Assessing a new league: The XFL

[cutchemist42]

So with a new league opening up, I thought we could have a thread to discuss developments with the league.

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[David Dennison]

Battlehawks ready to soar is the f***ing vibe. B-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r

Vegas has odds for season over/under win totals.

 

[Mightygoose]

At this stage, the longevity is based on how much $$$ McMahon wants to put into this.

Since there have been so many failed attempts for a new pro leagues which includes the CFL's short lived US expansion, there's no credibility right out of the gate.

If the league makes it to it's 4th season it will resemble some sense of lasting power.

Saying that, I hope it finds its niche.

 

[cutchemist42]

I know they wanted NFL cities and the AAFL still existed but I'd look at San Antonio as a market if I were them. They responded very well to the Alliance with legit crowds.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I know they wanted NFL cities and the AAFL still existed but I'd look at San Antonio as a market if I were them. They responded very well to the Alliance with legit crowds.

I didn't even like their team, but loved watching their games because the crowd atmosphere was for real.

TBH I watched every single AAF game last year and loved it all, but don't have much interest in watching the XFL

 

[David Dennison]

XFL gonna go hard on in game gambling.

 

[cutchemist42]

Saw on Twitter that the leagues ticket sales are already outpacing the Alliance by quite a bit. The broadcast already seems better and the crowd seems more into it. Going with a smaller stadium helps.

So far I like it more than the Alliance.

 

[jkrdevil]

Saw on Twitter that the leagues ticket sales are already outpacing the Alliance by quite a bit. The broadcast already seems better and the crowd seems more into it. Going with a smaller stadium helps.

So far I like it more than the Alliance.

The AAF was under funded and rushed (to get ahead of the XFL). I believe the AAF was producing their own broadcast and was on a time buy with CBS/Turner. IIRC, ESPN/Fox are producing their respective XFL broadcast and the broadcast are on a revenue sharing basis. Hence the more professional broadcast.

It does seem like Vince learned a lot of the lessons from the original XFL. It is more focused on football. It is also a distinct entity from WWE and none of those personalities are publicly involved as previously.

That said I don’t know if it will work. I’m not sure how the league sustain interest into March when the NCAA tournament starts up and then you move into NBA/NHL playoffs and MLB starting.

 

[cutchemist42]

I still haven't seen any tv ratings yet. The crowd was definitely better in Washington vs Houston. DC Uniteds smaller stadium reminded me of McGill in MTL, I like smaller and more up close football stadiums.

 

[cutchemist42]

Watching the Guardians game....I think they should have worked out a deal for the Red Bulls arena....just looks too empty.

 

[oknazevad]

Watching the Guardians game....I think they should have worked out a deal for the Red Bulls arena....just looks too empty.

Unfortunately for them, Red Bull has been adamant about no gridiron football in Red Bull Arena. Plus the emptiness may also be just because there's little interest in the market; advertising has been there, but interest hasn't been; football loyalties here are pretty well entrenched, being the market has had the same two teams continuously since 1960.

Plus there's really not much to any spring football league in terms of interest. They can hype it all they want, and talk about how it's the country's most popular sport, but the fact is no spring football league has ever succeeded in all the numerous attempts, which average one per decade.

 

[SCBlueLiner]

 

[SCBlueLiner]

Somebody asked about ratings. That doesn't look too bad.

 

[cutchemist42]

So I'm not sure what their options truly were but I never liked the stadium choice for the NY team so it's interesting to hear Luck second guessing some team locations.

 

[NCRanger]

So I'm not sure what their options truly were but I never liked the stadium choice for the NY team so it's interesting to hear Luck second guessing some team locations.

As someone who spent the first 26 1/2 years of my life in the NYC area, going to outdoor sporting events in the area until mid-April can be extremely uncomfortable and very, very cold. The wind blows in MetLife Stadium very hard almost all year long and in the late fall, winter months, it's brutal.

Yankee games in early April at night are bone chilling.

Even playing baseball as a kid/high school, as soon as the March/April sun goes down, it goes from spring to winter almost immediately.

 

[GindyDraws]

Somebody asked about ratings. That doesn't look too bad.

They're outdoing MLS, which sort of shoots down Larry Berg's grandiose dreams of the league rocketing above baseball.