NEW ORLEANS VOODOO

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Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneThe VooDoo and the Arena Football League teams always entered the field in grand fashion.

In a letter to Arena Football League interim commissioner Ed Policy, New Orleans Voodoo owner Tom Benson said the Voodoo is folding and severing its five-year stay in the Crescent City and its affiliation with the league, VooDoo team spokesman Greg Bensel said.

David Gladow / NOLA.comWas New Orleans too small for the VooDoo?

It has been speculated that rising attendance at New Orleans Hornets games hurt the New Orleans VooDoo attendance this past summer, and that the business relationship between the two had influenced the interaction -- or lack thereof -- between team owners Tom Benson and George Shinn.

But does a direct correlation actually exist? Did the Hornets' rise to success kill any chance the VooDoo had at competing in such a small sports market? Or is something else at play?

Vote in our poll after the jump, and give us YOUR take in the comments.

David Gladow / NOLA.comPhiladelphia defeated San Jose 59-56 in ArenaBowl XXII.

NEW ORLEANS - A novelty just became a champion. The Philadelphia Soul, most well known for being a dalliance by rock star Jon Bon Jovi, used superstar performances from two of its players, quarterback Matt D'Orazio and wide receiver Chris Jackson, to overwhelm the San Jose Sabercats and hang on to win Arena Bowl XXII, 59-56.

D'Orazio threw for 302 yards with 7 touchdown passes while Jackson roamed the San Jose secondary to the tune of 11 catches for 146 yards and 3 touchdown catches.

Still, the biggest play of the game may have come courtesy of a defender: defensive back Eddie Moten, whose first-half interception turned a back-and-forth affair into a relatively one-sided one.

David Gladow / NOLA.comThe Sabercats didn't see enough of this to win this afternoon.

So Chris Jackson has 10 receptions for 136 yards with 3 touchdowns. Think that's good? Well, each quarterback has at least 225 yards and five touchdowns throwing the ball. I'd say that's still a touch better.

In a fun touch, the league is posting the fan voting results live on the jumbotron ... so far the voting is pretty even, though it looks like Jackson has the early lead. Somewhat surprising, but it's not like the guy isn't dominating either.

The folks in charge just announced an attendance of 17,244. That's surely a tickets sold number rather than an actual attendance figure, but still, it's a solid number and a nice feather in the AFL's cap (not to mention New Orleans').

David Gladow / NOLA.comWill it be celebration time for the Soul soon?

Pressbox chatter: does this break the Philadelphia sports curse? Much has been made of the city struggling to win a championship for the better part of 40 years now, but does this count as a notch in the belt so to speak for Philly?

Whatever the answer is, at least they still have the cheesesteak. As a sammich appreciator, I have to say that's not a bad place to start.

But as far as this game is concerned, it's still not quite over. The Soul still has a ways to go to lock it down (a quarter in fact).

David Gladow / NOLA.comThe New Orleans Arena hosted the ArenaBowl for the second straight year.

Collectively, the quarterbacks here today have amassed 384 yards and eight touchdowns in a half of play. If the AFL was at all scared of a boring championship game, it appears it need not worry any longer.

That scoring figures to continue in the second half, with neither team showing much in the way of a consistent defense. I mean, sure, the Soul notched a fourth-down stop and an interception thus far, but also gave up 27 points. This is Arena Football after all.

MVP watch? The two quarterbacks have to lead the way, given their obscene numbers to this point, but also keep your eye on Moten, who has the game's biggest play to date (in the form of his interception) and the receivers (of whom I'd have to say Chris Jackson leads).

It's still anyone's game though.

David Gladow / NOLA.comThe Arena isn't technically packed, but the fans have still turned out in good numbers.

Hmm, some empty seats in here. And I know lots of folks are probably getting a jump on the halftime concession crowds, but still, more empties here than I expected for a sellout. I suspect some New Orleans natives chose to stay home this afternoon, which is fair enough, but they're missing a fun game all the same.

I hear rumors that the first Super Bowl was like this (less than overwhelming crowd support), so at least the AFL has nothing to feel depressed about today.

The pregame stuff was fun, and yesterday's events were well-attended as well. It's just a work in progress for these guys ... lots of competition out there for folks' entertainment dollars (and undivided attention).

David Gladow / NOLA.comThis game is looking as easy as pregame drills for both offenses.

After a quarter of play, Grieb is 11-of-15 for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, D'Orazio is 4-of-4 for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Slight difference in yards per attempt there, but both guys have been very effective.

For those curious about the time of possession battle (since it seems to be such a key strategy for San Jose), the Sabercats are winning it 10:38 to 4:22. We'll see if that eventually pays off for 'em.

Of more interest to me is which team will make the first mistake and turn it over. Neither offense has made a mistake to date, and as is the custom in the AFL, the defenses have been on their heels. I'm thinking the first turnover may actually play a big role in deciding this.