Scott Birk
Scott found his way into the AFL in 2006 with the Kansas City Brigade and instantly became an avid fan and supporter of the league. During the league’s hiatus in 2009, he traveled to 25 af2 games, capping it off at the Arena Cup in Las Vegas. He has not missed an Arena Football championship since 2006.
Follow him on X – @AFLSlasher
Gus Dixon
Gus has been a Texans fan since 2013 and has loved the sport of football ever since. In 2024, when the Beaumont Renegades were announced, he became the PA announcer and never looked back. An avid fan of football, he is also a big supporter of hockey, baseball, basketball, and golf. However, football has always been his first love. He has never encountered another sport that quite makes him feel the same way.
Follow him on TikTok – @therealfilmroomtalk
Alana Klein
Alana has become more and more invested in arena football ever since the Albany Empire (now Firebirds) re-invigorated the local fan base in 2018 and has been a season ticket holder for the past few seasons. Seeing a need for an easier way of tracking tiebreaker scenarios and results, Alana went into full-on nerd mode and has integrated her love of spreadsheets to develop a standings calculator that can also serve as a projection of future standings. She’s always had a passion for football but especially the arena game, as Albany is small market even when compared to the small market teams in the big 4 leagues. When not obsessing over why her spreadsheet is suddenly rendering an error, one of her favorite shows is “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and her favorite hobby is magnets. Just magnets.
Chris Cipperley
Chris has been a fan of Arena Football going all the way back to the 1999 ArenaBowl. Since 1999 he has followed arena game, growing his passion for the sport. He has spent time with the Albany Empire and The Albany Firebirds learning about the landscape of the sport. In late 2024 he began The Nest: Albany Firebirds News and Notes and later launched Firebirds Weekly Podcast.
Follow Chris and The Nest at the following socials.
YouTube Facebook Instagram
Howie Hanson
Howie Hanson is a veteran print sports columnist with more than 50 years of experience covering the games, people and moments that define American sports. A respected voice in the industry, Hanson combines old-school reporting instincts with a storyteller’s touch shaped by decades on deadline. He is also the author of 50 Yard Football, available on Amazon, a work that reflects his deep knowledge and enduring passion for the arena game.
You can find more of Howie’s work on www.howiehanson.com
Christopher Babos
Christopher is a sportswriter based in Maple Shade, NJ. With a varied background in sports broadcasting that took him from the mountains of Alaska to press row of Madison Square Garden, Christopher brings a unique eye to the games he views and the articles that he provides.
Ryan Asleson
Football has always been Ryan’s one true sporting obsession. After playing four seasons of small college football, Ryan’s playing career ended when he attended open tryouts for an indoor football team and unsurprisingly failed to make the roster.
Follow him on X – @ryanasleson
Aidan Napier
Since becoming a football fan of the Tennessee Titans in 2019, Aidan has branched out to other football leagues like the XFL and USFL (now the UFL). He would get introduced to the arena/indoor game in 2021 with the NAL through YouTube. He enjoys other sports too especially NASCAR, hockey, and baseball.
David Taylor
Loves football in all of its forms and is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan. In his day job, he is a middle school teacher. Hobbies include world travel (22 countries so far) and superheroes.
Follow him on X – @FaithFootball52