Organizing a successful spring football league is not an easy task. It’s been tried many times, but none have arguably gotten as close as the XFL did this year. The revival of wrestling magnate Vince McMahon’s league kicked off just one week after Super Bowl LIV in February. It was a massive success, bringing in over 3 million viewers in its first week of play. Although the viewership numbers dropped in the following weeks, fans were still excited about what the future held for the league.
But it was awfully bad timing for the XFL as the coronavirus outbreak spread across the world. In March, the league announced that after only five games in, their inaugural season was cancelled.
“While we are disappointed to not complete the 2020 season, our hearts are full of appreciate for your overwhelming support,” the league said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the incredible response and look forward to playing full seasons for you – and with you – in 2021 and beyond.”
The league also made sure that the players were paid full season salaries, a move that was praised by the sports world. But unfortunately, it might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
On Friday, April 10, league president Jeffrey Pollack informed employees on a conference call that the league was suspending operations and all of them would be laid off. Although the league is not shutting down permanently, they have no plans to return for 2021 as originally slated.
“Given the uncertainty of the current environment, the XFL has suspended operations and is evaluating next steps,” McMahon’s company World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said in a statement.
The XFL seemed to be making the right moves directly out of the gate. With the announcement of the league coming back a few years ago, they made sure not to rush into anything that they weren’t prepared for, not wanting to become a laughing stock like their unsuccessful 2001 predecessor. Instead, the XFL told fans that they would have to wait until 2020, giving the league more than enough time to prepare. This proved to be a good move as the Alliance of American Football (AAF) went bankrupt in 2019 after just eight weeks of play.
The rules for the new and improved XFL went through a long process and were established after much deliberation with league officials. PAT attempts, kickoffs and overtime were some of the most talked about changes. The pace of an XFL game felt faster than that of an NFL game. Fans can now only hope that these changes are implemented in NFL contests as well.
The 2020 league was certainly an upgrade from the original XFL in 2001. The first iteration was set up to be more of a gimmick than an actual football league. The influence from the professional wrestling world was apparent from the get-go. The raunchy cheerleaders attracted viewers, but took away their attention from the game. The use of WWE personalities to handle commentary was an interesting move, but they didn’t have the knowledge to succeed as football commentators.
However, the one constant between both iterations of the league was the ability to develop potential future NFL superstars. Houston Roughnecks quarterback P.J. Walker was the first player from the 2020 season to sign with an NFL team, agreeing to a 2-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. This would be followed by St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback Jordan Ta’amu (Kansas City Chiefs), Houston Roughnecks defensive back Deatrick Nichols (New Orleans Saints) and New York Guardians defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry (New York Giants).
The XFL is not officially dead yet, but it seems there is a good chance that it may never return. The hope is that fans realize that the second XFL did not fail because the product was lackluster, but rather due to unforeseen circumstances that robbed the league of unlocking its true potential. Here’s to hoping that spring football will one day be successful.
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Bucholtz
