The XFL is starting for the third time since its beginning in the early 2000s. It then came back in 2020 with it gaining traction. The viewership ratings were great and it was looking to be the new football league. However, the pandemic happened which caused the XFL to end its season short. Football players were trying to continue to play, but the number of Covid cases was too high for the league to continue for that season. During the height of the pandemic in May 2020, the XFL declared bankruptcy. In 2021 the social media for the XFL would send out a hint at what was next for the league. Thanks to Dwayne Johnson and some other investors the XFL just had its first weekend and it seems to be back in action. It would be interesting to cover this experimental league which has been trying time and time again but fails every time. We want to look at the past and see how the XFL has evolved and what the future of the XFL will look like.

The XFL came into this world through the WWE and NBC trying to take advantage of the College and NFL seasons ending where this new league would take the hyped-up football fans when they had nothing else to turn to. The XFL tried to use ways from the WWE to make football even more entertaining than any other league. Unlike the NFL, the XFL had only eight teams and two divisions. Every team in each division would play each other twice and the teams in different divisions would play each other once. This led to a swift 10 weeks of games with no “bye” weeks. The first game started on Feb. 3, 2001, less than a week after Super Bowl XXXV. This game ended in a crushing 19-0 with the Las Vegas Outlaws beating the New York/ New Jersey Hitmen. This was streamed on NBC and got an estimated 14 million views.

Despite boasting of a “rules-light” game and universally negative reviews from the mainstream sports media early on, the XFL played the standard brand of 11-man American outdoor football that was recognizable. Aside from the opening game sprint to determine possession and some other changes, some of the rules were modified during the season as it progressed. The famous coin toss got replaced with a “mini-game” in that one player from each team would race 20 yards to get to a ball in the middle of the field. The winner of this game would then choose possession. There were no PATs in the XFL either; the league started with teams running a single play from the two-yard line for one extra point. By the playoffs, two-point and three-point conversions had been added to the rules. Teams could opt for the bonus points by playing the conversion farther back from the goal line. Ties were to be resolved in a similar fashion to the NCAA and in the CFL today, with at least one possession by each team, starting from the opponent’s 20-yard line. There were differences: there were no first downs and thus teams had to score within four downs, and the team that had possession first in overtime could not attempt a field goal until fourth down. If that team managed to score a touchdown in fewer than four downs, the second team would only have that same number of downs to match or beat the result. If there was a tie they would keep on going back and forth until a winner was declared.

XFL Players all made around an equal amount of money with quarterbacks earning $5,000 per week, kickers earning  $5,000 per week, kickers earning $3,500, and all other uniformed players earning $4,500 per week. Players on a winning team received a bonus of $2,500 for the week and $7,500 for winning a playoff game. The team that won the championship game split $1,000,000 (roughly $25,000 per player). Players did not receive any fringe benefits and had to pay for their own health insurance. The XFL also added something called the “sky cam”. This camera would hang from above the players and get camera angles like never before. This was adopted by the NFL’s broadcasters.

After the fall of the initial XFL, the league would come back in February 2020 and it would still be owned by the WWE, the only difference being that it would be broadcasted by FOX. This time, it would be used as a place for previous NFL players who aren’t playing in the NFL anymore. This league was also a comeback for many players, one player, in particular, PJ Walker. Walker won the XFL MVP in 2020 and ended up getting a shot in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers sometime after. The XFL wanted to play through the pandemic but couldn’t due to the number of people getting sick. Because of this, the season ended after five weeks of playing and officially declared bankruptcy.

The third birth of the XFL came in 2023 and was bought out by Johnson and his business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia. Johnson was a former WWE and NFL player, but just like many players, he couldn’t last long in the NFL. The XFL seemed quiet after the purchase from Johnson and is now trying to push the idea that this league is a second chance. They are currently producing a documentary called “Player 54.” This title is significant because NFL roosters only allow for 53 players. So if you were the 54th player that means you were so close but came short to reach your dream of playing in the NFL. The league is getting the same reaction as it did in 2020 with fans coming back to see the old and the new teams. One of the people who got into the XFL is Evan Rosensteel, a student at Pennridge High School. Rosensteel said that he loves the different rules than the NFL and that it’s a great thing to watch as the NFL ended. Rosensteel also thinks that the XFL should try to get more teams and that the main thing missing is the same love and energy as the NFL. There is still hope for Rosensteel that the XFL gets to become a major competitor of the NFL.

With the XLF continuously going away and coming back there is still hope and a bright future for this football league. With the differences and changes of the XFL throughout the years, there are many wonders as to what it will be like in the future. It will be interesting to see how it will develop and the changes it might bring to the NFL system.

Sources:

https://www.xfl.com/
https://www.espn.com/xfl/
https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2011/02/xfl-ratings-2001-vince-mcmahon/
https://funwhileitlasted.net/xfl-football/
https://xflnewsroom.com/xfl/10-things-you-probably-forgot-about-the-2001-xfl/
https://www.statscrew.com/football/standings/l-XFL/y-2001
https://xflnewsroom.com/xfl/this-year-in-the-xfl-the-best-and-worst-moments-of-2020/
https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/xfl-3-0-opens-the-draft-door-for-xfl-2020-players/
https://xflboard.com/xfl-attendance/