XFL Is In Their Own League and is becoming Legit

The second edition of the resurrection of the XFL received some great reviews. According to sportsmediawatch.com, ” the opening XFL game between the Seattle Dragons and DC Defenders on Saturday afternoon averaged a 2.1 rating and had 3.3 million viewers,” which is a little bit higher than the defunct Alliance of American Football, which was 2.9 million. When the first edition of the XFL started by World Wrestling Entertainment and founder Vince McMahon in 2001 many of the players on the 8 team rosters, looked like they came off the streets from playing sandlot football.  The field of play was very poor and show too much off the field WWE salaciously scribed scenes such as cheerleaders dancing and twerking in front of millions of viewers during that time, which the League only lasted 3 months. While the League got off to a good start during the first week of the season, the usual suspect sports writers and naysayers were already shooting down high expectations as the league goes into the second week of the season.  Now, there is good reason to be critical of the second edition of the XFL  because we’ve seen past Football Leagues come and disappear, from the World Football League, The United States Football League, NFL Europe, United Football and The Alliance of American Football; I get it, they don’t last long. But what many sportswriters a missing when they critique the motive and the intentions of the XFL is the players that are playing in the League want to further their careers in Professional Football.

Three months ago in November, The Arena Football League folded after 32 seasons which left many players’ dreams and hopes in continuing their football careers in tatters. At that time The Arena Football League was the longest football league in America that ran Independent and not in competition against the National Football League which finished its 100th season. When the NFL has its annual draft in April just  1.6 percent of college football players are drafted and the average years in the NFL are 3 years. Players do have the options to play in Canadian Football League, but the roster is limited to Canadian Football players to fill the rosters of the 9 teams. Many Football analysts believe that the XFL should be a Minor League to the NFL; one problem The NFL once financed its own developmental league, NFL Europe which didn’t quite spark interest in American football overseas which folded in 2007. Last year when the Alliance of America Football reportedly tried to reach out to the NFL and NFL Players Association but the problem was the League lack the funds to last season and when the NFL wasn’t willing to save them The Alliance of American Football folded after 8 weeks of their football season. With Vince McMahon, who has invested $500 million dollars into the XFL and with Oliver Luck as CEO and Commissioner League, is strictly going to be its own league in the springtime and it doesn’t have any plans on trying to be a “complimentary” or “supplemental” league for the NFL.  They’re not confined to the NFL’s rules, and it would be a good idea to start going after some top tier college talent after their Freshman and Sophmore year and possibly go after some NFL free agents.  Overal the XFL will give football players the opportunity to continue on their Pro football dreams and will have the option to further their careers to play in the NFL. If they don’t succeed in the NFL they can always come back and play in the XFL. This league has an opportunity to do some big things.  But, I would also say, they need to start playing in the MLS stadiums, so it looks great for TV.  If people at home are seeing sold-out stadiums, they’re thinking this is popular, and something they might want to be a part of taking the time to develop their own following and then, they’ll be successful. Right now the XFL is in their own League and is becoming legit.

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