are out. Philadelphia quarterback Nick Browder was the league's offensive player of the week after throwing five touchdowns in a 56-34 victory over Columbus. The Storm will retire former receiver/linebacker Stevie Thomas' No. 20 before the game. Soul co-owner Jon Bon Jovi will wear a microphone and interact with the NBC broadcast crew.