by The downfall of the XFL was a quick one in fact. The league became a major victim to the craziness of 2020. After only five weeks of games, COVID-19 brought about the shutdown of sports around the world.
The XFL got off to a great start with attendance and viewership in week one. Despite the expected decline, it seemed like the league would be around for at least a second season. Even after the shutdown from play occurred, league officials stood by the fact that they were fully committed to a 2021 season.
Just a few weeks later, that dream has vanished. The XFL suspended day-to-day operations and all employees were laid off. Prior to that move, the league was allowing its better players to sign deals with NFL and CFL teams. Even if play resumed in the future, many of the stars would have no longer been back leading their teams.
The league did reimburse season ticket holders with all money in the season ticket accounts. This also included deposits for the 2021 season.
The XFL looked to be much more financially stable than the Alliance of American Football – which failed the year prior. The situation dealt to the XFL was out of their control though and they have now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Upon hearing the news, some were disappointed with the loss of the league and many were likely indifferent. Where I have a major problem is that there was also some dancing on the ashes of the newly failed league. Even from the first announcement of the league forming, there were those that seemed to want the XFL to fail. There are arguments against it which are valid for not needing to be an advocate supporter of it. The quality isn’t as high, the season isn’t as long, there aren’t that many teams, it’s not football season and it just isn’t the NFL.
That’s completely fine. Those might be true facts but the XFL does a lot more good than harm. There are so many talented football players out there that do not get a shot in the NFL. Even if they do, it is easy to get filtered out quickly. This league allowed for players to get either their first big break or another chance.
The players are not the only ones this helped. Jobs were given to coaches, trainers, equipment managers, front office personnel and so many more for the team perspective. This league also required camera crew, a broadcast team for each game and many more behind the scenes. They were all important in making the broadcast happen.
Sports are the livelihoods of many people. The XFL was doing so much for so many. It even had the opportunity to expand and grow in the future. Maybe Columbus or Canton could have had a team in the future if the league did not dissolve.
The other factor that is disappointing about the loss of the XFL is that we lost a football testing ground. The NFL runs a tighter ship with their product. They can test rules but they cannot get too crazy and go straight to extremes. That is a major fear of the NFL league office. The 2020 version of the XFL had found the perfect balance between professional and entertaining. They had nothing to lose so they got creative with gameplay and broadcasting techniques.
The kickoff rule seemed to be a huge hit. The kicker was lined up on their own 30-yard line and the rest of his teammates would be at the opposing 35-yard line. The blockers from the return team would be lined up just five yards away at the 30-yard line. Only the kicker and the receiver could move before the ball was caught. It was a clever way of preventing those high-speed collisions that cause many concussions. The NFL would have likely never tried something so drastic, yet the XFL had the freedom and guts to try this.
Not only did the league test this, but they took away kicking PATs after touchdowns. Instead they tried 1-point, 2-point and 3-point attempts with the offense on the field from whichever yard line the ball was requested to be on. For the broadcast, they even did more sideline interviews, listened in on play calls and gave viewers a look inside the review booth. They were so creative.
I would mostly flip back and forth between college basketball and the XFL each weekend, so I was not the biggest XFL fan. Just liked it enough to catch pieces and parts. That being said, I will miss the league. I feel sorry for everyone involved that lost out on this league that had some potential. It is a sad loss for the sports community.
In this time where we are missing sports, it would be nice to even just see a XFL game again. Perhaps we took the league for granted when we had it for just over a month. Unfortunately, the XFL is no more and the chances of return even in the next decade are dismal.
Very astute and thoughtful commentary.