AFL on NBC The AFL on NBC is a TV program from NBC Sports that showed Arena Football League games from the 2003 season through 2006 . Personalities . Studio commentary . The pre - game , halftime , and post - game studio show was anchored by Al Trautwig and analyst Glenn Parker since its inception . In 2003 , Michael Irvin also provided studio analysis , but that role was subsequently filled with guest analysts , including Ray Bentley , Danny White , Tommy Maddox , and Kurt Warner . Game commentary . Game commentary was provided by two major teams , with the lead consisting of play - by - play announcer Tom Hammond and analyst Pat Haden , with sideline reporter Lewis Johnson ; this team was also NBC ' s lead team for its Notre Dame football coverage at the time . The other included Bob Papa ( play - by - play ) , Ray Bentley ( analyst ) and Marty Snider ( sideline reporter ) . NBC ' s NASCAR announcers Bill Weber and Allen Bestwick also called games , as did Alabama Crimson Tide football voice Eli Gold . Other broadcasters included color commentators Mike Pawlawski and Charles Davis , and sideline reporter Steve Wrigley . Music . The program was advertised with TV commercials with John Elway and with the song " Rumble " by Bon Jovi , the band fronted by Philadelphia Soul owner Jon Bon Jovi . The text of the song goes : The song was published by the Universal Music Group in a Bon Jovi CD called There ' s A Rumble In The House ! Criticism . NBC ' s coverage received sharp criticism from some long time AFL fans and owners like Jon Bon Jovi . The complaints were mostly because NBC had severely cut back from their initial promotion of the AFL in 2003 and 2004 , to barely promoting it at all in 2005 and 2006 . NBC also tended to only broadcast select teams - the Philadelphia Soul , Chicago Rush , Colorado Crush , and the Dallas Desperados , while smaller market teams such as the Austin Wranglers , San Jose Sabercats , Grand Rapids Rampage and the now - relocated Buffalo Destroyers were left in the dark . 2006 season . In 2006 , due to the XX Winter Olympic Games , the Stanley Cup Playoffs , and the Daytona 500 , NBC scaled back from weekly coverage to scattered coverage during the regular season , but an extensive playoff schedule ending with the 20th ArenaBowl . For that season , some games were moved to OLN , now known as Versus . Ratings . The 2006 ArenaBowl on NBC earned the network a considerably disappointing 0 . 7 % of the U . S . households . The small audience for the 2006 ArenaBowl was the culmination of a season that earned NBC 0 . 9 % of the U . S . households . In sharp comparison to the 2006 season , the first season of " The AFL on NBC " earned 1 . 1 % . The end of " The AFL on NBC " . On June 30 , 2006 , the Arena Football League and NBC Sports failed to reach an agreement to extend their broadcasting contract , thus effectively ending " The AFL on NBC " program . AFL commissioner David Baker said " " NBC has been a great partner . We are forever grateful to them for exhibiting our game with the utmost respect and integrity . We wish them well , but are also excited to begin a new chapter that will continue our unprecedented growth . " " NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer said " " Unfortunately we were unable to reach an agreement . We ' ve enjoyed our partnership with the Arena Football League . It ' s a great game with great people . We wish them all the best . " " In an interview with the " New York Times " , NBC spokesman Mike McCarley said , " " We gave Arena Football our best effort , with top production and significant promotion , but the ratings never grew . " " During an August 2006 segment of Larry King ' s interview with owner Jon Bon Jovi , a new deal was hinted at being in development , one superior to NBC ' s . In December 2006 , a deal was struck with ABC / ESPN to broadcast AFL regular season and playoff games . ESPN also assumed partial ownership of the league itself .