At the invitation of friends within the Spokane Shock ownership group, Nader Naini attended a Shock football game last June.

The lifelong football fan said he was overwhelmed by the fervent support for the team and filed the experience away in the back of his mind. When Shock majority owner Brady Nelson made it known he was willing to sell the franchise, Naini jumped at the opportunity.

“I’ve been to a lot of games in my life, but that was one of those experiences where I said, ‘Something is going on here,’ ” Naini said. “I had a lot of passion for the product and the sport, the fan base, the city. It was really, really exciting and we beat them (San Jose) pretty soundly.”

Naini can say “we” because he’s the leader of Arena Football Partners LLC, the Shock’s new ownership group. The sale of the franchise was announced Wednesday, ending the tenure of the affable Nelson, one of the few constants in the ever-changing world of arena football. Jim Meehan, SR

Have you ever attended an arena football game?

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