One word that will solve everything......
vbulletin
Have you guys seen a vbulletin forum? They are pretty cool and very functional. Let me find an example....
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/
Nice and simple, yet functional.
Edit: So I found this on another site......
vBulletin (Owned License) : 160$ each
vBulletin (Leased License) : 85$ each
The owned vBulletin Forum license allows you to run the software on your site indefinitely. Along with this license, you will receive one year of free updates. Beyond the first year, you will have to pay a nominal fee, currently $30, to obtain updates for an additional year. While The leased vBulletin Forum license allows you to use the software on your site for 1 year and gives you access to products updates for that year. After 1 year, you must renew your license or remove the software from your site.
I thought it was going to be more than this. Why not pay the $160 for an indefinite license? If you really don't want to spend money we could EASILY reach that money with donations from posters. I think it is well worth the investment considering the amount of traffic this site receives. If you really want to expand into large NFL, MLB, NHL boards as well I think vbulletin is almost a necessity. This certainly won't cut it. On top of all that vbulletin is the safest.
So is there reason they decided to go with phpbb instead of vbulletin?