Gladiators Fans Score Record Viewership for AFL Games on ESPN

CLEVELAND - ESPN has announced today, that the Monday, June 30 Wild Card game between the fourth-seeded Cleveland Gladiators and fifth-seeded Orlando Predators on ESPN2 received a .4 HH rating, including a 2.5 rating in Cleveland, which led all 56 metered markets and is the highest local market rating in 2008. The 2.5 rating is also the most since the Arena Football League and ESPN partnership began prior to the 2007 season.

The Gladiators defeated the Predators 69-66 and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs to face the second-seeded Georgia Force on ESPN2 on Monday, July 7. In addition, the game will re-air as the ESPN Classic "Game of the Month" on Sunday, July 6 at 9:00 a.m.

ESPN's AFL commentator team throughout the playoffs will include former NFL players and analysts Ray Bentley, Shaun King and Marcellus Wiley, along with play-by-play commentators Bob Wischusen, Dave Pasch and Ari Wolfe.

The #4 Cleveland Gladiators will take on the #2 Georgia Force on Monday, July 7 at 8:00 p.m. at the Gwinnett Center. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN2. A Gladiators win combined with a #6 New York Dragons win over the #1 Philadelphia Soul on Saturday, July 5 (7:00 p.m. ESPN) will bring the National Conference Championship game to Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday, July 12. The winner would advance to the Virgin Mobile ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans on July 27.

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