Three articles caught my eye today, all focusing on positive developments for the business side of Arena Football. The first confirmed that Mitsubishi has extended advertising programs targeted to Arena Football:

"We are focusing on brand awareness and familiarity and we've had great success with the sports programs that we do," said Mendez. "We have re-upped with the Arena Football League, we are doing NCAA, NBA, and we like the exclusivity we get when we do ESPN."

The next story is an annoucement of strong agreement between ESPN and MobiTV to broadcast AFL games:

ESPN Mobile TV will offer full-length live events including college football and basketball, NBA, NASCAR, Major League Soccer, Arena Football League, Major League Lacrosse and more. It will also present Mike & Mike in the Morning, First Take, Pardon the Interruption, Rome is Burning and Around the Horn, plus new mobile-specific shows such as ESPN ReSet, ScoreCenter and Fantasy Football Now.

It is great to see this support for broadcasting AFL games through this new medium.

And finally, an affirmation that the Arena Football League can be much more than just a sports and entertainment busines, as demonstrated by Jon Bon Jovi, co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul:

As the co-owner of the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul, Jon Bon Jovi introduced a new model of sports ownership. From the inception of the franchise, the mission was to use the team to give back to the local community. Heading into their fourth season, the Philadelphia Soul Organization has given away $2 million to local causes.