XFL: Why it isn’t horrible

The XFL, otherwise known as the Xtreme Football League, has made its return to early spring sports. Immediately following the NFL’s Super Bowl, the XFL did great week one. Since a tremendous initial showing, there has been a lot of questions circulating the consistency of attendance and viewership. There are currently eight teams playing, and the games have been exciting, yet only because of a few factors. 

The teams with NFL ready Quarterbacks are winning and winning by a significant amount. These Quarterbacks are fringe back-ups or college stars who need a pick me up, players like Cardale Jones and P.J. Walker have shown out so far carrying there teams to records of 2-1 and 3-0, both leading their divisions. Also, the rule changes have made the opportunity for safety significantly simpler. Thanks to Commissioner and former NFL Quarterback, Oliver Luck, who helped change kickoffs to be more in the style of a dodgeball game, allowing for the kick to go off, be caught, and then have the defenders go after each other. Whereas in the NFL, a consistent problem has been injuries on kickoffs where nothing happens (either a kick is brought for a fair catch or overshoot entirely.) 

There are also opportunities to score after a touchdown, only ranges where you can attempt to score 1 to 3 points, instead of either a kick for one or a two-point conversion, which is overlooked and tends to be an annoying requirement for the NFL. These changes have allowed the XFL to carve a niche market. However, they are going to need more than that to make money over a long period. For starters, they need to pitch to collegiate athletes looking for a future in football. They definitely will not get superstars, who will end up in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, but they could convince fringe professionals to make a consistent check playing the game they love.

It seems like they know they are a minor league style league to the NFL, with Cardale Jones and P.J. Walker being recruited to play as backups in the NFL. They also need to reconsider there announcing style during the games. One issue that has risen has been there live interviews with players and coaches after significant plays. It makes for great television, yet shows why these athletes couldn’t play in the big time. 

The major incident happened with Matt McGloin, Quarterback for the New York Guardians, who, when asked about a bad play, responded poorly, stating that “We need to change the whole entire game plan,” and “It’s embarrassing for us as an offense.“These statements would only make his next appearance on the field ironic as he threw a pick-six on the next drive and got mocked brutally online for the comments. 

The XFL has a long way to go to be considered as a great league, but it’s on its way. So if you want to watch live football, that isn’t horrible, why not.