I am a football fan.

More specifically, I am an SEC football fan. My version of the

Super Bowl is Georgia and Alabama meeting in a playoff game with everything on the line, everybody in the house yelling at the television and somebody wondering why the dog has gone into the other room.

So when professional indoor football came to Rome twenty years ago, I went.

And I remember the Rome Renegades bouncing people off the walls at The Forum.

That was not a figure of speech.

Arena football puts the action practically in your lap. The field is smaller, the game is faster and those padded walls along the sidelines are part boundary, part obstacle and occasionally part tackling dummy. Buy the right seat and you weren't merely watching professional football. You were close enough to wonder whether your nachos needed a helmet.

The Renegades were coached by David Humphreys, who happened to be my old Sunday School teacher and was already a familiar name to football fans throughout Northwest Georgia. Humphreys had coached the Rome Wolves and other area high school football programs before taking the reins of Rome's professional team.

And the Renegades were good.

Really good.

They reached the playoffs in their first Rome season and, in 2006, went all the way to the league championship game. Rome had a winning professional football team playing right in the middle of downtown.

Then, almost as quickly as they had arrived, they were gone.

The Rome Renegades had hit The Wall.

And this time I don't mean the padded one.

Owner Harry Pierce announced after the 2006 season that the franchise would cease operations. The problem wasn't what happened on the football field. The problem was what happened at the ticket window.

Pierce said The Forum's limited seating and parking made it difficult to generate enough revenue to make professional sports financially sustainable. He believed Rome needed a larger multipurpose arena, but with no new facility expected anytime soon, continuing to absorb the losses simply didn't make financial sense.

Think about that for a minute.

The Renegades didn't disappear because they couldn't win.

They disappeared after a championship-caliber season because winning football games and winning the business game turned out to be two very different things.

Now, twenty years later, somebody is walking back into the same building and taking another swing.

The Rome Red Cats were officially introduced September 8 and are scheduled to begin play at the Forum River Center in April 2027 as members of the American Arena League. The ownership group includes Kacee Smith, Richard Maslia and head coach and co-owner James Moreland. The team expects to play four to six home games, with tickets projected in the very fan-friendly $10 to $20 range.

Smith specifically remembers the Renegades. He says he was a fan.

So he knows Rome has seen this movie before.

The difference is that this time the new cat in town is red — although anybody who has ever owned a ginger cat knows they tend to arrive with a little confidence, a little attitude and absolutely no concern for what happened to the furniture before they got there.

The Red Cats are also entering a very different sports-business world than Harry Pierce faced in 2006.

Livestreaming can extend the audience far beyond the number of people who fit inside The Forum. Upgraded video boards create additional advertising inventory. Social media gives a small-market franchise direct access to thousands of potential fans. Sponsorship packages can now include digital exposure that barely existed when the Renegades were playing.

And perhaps expectations are different too.

The Renegades were trying to prove professional football belonged in Rome.

The Red Cats don't have to prove that.

The Renegades already did.

They put a winning team on the field, filled The Forum with noise and gave Rome two seasons of professional football that a lot of us still remember.

What they could not figure out was how to make the numbers work.

That is the question hanging over the Red Cats.

Not whether Romans will watch football.

We will.

Good grief, around here we'll watch two SEC teams play a meaningless September game and spend three days arguing about the offensive coordinator.

The question is whether today's combination of affordable tickets, sponsorships, streaming, digital advertising and a more modern entertainment model can overcome the same limitations that Harry Pierce identified twenty years ago.

Because the Rome Red Cats aren't really starting from scratch.

They're walking onto a field where another Rome team once came within one game of a championship.

And somewhere in the shadows of The Forum, you can almost hear those Renegades hitting that wall one more time.

Mark Chesnutt is set to light up The Forum in Rome, GA, generating a wave of excitement throughout the city’s music scene.

Fans of classic country are making plans to fill the venue, ready to relive chart-topping hits and Chesnutt’s signature honky-tonk style in the heart of downtown.

With a decorated career featuring platinum albums, Chesnutt stands as an enduring favorite for locals who value tradition and rich country storytelling.

There’s a special buzz around beloved tracks like "Bubba Shot the Jukebox" and "Too Cold at Home," fueling nostalgia citywide.

The Forum’s active calendar is energizing Rome’s downtown, as concerts and community events boost local shops and new restaurants on Broad Street.

Chesnutt’s visit highlights Rome’s rising status as a live entertainment destination and a driver of local business growth.

Shorter University Theatre Department has revealed an exciting new season for local audiences.

This year’s lineup features the adventurous Peter & The Starcatcher in the fall, alongside the classic Chekhov drama Three Sisters next spring.

Musical fans are in for a treat with Return to the Forbidden Planet—a unique 1950s space twist on Shakespeare’s The Tempest—and the crowd favorite Sister Act, recently seen at  Rome Little Theatre.

The dramatic productions each run for one weekend, while both musicals enjoy extended, two-weekend engagements.

With past performances quickly selling out, local theater fans are encouraged to secure tickets early for this dynamic season up on the hill.

Leo and Lucille Frank are a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, PARADE reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.

With a book by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and a rousing, colorful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County, Songs For a New World), PARADE combines soaring music with a deeply human story.

Directed by Dawn Parker (Bright Star, 2025), this production brings the Tony Award-winning musical back to the very community where these events unfolded. The result is a powerful theatrical experience that confronts one of the most complex chapters in Georgia history while illuminating the endurance of love, hope, and conviction in the face of overwhelming odds.

Tickets are $27 to $42 and are on sale now! Purchase tickets 24/7 at strandmarietta.org, or get tickets through the box office at 770.293.0080 or 117 North Park Square.

Anticipation is growing in Dalton, GA as the renowned Conasauga Shakespeare Coalition gets ready to unveil its fresh production of Macbeth.

This year’s adaptation promises a dynamic fusion of classic themes and modern staging, inviting audiences into a captivating world of ambition, prophecy, and suspense.

Performances will run across two weekends at both the Dalton Convention Center and the evocative Prater’s Mill, spotlighting regional talent.

Local directors are focused on delivering the haunting intensity and intricate moral questions that have defined Shakespeare’s tragedy for generations.

The show’s timing comes as Dalton’s downtown buzzes with revitalization and new business, making the event a cultural highlight for residents and visitors alike.

The arrival of Macbeth marks another powerful step in uniting the community through arts, promising an unforgettable evening for all who attend.