The Oregon Lightning, an Arena football team based just down the road in Redmond, are a team more Bendites should be paying attention to.
The Lightning were off to a rough start in their inaugural season, after losing five of their first six games, but they have been hot as of late, winning two in a row.
While this may not seem like a budding, eye-catching team to many Bendites, it’s important to remember where the Lightning, and Arena football, comes from.
The Lightning were established in 2025, and play their home games at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. A combination of former college and high-level high school players make up the 20 man roster.
The biggest differences between regular football and Arena football is the size of the field and the number of players on the field at once. Compared to the normal football field that’s 120 yards long, Arena football fields are 50 yards from goal line to goal line. That, along with a meager 16 players on the field (eight on offense and eight on defense), makes for tons of action and exciting plays.
The average point total for Arena football games is 97.7 points, which, compared to the NFL average of 45.8 is almost double the scoring. Because of this, Arena football games are typically packed with big plays and tons of scoring, making it a sport that all types of fans can enjoy.
Additionally, Arena football players make, on average, about $40 to $50 thousand dollars per year, which, as anyone can guess, is not enough money to live on.
As such, most Arena players have to get second jobs just to be able to keep playing the sport they love. This hard work displays their dedication to their career and hopes of someday making it to the NFL.
Even though Arena Football isn’t the NFL, it still houses plenty of talent and great coaching. Plus, Arena football tickets are typically $30, far less than the average NFL ticket, which usually stands around $120. This makes them a super affordable and exciting event for the whole family to enjoy.
The Lightning play their next home game on June 8 and then finish their season at another home game on June 14.
