The night is growing long, and the finely toned athletes scampering around the artificial turf at the indoor practice facility in Del Mar are growing tired. It's time for a Jeff Sprowls pep talk.

"It's about time we get in shape around here," Sprowls bellows as he observes the conditioning session on a recent evening in March, a wry smile playing on his lips.

Fatigue is a foreign concept to Sprowls. In his previous life, before he decided to try to buck a quarter-century's worth of San Diego sports history, he was a fitness trainer. His clients' ears must have received as good a workout as their bodies.

"Most people wake up grumpy. Not me," Sprowls says. "I can talk forever. In the fitness industry, you have to be energetic."

Sprowls possesses a seemingly bottomless reservoir of energy. He will need every bit of it, among many other traits, in his new line of work.

The 44-year-old businessman, a cornerback on Brigham Young's 1984 championship team and a 12th-round draft pick of the Chargers in 1986, is the co-owner (with his father, Robert) of the latest entry in a suddenly barren San Diego minor-league sports market. His San Diego Shockwave, an expansion team in the National Indoor Football League (don't call it arena football!), kicks off its first season today at 7:05 p.m. with a game against the Los Angeles Lynx at Cox Arena.

It's Sprowls' job to ensure that the first season won't also be the last.

His passion and enthusiasm for the undertaking are evident in his rapid-fire soliloquies on the Shockwave's business plan and on the differences between indoor football and its arena counterpart (in short, no netting around the goalposts or two-way players). He says all the right things about "fast-paced action" and "affordable family entertainment."

When he's done talking -- be prepared to wait a while -- the most hardened cynic might be convinced the Shockwave can succeed. Of course, the cynic can point to decades of history, dozens of failed franchises, and a landscape littered with the broken dreams of countless people like Sprowls -- people with boundless energy and an unshakable conviction their team will capture the wandering eye of the San Diego populace between Chargers and Padres games.

"I hope they're successful," says Bruce Binkowski, the public-address announcer for almost every minor-league team that came through the city in the 1970s before he rose to his current post as the executive director of the Holiday Bowl. "But I don't know how they're going to make it. It's an uphill struggle."

After Sprowls purchased the Shockwave last October -- it's among a head-spinning 19 expansion teams in the 7-year-old league -- one of the first calls he placed was to Gil Saidy. Saidy was the original owner of the Riptide, an arenafootball2 franchise that started in 2002 and fizzled out four seasons later. Sprowls wanted to learn everything he could about the operation of the Riptide, from setup to downfall.

Saidy couldn't help thinking that he was talking to a past version of himself.

"He's me six years ago," Saidy says. "He's the crazy lunatic who's trying to make it work, and I try to talk him out of it."

From the moment he stumbled upon an arena football game in Arizona in 1998, Saidy was hell-bent on bringing the sport to San Diego. A Kings fan from his childhood days in Los Angeles, he became captivated by the perfect union of football's violence and popularity with hockey's intimacy. He believed strongly in the product. He still does.

The fact the Riptide no longer exist indicates the public didn't share Saidy's zeal.

"Minor-league sports is tough," he says. "When we started, I was in competition with the Sockers, the Gulls, the Spirit. All those teams are gone. It's tough, man."

Indeed, the past 3 1/2 years have witnessed the near extermination of the minor-league sports market in San Diego. The Riptide died following the 2005 season, two years after the Spirit folded along with the eight-team Women's United Soccer Association and one year after the once-proud Sockers went down in a blaze of fiscal mismanagement. In June 2006, the curtain fell on 40 years of hockey tradition with the demise of the Gulls, and this winter the independent baseball league Surf Dawgs suspended operations over a lease dispute with San Diego State.

The chain reaction of failures leaves the city with only two minor-league entities: the Shockwave and the American Basketball Association's Wildcats, who completed their first season this month.

"Sports teams promote sports teams," says John Tull, a former Riptide president who's now CEO of the ECHL's Fresno Falcons. "So if one goes down and another goes down, it doesn't exactly help the chamber of commerce recruiting efforts."

To be sure, most minor-league sports are a difficult sell in any part of the country. The Shockwave, for instance, are joining a league in which three teams didn't make it to the start of the 2006 season and several others collapsed during it. The Wildcats survived their initial run through the ABA -- by the skin of their teeth -- but 12 franchises didn't.

The San Diego market, however, poses some unique -- or at least region-specific -- challenges, from the high cost of living (which makes it harder to house players and attract employees) to the idyllic weather (which makes being indoors or sitting still seem borderline criminal).

"I think San Diego is a tough sports town, at all levels of sports," says David Altomare, who brought the Sockers back from the dead in 2001, only to watch them perish again. "There's so much to do in San Diego, so many choices and options. It's tough to get people to come to games."

Tough, but not impossible. Caveats aside, here are five lessons that failed entrepreneurs might pass along to an eager fellow like Sprowls. Call it the "if I only knew" list:

Lesson No. 1: Take your time

Saidy didn't really discourage Sprowls from starting up the Shockwave. He did, though, discourage Sprowls from starting up the Shockwave so soon.

"I just said, 'Let me tell you all the stuff you have ahead of you, pal,' " Saidy says. "You need a real solid year to do this."

Saidy began forming the Riptide in November 2001, only four months before the inaugural game at what's now the ipayOne Center. That short period did not afford him the time to build a large, experienced staff of employees or to enlist the support of various youth groups that he considered integral to constructing a solid fan base. As a result, the Riptide weren't able to sustain the immediate splash they made at the gate.

In a similar vein, Altomare wishes he had taken more of a long view with the millions of dollars he invested in the Sockers, eschewing splashy advertising -- which he found rarely translated into ticket sales -- for more "low-key, grass-roots" initiatives.

Sprowls, alas, didn't heed the advice of Saidy, the man he has come to call his mentor.

"We didn't start going full bore until December," Sprowls says of the Shockwave. "So it's been hard, but we're where we want to be."

Lesson No. 2: Pick a good venue (or, steer clear of the ipayOne Center)

Three years ago, the Sockers, Riptide and Gulls called the old San Diego Sports Arena home. Now all three franchises are defunct.

That probably isn't a coincidence. The conventional wisdom in the sports community is that the facility, completed in 1966 at a cost of $6.5 million, is long overdue for demolition.

"The Sports Arena needs to go," Tull says. "It's run down, it's old. It doesn't seem like it's a happening place to be."

Void of a sports tenant for the first time in its history, the ipayOne Center is on track to be more profitable than it has been since the Hahn family assumed control of the building in 1992 according to Ernie Hahn, the facility's general manager. Concerts and family shows are now the primary moneymakers. Hahn says he has been approached by ownership groups seeking to bring an American Hockey League or NBA Development League team to San Diego, but the circumstances haven't been right.

Hahn resents the implication that the age or condition of the arena is to blame for the death of any of the three most recent tenants. He points to a $6 million facelift that included upgrades to scoreboards, marquees and flooring.

"When the team comes and doesn't have success, the natural reaction of the ownership is, 'Well, it's the facility. That's why we couldn't draw,' " Hahn says. "That gets old over time. I don't think it's the facility at all."

Counters Saidy: "You notice all the improvements have nothing to do with fan comfort? Don't even get me started. I spent four years in that building."

Sprowls negotiated with the ipayOne Center before striking a deal for the Shockwave to play in Cox Arena.

"We have a great advantage there because our market is less than 100 yards away," says Shockwave linebacker Rico Curtis, one of several ex-Riptide players on the team. "It should be easier to fill the stands with students."

Lesson No. 3: Promote, promote, promote

Tull was a president with the Riptide, and he's a CEO in Fresno. But he remains a promoter at heart.

The South Bend, Ind., native was weaned on the Chicago White Sox and the hijinks of Bill Veeck, the Hall of Fame owner legendary for doing almost anything to attract fans to the ballpark. Do the words "Disco Demolition Night" ring a bell?

Tull works on a smaller canvass, but he believes the same basic principle applies: Whatever the sport, make it fun or people won't come back. That's why, in his short time with the Riptide (he left in 2004 because of franchise instability), he introduced the teddy bear toss that's a staple of minor-league hockey. That's why he once arranged for a circus elephant to throw out the first pitch at a Single-A baseball game.

"It's a promotions business, and promoters make these teams successful," Tull says. "If you can find people who really love what they're doing, they can make it work. You can't just say, 'I'm in one of the biggest markets in Southern California. I'll wait for the ticket sales to come in.' But that's what people do."

Lesson No. 4: Root for the Chargers and Padres

Skeptics would argue the resurgence of the Padres in Petco Park the past few seasons thwarted any hope for the Surf Dawgs to succeed. Not so, says Golden Baseball League co-founder Amit Patel, who claims the team was on track to turn a profit this summer before the stadium snafu torpedoed its third season.

"When the Padres are winning, people are excited," Patel says. "But maybe Petco is sold out or a family can't afford to go there once a week. The Surf Dawgs are a very viable alternative."

Adds Hahn: "In general, when the Padres and Chargers are doing well, there's a carryover effect."

Lesson No. 5: Just win, baby

For all that Saidy did wrong and wishes he could do over, the Riptide drew an announced crowd of almost 10,000 to its inaugural game in April 2002. The joint, then called the Sports Arena, was jumping. Marty Graham, now a Shockwave receiver, set an af2 record with 400 all-purpose yards.

And the Riptide lost a heartbreaker to Bakersfield in overtime.

For the second home game, nearly 7,000 fans showed up -- for another loss. It was the start of an unfortunate pattern, as the Riptide went 27-39 in four seasons (13-19 at home) while average attendance sunk below 5,000.

"It's very rare that championship teams don't draw," Saidy says. "Look what happens when teams win. It's mayhem here. People spending $500 to go to a Chargers game.

"The key to this whole thing is you better win."

For an example from San Diego's minor-league past, look no further than the Sockers, the most decorated pro team in the city's history. Coached by Ron Newman and headlined by Julie Veee, the indoor club reeled off 10 championships in 11 years beginning in 1982 while often packing the Sports Arena.

It was in those stands where Altomare became hooked on soccer and the Sockers, a generation before he unsuccessfully tried to recapture that fleeting magic.

"There were games that used to make the hair stand up on your neck," he says.

The above lessons will not come as news to Sprowls, who has jumped at every opportunity to milk Saidy for information. It isn't a stretch to say the failure of the Riptide was a gift for Sprowls -- it both created a vacancy in the market and provided a handy map of the potholes the Shockwave would be advised to circumnavigate.

Sprowls goes out of his way to distance his team from its predecessor. The Riptide paid too much for its turf, he'll say -- and its netting and its workers' comp insurance, not to mention the housing costs NIFL teams aren't responsible for.

He has little management experience, but his father runs 12 companies out of a sprawling office complex in Carlsbad, giving the Shockwave the financial backing to weather the inevitable valleys.

"We're able to set up a professional franchise," Sprowls says.

In the end, though, it's indoor football, which is one rung lower than af2, which itself is several rungs lower than the NFL. In the end, success or failure will depend as much on luck as it does on planning.

In the end, people will either come or they won't.

Sprowls, the Shockwave's Energizer Bunny, says they will. History says they won't.

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.

MINOR ISSUE?

San Diego has no problem attracting minor-league sports teams. Keeping them is another matter altogether. With few exceptions, the city is a wasteland of failed enterprises. Here's a closer look at teams that deep-sixed in recent years, followed by a longer list of sunken franchises from eras past.

SURF DAWGS

+ Sport: Baseball

+ League: Golden Baseball League

+ Debuted: 2005

+ Died: 2007

+ Venue: Tony Gwynn Stadium

+ Owner: League operated

+ What went wrong: Technically, the team didn't die, but rather suspended operations for this season because of a dispute with San Diego State over its lease at the Aztecs' baseball stadium. The GBL hopes to bring back the Surf Dawgs as soon as 2008 at another location in San Diego County (see sidebar).

GULLS

+ Sport: Hockey

+ Leagues: Western Hockey League (1966-74), International Hockey League (1990-95), West Coast Hockey League (1995-2002), ECHL (2003-2006)

+ Debuted: 1966

+ Died: 2006

+ Venue: ipayOne Center (formerly San Diego Sports Arena)

+ Owner: Ron Hahn

+ What went wrong: A tradition of hockey in San Diego that dates back four decades (or even longer if you consider the Skyhawks of the old Pacific Coast Hockey League) went up in smoke last June 29, when the Gulls released a statement announcing that they would cease operations the very next day. The one-sentence explanation given was that "ongoing negotiations to sell the club did not materialize in a timeframe sufficient to operate for the 2006-07 season." Ernie Hahn, the general manager of the ipayOne Center and the son of Gulls majority owner Ron Hahn, said the team had been losing money for years. He cited the Gulls' move to the ECHL -- and the corresponding increases in travel costs and player turnover in the developmental league -- as the chief factor in the demise. "It was very painful, especially for my dad," Hahn said, "but it had to be done."

RIPTIDE

+ Sport: Indoor football

+ League: arenafootball2

+ Debuted: 2002

+ Died: 2005

+ Venue: ipayOne Center

+ Owners: Gil Saidy, Jon Runyan, Ernie Hahn

+ What went wrong: A promising start -- the Riptide drew an announced crowd of almost 10,000 to its inaugural game on April 6, 2002 -- quickly took a turn for the worse as losses piled up. The Riptide never experienced a winning season, and attendance dwindled accordingly. By 2004, control of the team was shared by original owner Saidy, NFL offensive lineman Runyan and the Hahn family. It was not a fruitful collaboration. Newly hired president John Tull left after only a few months because, he said, his staff wasn't receiving paychecks. "I've been doing this long enough to know that the minute you don't make payroll, you're done," said Tull, now the CEO of the ECHL's Fresno Falcons. "I couldn't put up with it."

SOCKERS

+ Sport: Indoor soccer

+ Leagues: North American Soccer League (1980-82, 1983-84), Major Indoor Soccer League (1982-83, 1984-92), Continental Indoor Soccer League (1993-96), World Indoor Soccer League (2001), MISL (2002-04)

+ Debuted: 1980

+ Died: 2004

+ Venue: ipayOne Center

+ Owners: David Altomare, Raj Kalra

+ What went wrong: The modern-day incarnation of the Sockers never could recapture the magic of the franchise's 1980s heyday. Altomare, the creator of Auto Trader publications, resurrected the famous franchise in 2001, but the old fans didn't return. With the Sockers hemorrhaging money, Altomare sold them in fall 2004 to Kalra, an entrepreneur who owned a pro lacrosse team in Vancouver. Fewer than two months later, the Sockers were shut down amid reports of Kalra failing to meet his financial obligations. "That was very disheartening," Altomare said. "It came close to possible lawsuits and fraud. It was a shame how it went down. Obviously, he didn't put up what was needed."

SPIRIT

+ Sport: Women's soccer

+ League: Women's United Soccer Association

+ Debuted: 2001

+ Died: 2003

+ Venue: Torero Stadium

+ Owner: Cox Enterprises

+ What went wrong: The death of the Spirit was both a team failure and a league failure. Constructed upon the shoulders of charismatic, wildly popular U.S. stars like Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and the Spirit's own Julie Foudy, the WUSA roared into existence with big money and big ambition. In the end, the league's reach far exceeded its grasp. It collapsed after three seasons of lagging attendance and massive overspending. Last month, an announcement was made of a new, smaller-scale women's soccer league that will partner with Major League Soccer and begin play next year. San Diego isn't among the five cities initially selected for franchises, with the lack of an MLS presence hurting its cause.

Others

+ Wildfire, ABA 2000, 2000-01

+ Stingrays, International Basketball League, 1999

+ Flash, A-League soccer, 1998-2001

+ Wildcards, Continental Basketball Association, 1995-96

+ Barracudas, Roller Hockey International, 1993-96

+ Spikers, National Volleyball Association, 1993-96

+ Nomads, American Professional Soccer League, 1990

+ Hawks, Pacific Coast Hockey League, 1978-79

+ Jaws/Sockers, North American Soccer League (outdoor), 1976, 1978-84

+ Sandpipers, Women's Professional Softball Association, 1976

+ Breakers, International Volleyball Association, 1975-78

+ Friars, World Team Tennis, 1975-78

+ Sails, American Basketball Association, 1975*

+ Mariners, World Hockey Association/PCHL, 1974-78*

+ Conquistadors, ABA, 1972-75*

* The ABA and the WHA could be considered "major league" because they were in direct competition with the NBA and NHL, respectively.

-- Brian Hiro

New kids on the block

The persistent failure of minor-league sports teams in San Diego hasn't prevented others from giving it the old college try. The current landscape is narrower than usual, but does include two ventures.

Wildcats

+ Sport: Basketball

+ League: ABA

+ Debuted: 2006

+ Venue: Various local high schools

+ Owner: Anthony Lacey

+ Status: Never heard of them? You're not alone. Flying far under the radar, the Wildcats recently completed their first season with a loss in the second round of the playoffs. The inaugural year was a success on the court, as the team went 18-9 and posted a home playoff victory under coach Ray Johnson, who moonlighted from his job as the El Camino High boys coach.

+ Outlook: Postseason trips or not, the Wildcats won't begin to achieve respectability until they leave behind the high school gyms that stamp the franchise as something of a sad sideshow.

Shockwave

+ Sport: Indoor football

+ League: National Indoor Football League

+ Debut: Today

+ Venue: Cox Arena

+ Owners: Robert and Jeff Sprowls

+ Status: The expansion Shockwave open their first season tonight at 7:05 by hosting the Los Angeles Lynx. The team is scheduled to play seven home games through July 7. Tickets range from $15-$30, with discounts for seniors, kids, students and the military.

+ Outlook: How will the Shockwave succeed where the Riptide, a similar enterprise, stumbled? This season will begin to tell the tale.

-- Brian Hiro