JamesG
01-25-2018, 05:34 PM
Vince McMahon Rebooting XFL in 2020 with “Re-Imagined” Version of Football
by Dade Hayes
January 25, 2018
WWE chief Vince McMahon confirmed today he is reviving The XFL, a professional football league that infamously flamed out after one season in its first incarnation, a joint venture with NBC in 2001.
The league will begin play in 2020, and McMahon insisted that the two-year run-up will enable the re-born XFL to “get it right,” the wrestling impresario said during a news conference.
Plans call for eight teams in cities to be determined, each with 40-player rosters, with four teams making the playoffs. The season will begin in late January or early February and run for 10 weeks.
No broadcast or streaming deals are in place as yet. McMahon said the league organizers were aware of interest, though he declined to specify any of the interested parties.
McMahon said the NFL’s recent troubles, from kneeling anthem protests to TV ratings woes, did not factor into his decision to revive the league. “I’ve always wanted to bring it back,” he said.
Asked several times whether the league will have rules banning kneeling during the anthem, McMahon stopped just shy of saying it would be an actual rule in the rule book. But, he painted a picture that seemed distinctly at odds with the recent spectacle that has played out at NFL stadiums and did leave the door open for a potential ban on protests.
(However convenient the idea of a ban may be as a marketing strategy, the viability of such a rule for a fledgling league trying to attract players would seem to make it a virtual impossibility.)
“We’ll do whatever we have to do to make sure that all players know the rules as well as everyone else,” he said.
“The national anthem is a time-honored tradition. Whatever our rules are will be what players abide by. There are plenty of ways in which players, coaches, members of the media can express themselves in terms of their political views on social issues. But again, we’re here to play football. That’s everyone’s job.”
It isn’t clear yet whether President Donald Trump, who harshly criticized NFL players last fall, would jump aboard the XFL, McMahon said.
“It will have nothing to do with politics, and nothing to do with social issues either. We’re there to play football. We want really good football and that’s what fans want as well. When they tune in, I don’t think they want to be dealing with social issues and things of that nature.”
With tens of millions of pro football fans increasingly tuning out of the sport, which has endured two seasons of significant TV ratings declines, McMahon emphasized the league’s approach would be a “fan-centric” one.
“Most importantly, we’ll be listening to fans,” McMahon said. “We’ll be listening to their answers to the question, ‘What would you do if you could re-imagine football?’ Would you, for instance, eliminate halftime? Would you have fewer commercial breaks? Would the game of football be faster? Would the rules be simpler?”
Before McMahon’s news conference, a short sizzle reel played, with a theme song and on-screen graphics emphasizing some themes that were not in the mix during the XFL’s ill-fated first run, including “safety” and “fantasy.”
While the earlier incarnation featured hard-hitting action that intentionally played up the brutality of the game, safety will be a centerpiece of the new effort. Asked about safety measures given growing evidence that football causes brain trauma, he declined to offer specifics, but said the “re-imagining football” would involve “listening to medical experts.”
There are plenty of blanks to fill in during the next two years. McMahon offered no guidance on potential team locations or venues, specific rules of game play, or even whether the reboot extends to signature details like having nicknames on the backs of jerseys, as with Rod “He Hate Me” Smart.
The re-launch had been widely rumored since McMahon sold about $100 million in WWE stock late last year to help fund the venture. He confirmed at the news conference that the league will operate outside of the WWE because the level of investment is “too rich” for the wrestling company to offer.
http://deadline.com/2018/01/vince-mcmahon-bringing-back-xfl-in-reimagined-version-of-football-1202269260/
by Dade Hayes
January 25, 2018
WWE chief Vince McMahon confirmed today he is reviving The XFL, a professional football league that infamously flamed out after one season in its first incarnation, a joint venture with NBC in 2001.
The league will begin play in 2020, and McMahon insisted that the two-year run-up will enable the re-born XFL to “get it right,” the wrestling impresario said during a news conference.
Plans call for eight teams in cities to be determined, each with 40-player rosters, with four teams making the playoffs. The season will begin in late January or early February and run for 10 weeks.
No broadcast or streaming deals are in place as yet. McMahon said the league organizers were aware of interest, though he declined to specify any of the interested parties.
McMahon said the NFL’s recent troubles, from kneeling anthem protests to TV ratings woes, did not factor into his decision to revive the league. “I’ve always wanted to bring it back,” he said.
Asked several times whether the league will have rules banning kneeling during the anthem, McMahon stopped just shy of saying it would be an actual rule in the rule book. But, he painted a picture that seemed distinctly at odds with the recent spectacle that has played out at NFL stadiums and did leave the door open for a potential ban on protests.
(However convenient the idea of a ban may be as a marketing strategy, the viability of such a rule for a fledgling league trying to attract players would seem to make it a virtual impossibility.)
“We’ll do whatever we have to do to make sure that all players know the rules as well as everyone else,” he said.
“The national anthem is a time-honored tradition. Whatever our rules are will be what players abide by. There are plenty of ways in which players, coaches, members of the media can express themselves in terms of their political views on social issues. But again, we’re here to play football. That’s everyone’s job.”
It isn’t clear yet whether President Donald Trump, who harshly criticized NFL players last fall, would jump aboard the XFL, McMahon said.
“It will have nothing to do with politics, and nothing to do with social issues either. We’re there to play football. We want really good football and that’s what fans want as well. When they tune in, I don’t think they want to be dealing with social issues and things of that nature.”
With tens of millions of pro football fans increasingly tuning out of the sport, which has endured two seasons of significant TV ratings declines, McMahon emphasized the league’s approach would be a “fan-centric” one.
“Most importantly, we’ll be listening to fans,” McMahon said. “We’ll be listening to their answers to the question, ‘What would you do if you could re-imagine football?’ Would you, for instance, eliminate halftime? Would you have fewer commercial breaks? Would the game of football be faster? Would the rules be simpler?”
Before McMahon’s news conference, a short sizzle reel played, with a theme song and on-screen graphics emphasizing some themes that were not in the mix during the XFL’s ill-fated first run, including “safety” and “fantasy.”
While the earlier incarnation featured hard-hitting action that intentionally played up the brutality of the game, safety will be a centerpiece of the new effort. Asked about safety measures given growing evidence that football causes brain trauma, he declined to offer specifics, but said the “re-imagining football” would involve “listening to medical experts.”
There are plenty of blanks to fill in during the next two years. McMahon offered no guidance on potential team locations or venues, specific rules of game play, or even whether the reboot extends to signature details like having nicknames on the backs of jerseys, as with Rod “He Hate Me” Smart.
The re-launch had been widely rumored since McMahon sold about $100 million in WWE stock late last year to help fund the venture. He confirmed at the news conference that the league will operate outside of the WWE because the level of investment is “too rich” for the wrestling company to offer.
http://deadline.com/2018/01/vince-mcmahon-bringing-back-xfl-in-reimagined-version-of-football-1202269260/