Ari Wolfe & Sed Bonner are BACK in the commentary booth... with the IFL?!
- Trey
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Peanut Butter & Jelly. Troy & Abed. Han Solo & Chewbacca. Glinda & Elphaba.
Ari Wolfe & Sed Bonner.
Things that just go well together, for $400, Alex!
Two of the most familiar and iconic voices in arena football, will be back in the commentary booth in 2026.
In case you missed the livestream where this was announced (:
But THIS TIME, they are 'crossing over' to the world of the Indoor Football League, where they will be partnering with the IFL and their new, revamped broadcast presentation with the new Yahoo! Sports Network & FanDuel Sports Network deals in place for 2026.
Ari has been involved with the sport of arena football for decades, where he has done play by play announcing for multiple ArenaBowls (yes, even that one) and sideline reporting that really brought a great dimension to the game for the at home viewer.
Mid-game interviews like that were so unique to arena football and really gave you a look "under the helmet" in real time. Mix in some of those "Hey Coach what's the play call?" moments and he quickly showed why he was one of the best. (and it is CONFIRMED to be back for 2026. Let's GO.) Sed Bonner is one of, if not THE, greatest QB to ever play in the original AFL and revolutionized the way the QB position was played in arena football, playing from 1993 to 2008. (I mean, 855 TDs & 42K Passing Yards?! COME ON!)
For newer fans, this may be cool news and it's neat to get a couple folks in the mix who have such a deep history with the 50-yard game.
For arena football diehards, this is massive news. There are certain sects of arena football fans who ONLY like ARENA FOOTBALL -- Rebound Nets, Jack LB, 5 in the Box, etc. For those folks, losing Ari Wolfe & Sed Bonner to the IFL is a gut punch.
For those 'traditional arena football purists', Ari Wolfe & Sed Bonner were their guys for so long and were voices (and names) that were synonymous with the Arena Football League for literally decades (and in some parts of 2024 & 2025).
Ari Wolfe got his start doing play by play for the Albany Firebirds for six seasons beginning in 1998, became the play by play lead for the Philadelphia Soul until 2008 and was heavily involved with the league in both play by play and on field reporting for the next decade plus.
One of my personal favorite calls from Ari. The Tiger Jones ArenaBowl catch.
He even came back for ArenaBowl 33 on CBS Sports (aka The Brawl At The Mall), as well as select games in the inaugural AF1 season in 2025.
But the involvement in the AF1 only lasted a couple of weeks (for multiple different reasons), before him and Sed both quietly stepped back from the booth. Ari & Sed clearly have had a love for the game for a very long time and with their colleague (and fellow play by play alum of the 50-yard game) Brent Stover was named the Director of Broadcasting for the IFL -- this move makes way too much sense. With the IFL getting this new deal with Yahoo! Sports Network & FanDuel Sports Network and putting more and more and more resources into the presentation (both visually and audibly), it seems like it's a touchdown for all parties involved. The IFL gets a veteran voice in the booth and Ari Wolfe gets a fresh start with the Indoor Football League that is on a great trajectory for 2026 and beyond.
This is great news overall for the sport of indoor football, because the 50-yard game is better with Ari Wolfe & Sed Bonner in it. It's great news for IFL fans who may not be familiar with Ari's body of work and it's great news for the arena ball podcasters and bloggers out there!! (it's me)
Who knows, maybe we'll get a reboot of the hit web series Wolfe's Den!
What do YOU think of Ari Wolfe & Sed Bonner joining the IFL team?
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