XFL (Football)

Mostly an abomination...

I think bad marketing decisions killed the XFL more than game play, the athletes, or anything else. The XFL was advertised almost exclusively to wrestling fans during wrestling, and it more or less advertised it as being the same thing to the NFL as pro wrestling was to amateur wrestling. So wrestling fans tuned in expecting there to be storylines, fixed outcomes, and amazing plays that could never be acheived if they had not been staged. Wrestling fans tuned in, and found it to be real football, with a few changed rules and addition of a little extra attitude. It wasn't promoted hard enough to actual football fans, and many who did know about it thought it was going to be what the wrestling fans expected, and wanted no part in it. The people who watched it didn't get what they expected, and the people who could have enjoyed it already had preconceived notions about what it was. I tuned in for a couple games, and got bored because it was just football with different rules, and some i... Read more

It had some interesting ideas but they were doomed for failure. The salary structure may have worked fine 50 years earlier, but the only players they were going to draw were the players that weren't good enough for the NFL. It might have helped if someone with a little more mainstream credibility than Vince McMahon were heading the league, and... Jesse Ventura? When all was said and done, the cheerleaders garnered more attention than the players, and all the bells and whistles in the world won't cover the fact that it was just bad football.

Good riddance.

A joke. I feel bad for all the players, for some it might have been a second chance to have a crack at the NFL. Another thing that bothered me were the uniforms. Some of those uniforms from the old WFL were pretty bad, but more due to the rushed nature that most of the franchises came and went. It was obvious that some time and effort had been put into the XFL uniforms and they still sucked!! Only the CFL uniforms during their ill-fated foray into the US were worse. McMahon should have stuck to wrestling.

The salary structure, paying more salary for the winning team's players was a wise and smart decision..mistakes..too influxed into NFL markets like Chicago, bad uniforms and stupid mascots, silly rules. Impatient NBC and McMahon. Could have been a great alternative developmental league that athletes such as Jason White could use now.

There was some excitement when NBC aired the first week of XFL in FEB 2001. Even my wife elected to watch and she hates football. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura were there for that inaugral game (Think it was Las Vegas againist New York). In lieu of the coin toss, they actually had opposing players chase down a football. One of the players separated his shoulder in the process and never played again. The XFL got an E for effort: Interesting backfield in motion rules, on-field cameras, no extra points, and jerseys with names like He Hate Me, which was always what anyone thinks of when you say XFL. Unfortunately, the quality of play was just horrid. don't think I saw a pass go farther than 15 yards downfield. I honestly think USC could have beaten most of these teams. The cheerleaders, who looked like Hooters rejects, would more or less do some odd form of lap dance instead of anything resembling a cheer. Then to hear a broadcaster like JR, say something like Them cheeleaders g... Read more