The XFL had nearly 10 million people watch its first game before falling off of a cliff. We'll see if the AAF can sustain interest beyond initial curiosity.
https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2019/05/xfl-to-air-on-abc-espn-fox-sports-and-fs1/ The XFL today announced multi-year agreements with ESPN and FOX Sports to televise XFL games starting with its inaugural 2020 season. XFL games will air weekly on broadcast TV (ABC and FOX) complemented by games on cable (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2). The XFL TV schedule allows for consistent appointment viewing each week with back-to-back games starting Saturday afternoons at 2 pm ET as well as two additional games on Sunday afternoons. The XFL will kick off on Saturday, February 8, 2020 with teams in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. Additional XFL-themed programming and on-air talent will be announced in the future.
I'm really rooting for the XFL. Still think there is room for a 2nd prominent football league in this country. I enjoyed the original XFL, and am hopeful for the new league.
https://www.click2houston.com/sports/june-jones-named-head-coach-of-houstons-xfl-team-sources-say June Jones named head of Houstons XFL team
Yeah. I am sure the NFL is angry that they have not come up with a way to cash in........ a spring league/minor league or stretch the season out.
I kind of feel like they should of put the XFL during the summer when we will be bored out of our ass and coming up with magical ways of getting the Rockets better.
We have a pretty good baseball team to watch... They don't do summer for football largely because of the heat, but with so many domes, maybe it could become an option.
We needed another league when there were less distractions, and we had a time void to fill, but that no longer exists. Things like Gladiators, the USFL, and Star Trek have filled these voids successfully in the past, but it was all before the internet. Don't see it working. For it too work they need to tie me to it organically. They might get us for 2-3 weeks before interest wains. There must be consequences each week otherwise people will bail. For example, if the losers are sent to prison, and must try to break out on live tv, I could watch that. Something is on the line.
Give me a Benjamin on the over. McMahon is apparently ready to commit half a billion in capital and his ego is way to big to let him pull the plug early. We should get a full season out of it...just like last time. Of course, I was spectacularly wrong about the AAF.
This just seems way better organized...which I can't believe I'm saying. I'm sure there's the wisdom gained from the last XFL experiment that helps...having ABC, ESPN and FOX on board is big. Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this, because I'm not sure I'm a believer that this can work when people realize the level of talent is just so drastically off from the NFL. It just seems like they've gone about this way better than I would have assumed.
It’s not surprising when you see how they’ve grown the wwe parent corporation and monitized it with their app.
That certainly gives them the capital.... but is the product going to be good enough on the field to have viewers watch, and have people buy tickets for the games? The latter is all that matters as far as a league surviving. Unlike the AAF, which literally ran out of money, the XFL is more likely to end due to dis-interest (which at that point, VM merely treats it like a going nowhere storyline, and kills it).