Photo by Jaclyn Borowski/The Diamondback
Last weekend, Maryland Maniacs’ owner and university alum Messay Hailemariam was gracious enough to allow me to cover his team’s inaugural game at Cole Field House. The Maniacs are in the 25-team Indoor Football League, a semi-pro arena football operation that features squads from New York to Alaska.
I centered most of my attention on former Terps’ safety Christian Varner for a story that ran in today’s edition as a part of our continuing “For Love of The Game” series.
But the Maniacs’ franchise is a story in itself.
Hailemariam and business partner David Yee moved the team from The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro to Cole Field House this season to get closer to the market. Saturday’s opening didn’t go as well as they would have liked — there were plenty of empty red seats — but going up against the Final Four and the men’s lacrosse game against No. 1 Virginia across the street at Byrd Stadium on Easter weekend might have had something to do with that.
This is the franchise’s second year and Hailemariam is hoping its new on-campus location will bring student support.
“Unfortunately, not everybody gets a chance to go to the NFL. This can give them an opportunity, because it’s a platform here in D.C., Maryland, Virginia,” Hailemariam said. “So it allows them the opportunity at the local level, not extracting them from their regular day-to-day and hopefully get them to the next level.”
Virtually all the Maniacs’ players are local guys who played at area colleges. Varner is probably the most recognizable name, though the team doesn’t lack talent. Quarterback Bryson Spinner went 5-1 as a starter for Virginia in 2001, splitting time with Matt Schaub. Once Schaub’s eventual emergence to the No. 1 spot was apparent, Spinner transferred to Richmond to finish out his career.
On a 50-yard field, Spinner’s arm is almost too big for his surroundings. By my count, he twice delivered long touchdown passes on the first play of Maniac drives. The Maniacs lost a back-and-forth game to the Green Bay Blizzard, 46-45, in the final minute. Therein lies the appeal of indoor football.
“Hopefully, it grows into a significant sporting event,” Yee said. “That’s the great thing about the sport, is that all of these guys, they get paid a nominal fee and they work full-time and they’re all out here for the passion of the game and the hope they can go onto the next level. It’s that hope that keeps them here.”
It is, however, a business.
That fact wasn’t lost on Hailemariam as he paced along the protective boards on Saturday night. Before the game, as players and team personnel asked him for more free tickets for family members and friends, Hailemariam bemoaned the fact he could only allow four freebies each.
During the game, he encouraged the few students in the crowd to get their classmates out to a game. The Maniacs play the Rochester Raiders at Cole on Sunday at 2 p.m.
We’ll see how his venture progresses throughout the summer.
Aaron Kraut is The Diamondback’s sports editor. He can be reached at akrautdbk@gmail.com.