Hello Firebirds, AFL, and af2 fans, my name is Ben Schwartz. You may recognize me from my other Arena Football blog, F4blog.com. I have been a New York Dragons fan since 2002, and through my relationships with the players and team combined with my passion for both the AFL and journalism, I created a successful video blog. This has been running since 2007 and combined with my official association with the Dragons, my "Review and Preview Show" as well as my exclusive player interviews became a hit within the Dragons fan base (and extended to other fans outside of the Dragons as well).
Once the news began to unfold that the AFL would suspend its 2009 season and that things were not going as planned, I (like many of my fellow AFL fans), felt stranded. What was next? Is the af2 a viable option for me? Through much deliberation, I decided to commit to following the Firebirds and to cover their team much like I covered the Dragons with a new blog. This was a tough decision because Albany is over two hours away from where I live. I decided that with af2TV and with help from my parents, getting to at least five games in person is good enough for me. Since the suspension, F4Blog has transformed into a haven for lost AFL fans - a place to follow their favorite players from any team in their performances with other leagues come the 2009 seasons.
It took years to build my associations with the Dragons and build my relationships with their players. This, therefore, was a concern of mine when entering the Firebirds process. Getting the same exclusivity and solid content that I did with the Dragons was certainly be challenging in the beginning, but because I have done this before - I was ready to do it again. Thankfully, a few notable Firebirds players had contacted me explaining that they watched my F4Blog programs and that they were more than willing to help me get an inside look at the Firebirds team throught the year. This first step in was a big leap into the exclusivity that viewers love. Since, you have seen content spanning over every position on the field.
As you can tell by now, we've been brought on as an official fan website and supply our viewers with very in-depth and exclusive video content that almost no other sports fan site offers. I hope you enjoy your stay here and keep checking back for more weekly videos!
Christian Wise, better known as "C-Wise", contributes lots of content to the Firebirds Nest and acts as the connection between fan and player. You will often see him in post game interviews, Review and Preview Shows, and even conducting his own interviews for this website.
