This past weekend, the opening games for the recently revived XFL were played. This new version of the league vastly improved compared to the first iteration of the league in 2000 as well as addressing many of the issues the NFL is currently experiencing. The first game ever game was between the DC Defenders and the Seattle Dragons. I was able to watch a large portion of the game and I was quite impressed with the product. This new league may have the NFL executives sweating a little bit.
XFL Improvements on American Football
Without going into too much detail on why the original XFL failed (30 for 30 did a great show about these reasons – worth a watch), Vince McMahon has completely altered the image the league portrays from a brash, WWE promo style of Football to an actual Professional Football League. Gone are the days of players with the nameplate “He-Hate-Me“. (Fun Fact: That XFL Jersey was one of their highest-selling jerseys.)
The XFL’s main goal is to make the game faster. NFL Football games take ages to finish, on average three hours. There is idle time in between plays due to the long play clock and referees having to spot the ball amongst some of the reasons. The XFL improved on this by having a 25-second play clock and the ability of offensive and defensive coordinators to talk to all of their players during this period via headset. In the NFL, only the Quarterback and one player on the defense have the ability to listen in to the communication from the sideline. The XFL also introduced a referee whose main job is to carry around footballs and get them spotted immediately.
XFL also figured out what to do with the kickoffs. The NFL has been wrestling with the problem of player safety on these types of plays. Most of the time, the ball goes out of bounds in the end zone resulting in drives beginning on the 25-yard line. Boring. Kickoffs are supposed to be exciting! The XFL isolates the kicker and opposing kick returner and stacks both teams’ special teams squads 10 yards apart face to face. The kicking team’s players are stacked up on the 35-yard line while the receiving team is on the 25 yard-line. There is no more chance of violent collisions. Another rule added is if the kicker kicks the ball and it falls short of the 20-yard line, a penalty is called and the ball is spotted on the kicking teams 45-yard line. It gives the receiving team a very generous field position.
The last major change which has yet to be tested is the overtime rules. The NFL has been notorious for having a strange overtime rule set. If the team that first gets possession of the ball scores a touchdown, the game is over. The other team doesn’t even have a chance. This rule has ended seasons! It made Tim Tebow even more famous. The rule doesn’t make sense. The XFL has taken a page out of the NHL shootout to decide games by having each team attempt 5 2pt-conversions from the 1-yard line. The team that scores the most in those 5 attempts wins the game. Now, this may sound awesome to me at the moment, I’m sure the novelty will wear off and the rule may go back to the drawing board after the season is complete. However, it is a better way to end football games.
XFL Game Coverage
The coverage of the XFL game was very similar to that of it’s NFL counterpart. Greg Olsen was on the call of the New York – Tampa Bay game and was great. It was nice to see the NFL allowing one of their players commentate on the game. What this tells us is that these leagues are not competitors. XFL is trying to go after the void of Football that occurs after the Super Bowl and before NFL Training Camp begins. The NFL might see the league as a developmental league or an opportunity for players to get back on rosters. Greg Olsen shared anecdotes of some of the guys he had an opportunity to play with. On dropped passes, you can sense him wanting some of these players to pull through by letting out a “He needs to make that catch if he is a high-level player”.
However, the only thing to dislike about the coverage was the amount of on-field or bench interviews. Coaches, players, hell the waterboy was not safe from the sideline reporter. Every single big play was being broken down by the player that committed it. Some people will like this, it puts them on the field like they were actually playing the game. But from a player standpoint, this must get annoying.
XFL Marketing
The league is taking the right approach. They are choosing not to sell out 82,000 person stadiums (Professional Lacrosse should take note of this – analysis is coming soon!) The approach they are taking is to fill out smaller bowls of larger venues and MLS soccer stadiums. It is better to get your feet wet first before you jump into the deep end. This is a great way not to set high expectations only to fail.
The smaller venue also creates a sense of atmosphere. Watching the DC game, the fans were going crazy. People were getting behind their team. A great portion was wearing team colors and apparel. The atmosphere reminded me of Bill’s Mafia. This is not the NFL that has season ticket holders or corporate fans milling around without interest in the game. These were your blue-collar football fans. There were no television shots of anyone looking bored on their phone. They were all generally interested in the game.
The XFL seems to be targeting these blue-collar fans on a local market. They are using television commercials promoting the area’s respective team. I haven’t seen ads on social media or paid search which is a good thing. They aren’t blowing their marketing budgets, especially for a product that is still in its infancy. There wasn’t much noise on social media on the build-up to the opening weekend which was surprising. I am sure that since the first game has been played this will change.
Conclusion
Is the NFL in any trouble? No. The XFL is not a direct competitor. They will function as a developmental league in both aspects for the players and gameplay. The XFL was fun to watch though. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep the ball rolling for the entire season. I am looking forward to it.
