Gladiators will go dormant for two years

Bad news, arena football fans: As Quicken Loans Arena undergoes renovations, the Gladiators announced their franchise will go dormant for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Jeff Schudel reports.

The Gladiators will be dormant for the 2018 and 2019 seasons while improvements are made to Quicken Loans Arena.

The team made the announcement on Nov. 28, subduing the excitement around the Cavaliers’ quest for a ninth straight victory hours later at The Q in a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Miami Heat.

According to the news release, “The transformation project will require The Q to be closed for event activity in order to accommodate major construction elements during the summers of 2018 and 2019, immediately upon the completion of the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA season in each of the upcoming summers. The arena will reopen for event activity with the start of the Cavaliers 2018-19 and 201920 seasons respectively. “

No mention was made on what will happen if the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL are still in the Calder Cup playoffs after the Cavs’ season ends.

“The Q Transformation project will bring many positive impacts and improvements for decades to come and we know the community benefits generated by the project will be well worth the process that we need to go through to achieve them,” Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena CEO Len Komoroski said in a statement. “The Gladiators have established a strong level of support and, while this required hiatus to accommodate the needed construction elements of the project is necessary, we also understand it is important for our community and the long-term future of The Q as an important community asset.”

How many teams will comprise the Arena Football League from year to year is anyone’s guess. Fourteen teams were in the AFL as recently as 2014. Three years later, it was down to five teams. The Gladiators at 5-9 and Baltimore Brigade at 4-10 made the playoffs in 2017.

If the league is still afloat, the Gladiators will come out of hibernation for the 2020 season.

“The Gladiators are a historic AFL team and remain an important part of the AFL,” AFL Commissioner Scott Butera said in a statement. “We believe the renovations to The Q are impressive and will create a state-of-the-art fan experience. We look forward to having the Gladiators return in 2020.

“While we are enthusiastic about The Q transformation, we remain committed to continued growth for the 2018 season and beyond. The AFL has significant expansion opportunities and strategic initiatives which are currently under discussion.

“We believe the future of the AFL is very bright.”

The Gladiators began play at the Q in 2008 after the franchise was moved from Las Vegas to Cleveland on Oct. 16, 2007.

The entire league took the 2009 season off to reorganize.

Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cavaliers and Monsters, bought the Gladiators in 2012.

The Gladiators reached the high point in their history when they made it to the 2014 Arena Bowl before falling to the Arizona Rattlers, 72-32.