Maine is the only state in New England with no pro football team — in fact, we don't have a single major-league team in ANY sport. Not one. And yet nobody supports their teams like Mainers do.

Look at the proof. The Portland Sea Dogs pack Hadlock Field every summer — some of the best minor-league crowds in America. The Maine Mariners fill Cross Insurance Arena all winter. The Maine Celtics bring pro basketball to the Portland Expo. And the Hearts of Pine just launched pro soccer to real excitement. This city shows up. This state shows up.

And here's the thing: we've done football before. In 2018, the Maine Mammoths took the field at Cross Insurance Arena — Portland's own pro indoor football team. They started 1-7, roared back to finish 7-8, and were named franchise of the year. The fans who found them loved them. They didn't fail on the field or in the stands — they folded because no local ownership group stepped up to keep them here. They weren't rejected. They were abandoned.

That's why indoor football can thrive in Maine. The arena already exists. The fans already exist. And winter doesn't matter when you play indoors — it's actually perfect: affordable, family-friendly football in March and April, right when Mainers are desperate to get out of the house. Small rosters, big hits, high scores, cheap tickets. It's made for a place like Portland.

We're asking for the Mammoths to come home. New ownership, same name, same colors — maroon and gold — same building. Finish what was started.

Maine has the fans. Maine has the arena. All we're missing is the team.