A couple responses on both sides of the coin here. To those that say it’ll fail because the level of play is poorer, I have two words for you: NCAA football. No failure there, right? And XFL will be a step UP from college football – the people who played there, but just couldn’t make it in the NFL. Heck, they even have an ex-Heisman winner in the league! But there are plenty of ex-college players who love the game, and are grateful to have the opportunity to prolong their careers. Talent pool is NO problem.
One concern I have is with attendance. As Rocket88 says, it’ll be cold in some of those cities in February and March! Also, look at the majority of the “improvements” made by the XFL. Most are made with the fan at home in mind – mikes in the huddles, the lockerrooms, etc. So a fan might ask himself “why GO to a game when I can get a BETTER experience watching it on TV in the warmth of my own house?” The in-person fan will, in effect, lose out on some of the modifications that the XFL is so proud of.
I disagree that we’ll see many more injuries, or that there’ll be any Congressional action (however TIC that might have been). The main difference injury-wise will be quarterbacks, as the XFL has eliminated the “in the grasp” rule, so they’re not down til they’re DOWN. Simple solution: Go down, dammit! QBs will still have the option of sliding at the end of a run with no hits allowed. We’ll see that come back into prevelance (don’t see it as much nowadays). And the XFL will also have more than its fair share of very mobile QBs, as they’ll have a better chance of evading those grasps and completing a pass.
A number of people also are huffing and puffing about punt returns, due mainly to the XFL promoting is as “The Most Exciting Down” or something like that. Yes, there are no fair catches. HOWEVER – players will not be able to leave the line of scrimmage until the ball is punted, and there is a five-yard “halo” around the player until he catches it, as opposed to a two-yard halo the NFL uses. Two safeguards often ignored by those wishing to portray the league as barbaric.
I also fail to see what might qualify as a specific “XFL move” that would be the cause of injuries to teens as Duck Duck Goose claims. Or is this in the same vein as the sensationalized “wrestling murder” in Florida??
I think this could work. As theorized, a large number of fans are JUST getting into football when the playoffs and Super Bowl roll around. It stands to reason that if football was on after that, they’d stick around. While Saturday night might not be a stay-at-home night, games are also on UPN and TNN Sunday afternoons and evenings.
And while I agree that Vince McMahon is part PT Barnum, he also has the financial and creative backing of Dick Ebersol and NBC, so it’s not like he has full reign over things here.
Sorry for the length … but I’ve read a number of articles predicting failure and heaping scorn on the XFL based on sensationalized rule changes and fears of WWFish action. That, to be honest, is one big concern I have leading me to believe it stands a good chance to fail: They haven’t convinced enough people otherwise. I know too many people who aren’t convinced it won’t be fake, “worked” action, with Stone Cold Steve Austin scoring the winning TD each Sunday. If they can’t get across that it’s real, it’ll NEVER succeed. And while Vegas having a line helps, they’re not doign themselves any favors that I’ve seen in PR moves.