Off The Net: Favorite Features from Five Seasons in the Arena Football League

by BJ Pickard

From 1987 to 2019, the Arena Football League entertained fans from coast to coast and around the world with a fast-paced, high-scoring, and action-packed brand of professional football. It was a sport that boasted something for everyone and a little bit of everything: pregame pyrotechnics, rock star owners, ruckus theme nights, rabid fanbases, wild end zone celebrations… oh, and the football was pretty good, too.

Former League executive BJ Pickard had a front row seat to much of the excitement – and a little bit of the drama – the AFL had to offer during his five seasons in the front office. Off The Net is an Arena Football time capsule, a collection of feature stories written (unknowingly) in the twilight years of the AFL, that offers a glimpse into an incredible game and – hopefully – helps preserve the legacy of an unbelievable League.

346 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2022

About the author

BJ Pickard is a veteran athletics administrator and executive in the sports industry. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (B.A.) and the University of Washington (M.Ed.), his career has included stops with the Philadelphia 76ers, Arena Football League (AFL), and Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). In 2018, Pickard was recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as the recipient of the Best in Nation award for Event Coverage at the record-setting Saint John’s University versus University of St. Thomas college football game at Target Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pickard currently serves as the Associate Commissioner of the MIAC (NCAA Division III), the Assistant Director of the National College Athlete Honor Society (Chi Alpha Sigma), and the Executive Director of Pick-6 Scouting; however, his favorite title is “dad.”