XFL to return?

4th&long
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XFL to return?

Post by 4th&long » Sat Dec 16, 2017 6:53 am

Or something similar??

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/ca ... umor-mill/

>Now, out of nowhere, rumors of a potential return of the XFL have surfaced, with Brad Shepard reporting that McMahon is “looking to bring back the XFL and may announce it on January 25th, 2018.”<

https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/will ... he-rumors/

https://fansided.com/2017/12/16/vince-m ... rry-jones/

4th

nksports
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Post by nksports » Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:55 am

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/xfl-coming ... 57041.html

The mistake with the XFL (besides the cheerleader locker room cam and other dumb gimmicks) was almost no pre-season. The teams were thrown together quickly and the opening weeks showed it. By the time the level of play improved, everybody tuned out.

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Sun Dec 17, 2017 2:19 pm

Supposedly, he's just renewing all the trademarks and has no plans to bring the actual league back.

It would be incredibly dumb. Which is why, of course, 4th is all over it.
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4th&long
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Post by 4th&long » Mon Dec 18, 2017 5:27 pm

[quote=""nksports""]https://www.yahoo.com/sports/xfl-coming ... 57041.html

The mistake with the XFL (besides the cheerleader locker room cam and other dumb gimmicks) was almost no pre-season. The teams were thrown together quickly and the opening weeks showed it. By the time the level of play improved, everybody tuned out.[/quote]

I do recall that, certainly correctable, NFL has many negatives going for it despite being king-of-the-hill, mostly falling on Roger Goodell's horrible leadership.

4th
Last edited by 4th&long on Mon Dec 18, 2017 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

LordBy2014
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Return of XFL???

Post by LordBy2014 » Mon Dec 18, 2017 8:54 pm

Vince McMahon's biggest mistake in my opinion was the wrestling-like promotion before the start of the season . . . he talked it up so much, the play on the field/on the TV couldn't match it right away . . .

After watching the 30 for 30 on the XFL, I wondered if he might try it again . . . if he's serious, I hope he doesn't go way overboard on the promotion and focuses more on getting semi-decent football on the field . . .

But I'm not waiting around hoping it comes to pass in 2018 . . . or 2019 . . . :)

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Thu Dec 21, 2017 2:25 am

Vince McMahon is 72 years old.

His reputation as a "marketing genius" should have been put to rest with the failure of the XFL.

But I can't believe we have to have this conversation again:

You're going to take players who are the 2017th-best football players in the country and lower (by definition) and put them in a league, on teams that have zero history (no one has fond memories of watching the Los Angeles Gizmos with their dad and tailgating and all the great memories of their legendary players) and offer none of the things the NFL has that make people latch onto their teams.

And you expect that's going to work?

The XFL averaged 25,000 fans a game, paid the players squat (and they were on their own for health insurance) and still lost $80M. A reboot is going to do better than that? Really? What TV network are they going to be on? How much TV revenue you figure they're going to get? How many NFL draft choices are they going to poach? How many NFL players in their primes are they going to entice to come over when their contracts are up?

No one can ever answer the question "how?" They just say, "Derp derp derp alternative football derp derp derp."

There aren't even 32 NFL-caliber quarterbacks in the NFL. Spare me this idea that Johnny Manziel is going to resurrect his career and be this big draw. Nobody cares about Johnny Manziel. He can't play and he's a train wreck. Who else are they gonna get that you're going to pay to go watch?

They're not.
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LordBy2014
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Xfl 2.0????

Post by LordBy2014 » Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:29 pm

http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/2184 ... inment-llc

$100M might be enough to at least get the ball rolling . . . not saying it will work, but . . .

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Post by Renandpat » Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:44 am

[quote=""LordBy2014""]http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/2184 ... inment-llc

$100M might be enough to at least get the ball rolling . . . not saying it will work, but . . .[/quote]

Reportedly, he and GE had $110MM in start up costs in 2000 for the 2001 season.

How'd that end?

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Fri Dec 22, 2017 8:56 pm

So two thirds of what one NFL team has to spend on player wages.

Okay, yeah, you can get watchable football players for that AND pay all the startup costs for a league AND pay to rent stadiums AND staff all the teams' front offices and coaching staffs. Sure. Big success.
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Post by fonzob1 » Tue Jan 02, 2018 7:25 am

[quote=""nksports""]https://www.yahoo.com/sports/xfl-coming ... 57041.html

The mistake with the XFL (besides the cheerleader locker room cam and other dumb gimmicks) was almost no pre-season. The teams were thrown together quickly and the opening weeks showed it. By the time the level of play improved, everybody tuned out.[/quote]

The XFL had so many mistakes, but you're right that no pre-season was a big one. Some others:

- The player nicknames on the backs of jerseys was lame.
- The lack of rules to protect quarterbacks (or other players for that matter). I know that wanting to see violent hits is popular, but let's be serious. In a league with talent as thin as the XFL's, you didn't want starting players going down due to injury (especially the quarterbacks). Your players are your revenue.
- Competing with March Madness. The XFL took a huge ratings hit in March of 2001, and part of that was due to competition from NCAA basketball.
- Use of shameful NCAA rules like you only need one foot in bounds for a completion. These guys are professionals. They shouldn't need handicaps like that.

I believe the U.S. sports market is too saturated for American consumers to support a start up football league. The XFL was competing with the longevity of other sports leagues that have built fan bases over the span of decades (or in some cases more than 100 years). Turning a start up sports league into a successful venture in this saturated sports market would take many years of building consumer trust and sinking tons of money into building franchises and staying committed to certain markets. I doubt it is really plausible to invest that kind of money, but I would do the following things to give the XFL the best chance at success:

- Take all of the same precautions to protect players that the NFL is taking. I know the spirit of the XFL was violent hits, but it will just hurt the league in the long run if the starting players go down due to injury. Plus, with what we know now about CTE, Vince would be stupid to use the same old gimmick from 2001.
- Start the league in the late Spring/early Summer instead of in February to avoid competing with the saturated early Spring sports market. The time of year that NFL Europe used was the best one because it didn't compete with the NCAA tournament, NBA playoffs or NHL playoffs.
- Place franchises in San Diego, St. Louis, Oakland (eventually), and any other media markets that the NFL vacates in the future (Buffalo to Toronto? Jacksonville to London?) to fill the void. The best consumers of professional football to exploit are the ones who have been screwed over by the NFL.
- Make a real play for recognizable NFL free agents when they become available and hold a college draft before the season to make a real play at some college prospects (just like the old AFL did).

I have zero confidence that the XFL (or any start up league) can survive for any respectable period of time, but I am more than happy to tune in and watch if Vince wants to throw his money away.
Last edited by fonzob1 on Tue Jan 02, 2018 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

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