Stamford, CT – Vince McMahon, Chairman & CEO of WWE and Founder of Alpha Entertainment LLC, officially unveiled the brand new, revitalised “XFL 2020” in an official press conference today.
For those familiar, the XFL is the name of the original failed football league set-up by McMahon in 2001, but unlike the original league; promoted on hard-hitting, access all areas and a stark contrast to the NFL, this time around the XFL 2020 will be “fast, safer, and much more family friendly”.
Financially backed by NBC and Dick Ebersol, the original XFL lasted only one season before McMahon pulled the plug on the league. His sensational return to the gridiron playground comes at a time when the NFL is embroiled in controversies over the quality of play, declining ratings, and the #TakeAKnee movement.
Specific details of the rebirth of the XFL are currently scarce, but McMahon revealed the league will initially launch with 8 teams, of which the locations are yet to be determined, with rosters of 40 players with a 10-game season beginning in January 2020 – a month before the NFL season ends. The season will culminate in two semi-final games, followed by a Championship game. The goal for the league is to dispose of half-time, with a target of games lasting 2 hours maximum airtime and, an emphasis on less commercial breaks. McMahon was adamant he would learn from the mistakes of the original XFL, insisting he will consult with individuals who “totally know what they’re doing” as well as consult with fans, the media, football players, doctors, and coaches as part of their research.
When asked about the relaunch of the XFL by ESPN, McMahon stated;
“I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one. A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, ‘You were the one who screwed this up,’ or ‘You made this thing a success.”
When taking questions from the world’s media, McMahon was repeatedly asked about Politics and how his relationship with US President, Donald Trump, would come into play – particularly when it comes to players kneeling for the National Anthem. McMahon noted there would be a strict rulebook which every XFL player would be expected to adhere to, and, players would not be given the forum to take a personal stance while on the field. He stressed “On the field, it’s about the football and only the football” commenting that players will have their social media and personal time to take any protests or issues.
XFL will have no franchises, instead, all teams will be under the control of the league which McMahon says will allow for strict rules across the board, including precluding any player with a criminal record from playing in the XFL, touting the “family friendly” aspect.
“As well as the quality of player, we will examine the quality of the human being,” McMahon said. “If you have any sort of criminal record, you will not play in this league”
When asked why McMahon thinks the XFL will be a success this time around, he cited that television ratings no longer dictate success and that, while he will still be airing XFL on traditional television, the current technological climate will allow the XFL to do things that were not possible beforehand; such as online streaming, citing Amazon and Facebook getting into the live broadcasting industry. When asked which cities would host XFL teams, McMahon said those negotiations would take place soon, and he would hope to announce teams within the coming months.
One of the failures of the original XFL was that the league launched only 12 months after it was officially announced. This led to issues with the quality of play, and citing only having a year to put an entire league together was a big contributing factor. McMahon, this time, has given himself two years to launch XFL 2020. He also told reporters, unlike in 2001, he plans to take a backseat and will not be visible during the new XFL and, when asked, categorically ruled out any crossover between WWE and XFL 2020.
It remains to be seen whether XFL2020 will be a success or a failure, but it’s not the first sport to look at completely changing the rules in order to quicken the game. In 2001, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launched “Twenty20” and, after initial success, became a permanent fixture of the game with tournaments and leagues using the rules. Snooker and Tennis have also followed suit, introducing “shot clocks” to various leagues and tournaments in order to quicken their game.