XFL Discussion

[marshallfever]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/wwe-chairman-vince-mcmahon-announces-relaunch-of-xfl/ar-AAvaRaj

I remember the XFL ever so slightly, didn't really watch it. I was probably a junior or sophomore in high school when this came to be and no one ever spoke about it. We all made fun of it when it failed, and we did get some interesting players like Tommy Maddox to the Steelers and "HeHateMe" to the Panthers, but it was almost a joke.

Now Vince is bringing this back and it's set to debut in 2020. I was at work talking about this with a buddy and he just threw out a way this could actually work. Vince needs to make this a D-League for the NFL. Too many college kids go undrafted, most end up going to the CFL or playing Arena football. What if the XFL was actually a D-League for the NFL. It would take place during Spring or early Summer, span like 10-12 weeks and allow some of it's players to move on towards the NFL at the end of it's season. It would be the equivalent to the CFL but here in the States.

Vince is unlikely to do this, but realistically, he's not going to touch the NFL crowd. The NFL is the most watched piece of entertainment in North America. The XFL didn't make a dent in the NFL last time and I don't think it will this time unless they approach this in a completely different way. Especially with CTE and head injuries being the big talk of the NFL, i don't see many players laying out their bodies like his initial XFL rules were. It's unrealistic to expect people to play with limited rules seeing how big head injuries and concussions are.

There is a smart way to go about creating a league along side the NFL versus trying to replace the NFL, but I don't know if the heads of the XFL can be the ones to thing of something.

What does everyone else think!!?

[ImTellinTim]

re: XFL Discussion

Destined to fail.

[roadman]

re: XFL Discussion

Worse than Thursday Night Football matchups.

[jfsolo]

re: XFL Discussion

McMahon's stance stating that players will not be allowed to take a stance makes it a 100% no chance watch for me without having to know anything else about the league.

[PVarck31]

re: XFL Discussion

McMahon's stance stating that players will not be allowed to take a stance makes it a 100% no chance watch for me without having to know anything else about the league.

So you're saying there's no chance in hell....?

[Steven78]

re: XFL Discussion

Gimmick free XFL? No thanks.

No players with criminal records will be allowed to play either, apparently.

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[Steven78]

re: XFL Discussion

https://deadspin.com/the-new-xfl-sounds-nothing-like-the-old-one-1822425272

[Junior Moe]

re: XFL Discussion

McMahon's stance stating that players will not be allowed to take a stance makes it a 100% no chance watch for me without having to know anything else about the league.

It's just so gimmicky and low hanging. Not that it matters, but i support any American peacefully exercising their rights. It's your league, do whatever. That's your right as well. By 2020 the whole thing will have passed, anyway. Interest (what little there was) in the XFL was that is was so wild and over the top. Without that, what is it really? Family friendly? We have college football (my favorite) and the NFL for high level football. Changing TV habits, too much NFL, controversy, and the league legislating fun and defense IMO has more people tuning out. Make no mistake though, the NFL still rules. I'd be surprised if this thing even made it to fruition.

[kehlis]

re: XFL Discussion

Based on the release this seems to be more of a cut your losses early venture more than anything. I would be surprised if they make it more than a year and wouldn't at all be surprised if it never actually kicks off.

Seems to be going after the wrong target audience.

[TheMatrix31]

re: XFL Discussion

I don't see how it's going to work. If it didn't work then, it won't work now.

But I understand what they're trying to do. I just don't know how they're gonna accomplish it. If they can define what a catch is, what a legal hit is, what a penalty is and can avoid endless streams of legal and political overtures and fix the problem of NFLs overexposure, then they're already ahead. I don't know how it's gonna happen though. Not to mention all the health concern stuff. And of course the poor quality of the league even independent of all that. How is the XFL gonna improve on already ****ty NFL play with ****tier players?

It's too deep already.

[Spear]

re: XFL Discussion

Hopefully 2K uses their WWE relationship to build an XFL game.


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[Cardot]

re: XFL Discussion

Good luck to them, but I am skeptical. I believe the NFL's declining ratings are mostly due to over saturation: Sunday night football, a Network devoted to the NFL, multiple 24 hour sports cable TV stations etc. Not sure how an additional league can benefit from that?

[Majingir]

re: XFL Discussion

Good luck to them, but I am skeptical. I believe the NFL's declining ratings are mostly due to over saturation: Sunday night football, a Network devoted to the NFL, multiple 24 hour sports cable TV stations etc. Not sure how an additional league can benefit from that?

For me, I find the hardest part about football broadcasts(regardless if it's the NFL or CFL) is the amount of "dead time" in games. You wait 30-40 seconds between a play every time, and then there are moments in a game where it's just overloaded with commercials.

It'd like a TD happens, extra point, commercial. Return from commercial, kickoff, another commercial. So in that span, feels like you got like 5-6 minutes of commercials and like 1 minute or so of the game.

Don't know if they still do it, but I remember seeing on NFL Network in the past they used to have every single play from every game, and it managed to fit within a 15 minute show(per game). So for a 3+ hour broadcast, only 15 minutes(really if you stretched things out abit,30 mins would be ok too) was actual gameplay.

It's similar thing as baseball, for diehard fans, they don't see an issue with it at all and don't want changes to be made. But for casual viewers(who are the ones leagues want to draw in since diehards obviously won't leave), it gets too much for them.

[Cardot]

re: XFL Discussion

For me, I find the hardest part about football broadcasts(regardless if it's the NFL or CFL) is the amount of "dead time" in games. You wait 30-40 seconds between a play every time, and then there are moments in a game where it's just overloaded with commercials.

Agreed. It has always been this way, but most of us have much shorter attention spans that we used to have. I grew up in the 70's & 80's, and back then I could watch a full baseball game......now I can barely make it through an at-bat. LOL.

[mestevo]

re: XFL Discussion

Good luck to them, but I am skeptical. I believe the NFL's declining ratings are mostly due to over saturation: Sunday night football, a Network devoted to the NFL, multiple 24 hour sports cable TV stations etc. Not sure how an additional league can benefit from that?

I think there's a decline, but it's largely overblown. Last year for example out of home viewing more or less erased the decline.

Viewing habits are changing, reporting on those habits are antiquated or slow to adjust IMO.

http://adage.com/article/media/nfl-ratings-out-home-viewing-erased-deficit-magna/310567/

One very tangible thing to watch is ad revenue, which is down 1.2%. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-nfl...ess-1516918712