OT....The XFL

[smashmouth5]

Looks like Vince McMahon is bringing his football league back, starting play in 2020. With all of the issues the NFL has had can it compete now?

Should be interesting to say the least. Heck, if nothing else, the last version of the XFL made a great 30 for 30 story.

 

[TWARedRaider01]

Johnny Football time

 

[TheDude1]

Woof. I would have hoped Vince would have learned his lesson last time...

I honestly wonder how hard Vince will hit the whole "OUR PLAYERS STAND FOR THE FLAG!" bit? My guess is that that will be a major piece of his marketing and advertising, aiming at some of the same audience that consumes the WWE.

 

[pisgah101]

It'll do a lot better than last time. Too far ahead of its time before. The NFL stranglehold has deff loosened so it'll be interesting

 

[TheDude1]

It'll do a lot better than last time. Too far ahead of its time before. The NFL stranglehold has deff loosened so it'll be interesting

P, why do you think so? What do you think are their advantages?

I just think the tradition of the NFL is simply too strong. I don't know how much people care about the raw sport of "football"... I think they care about their team. Like... if they made a new college basketball league and no school you knew was in it, would you bother watching?

 

[pisgah101]

P, why do you think so? What do you think are their advantages?

I just think the tradition of the NFL is simply too strong. I don't know how much people care about the raw sport of "football"... I think they care about their team. Like... if they made a new college basketball league and no school you knew was in it, would you bother watching?

True idk if I would. It depends on the talent and how good the product is. I prefer college basketball to NBA so if a "pro" league started that had college players but was seperate from the NBA I'd try it. Alot of people are fed up with the NFL but they like football enough to watch an alternative. The original XFL had viewers.. I just think in this climate we could be ready for another league.

 

[TheDude1]

True idk if I would. It depends on the talent and how good the product is. I prefer college basketball to NBA so if a "pro" league started that had college players but was seperate from the NBA I'd try it. Alot of people are fed up with the NFL but they like football enough to watch an alternative. The original XFL had viewers.. I just think in this climate we could be ready for another league.

The product won't be as good as the NFL... they simply won't be able to come CLOSE to matching the pay. Now, it might be that the quality doesn't matter that much when ALL of the players are of the same quality, you know? A running back might not be as fast as the NFL version, but if the safety chasing him isn't either, who can tell?

As for a pro league not the NBA, I think you'd only try it if there were players you recognized from college, right? But will that really exist here? Are there that many pro football players who are A) names you will recognize and B) who don't play in the NFL or CFL? I don't know.

As far as the climate, I assume we are talking about the whole kneeling/anthem/black athletes climate? I can't help but think that will be the centerpiece of what Vince tries to do... to present this as a "true American league" and as an alternative to people who are angry about the NFL guys kneeling, right? That's what you are thinking too?

 

[jwill133]

Apparently the league is going after Manziel, Tebow, Kaepernick, and RG3. These guys would help get the league started and make it more marketable. They would be the faces of their respected franchises.

Hopefully this time Vince learns from his previous mistakes and maybe this league lasts. I love football, not a huge fan of the way the NFL is ran (love the players, think the owners need to check themselves) but ultimately would love to see this league take a chunk out of the NFL's stake.

 

[TheDude1]

Apparently the league is going after Manziel, Tebow, Kaepernick, and RG3. These guys would help get the league started and make it more marketable. They would be the faces of their respected franchises.

Hopefully this time Vince learns from his previous mistakes and maybe this league lasts. I love football, not a huge fan of the way the NFL is ran (love the players, think the owners need to check themselves) but ultimately would love to see this league take a chunk out of the NFL's stake.

Ahhhh, names would really help.

Though when I saw Kaepernick in there... that might torpedo my idea of marketing it to those unhappy with the kneeling...



Dude, what about two teams... the "Social Justice Warriors" vs the "True Christian Americans", with Kaepernick starting for the one team and Tebow for the other... Kaeperneick could kneel during the Anthem, Tebow could kneel after each touch down... you could have the crowd split by side... like the embodiment of the left/right civil war... it could be glorious, and I would TOTALLY watch that. And dude, if ANYONE could pull that off, it's Vincent Kennedy McMahon!

 

[jwill133]

Ahhhh, names would really help.

Though when I saw Kaepernick in there... that might torpedo my idea of marketing it to those unhappy with the kneeling...



Dude, what about two teams... the "Social Justice Warriors" vs the "True Christian Americans", with Kaepernick starting for the one team and Tebow for the other... Kaeperneick could kneel during the Anthem, Tebow could kneel after each touch down... you could have the crowd split by side... like the embodiment of the left/right civil war... it could be glorious, and I would TOTALLY watch that. And dude, if ANYONE could pull that off, it's Vince Kennedy McMahon!

This is tremendous.

 

[dbav]

For those that don't think it's possible to have too much money, this is an example of someone with too much money. What a waste this will be.

 

[dukiejay]

So I just posted in the thread about sports site....and in it, noted how I'm a regular viewer of ESPN.com multiple times per day, but don't read the stories where I have no interest.

Well, here is the perfect example. I just skipped right over every article pertaining to the XFL on their site. I have less than zero interest in the XFL today, 10 years ago or tomorrow. ZERO.

 

[Canadian Dukie]

if i want to watch inferior football,i can always watch the CFL

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

Johnny Football time

Based on an article that I read about him bringing back the XFL. Johnny Manziel wouldn’t be eligible to play because Vince said that no one with a criminal record will be allowed to play in the XFL.

 

[dukesince91]

If the XFL would change the rules back to "Old school" football, then I'm all in! Pretty soon it's going to turn into flag football.

 

[skysdad]

Maybe they will allow body slams, elbow drops and neck breakers. OFC

 

[tarheel0910]

This is actually good timing for him to try again I think. The biggest complaints about the NFL today are too much politics, crimes committed by players and length of play. Vince is supposedly addressing all three of those issues. If he is able to succeed at fixing those issues, especially the length of the games (he's targeting two hours) then this has a chance of being successful. He's also looking at non traditional partners to "televise" the game, which is an excellent idea from a business standpoint. Amazon, Facebook, Netflix are all about creating original content now. I'm betting they would be interested in having the rights for the games. It's never going to be as big as the NFL, but I think it can be successful.

 

[TheDude1]

If the XFL would change the rules back to "Old school" football, then I'm all in! Pretty soon it's going to turn into flag football.

Ehhh... I don't know, seeing guys get MORE badly hurt and crippled and getting MORE brain damage doesn't make me any more likely to watch.

 

[tarheel0910]

Ahhhh, names would really help.

Names would definitely help. Someone brought up an interesting idea on our off topic board on THI. The XFL could go after the star college athletes that aren't eligible to play in the NFL. For instance, they could have gone to Lamar Jackson or Deshaun Watson after their sophomore year and offered them a few million to play there for a few years. It would essentially make them like a minor league system to the NFL, but I think it could be a successful business model.

 

[MyDudeG]

Yeah, I think the biggest issue would be the lack of name recognition of the players entering the league. Also, don't underestimate how big of an impact the lack of fantasy football with the XFL will have.

 

[dukesince91]

Ehhh... I don't know, seeing guys get MORE badly hurt and crippled and getting MORE brain damage doesn't make me any more likely to watch.

The serious injuries have been results of freak accidents or poor technique. There's a whole lot more injured and crippled and killed on our highways every day. Football is a collision sport, if it's too rough you don't have to watch it.

 

[TheDude1]

Eh, the serious injuries are as much because the guys are so much bigger and so much more powerful. While I enjoy football (I ran a pro football team ) the damage it causes to the guys has caused me to wish it was a bit less destructive, and if there are ways to protect them, either through equipment or rules, I support that.