The XFL is a football league, like the National Football League (NFL), but a lot more crazy. The CEO of the most famous wrestling organization in the world, Vince McMahon, is the one who envisioned the idea of a new football league. The CEO of the XFL is Oliver Luck, a former division one quarterback, and is also the father of well known, controversial former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck.
The XFL consists of eight teams from two divisions, the East and the West. All of the teams are in prominent cities, that way everyone can have a team to root for and the league can sell more tickets.
Former (NFL) players are an enormous help to have a growing fanbase. Many NFL fans love watching the players after their dominant careers. Although some are players who were in the NFL, they were not good enough so they need to prove themselves in the XFL.
Another element that brings in fans is the edginess of the league. Freshman Peter Stanton-Shepard said, “ One of the better things about this league is that the rules are a lot more lenient and fun for the viewers.”
In the first week of the XFL, there was an F-bomb dropped, a player threw up on the field and there was a full-on fight. In the booth for an instant replay, an XBOX controller being used. Sophomore Jordan Needleman said, “ Since the XFL is a lot more crazy, it is a lot more fast-paced. Without all the garbage penalties given in the NFL, we can actually watch football without stupid breaks.”
One huge flaw about the NFL is the commentating. “They are boring, stupid, ignorant and biased. If I hear one more incorrect stat out of Joe Buck’s mouth I am done watching NFL football,” Needleman said.
The XFL is bringing in new people in to add flare to the league. A fan favorite is former NFL All-Pro punter for the Indianapolis Colts and comedian Pat McAfee. He has plenty of knowledge and keeps the fans laughing.
Another element loved about the XFL are the new and advanced rules to make the game higher scoring and more interesting. The NFL tried to attempt a harder point-after-touchdown play by making point-after-touchdown a 32-33 yard field goal as opposed to a 19-20. The XFL took it to a whole new level, taking away the field goal after the touchdown and making teams go for two. This creates a more risky situation with much more action and a much bigger impact on the game.
To keep games close, they instituted a new onside kick rule. In the NFL it is virtually impossible to recover an onside kick and new rules are being created to make it harder and harder. The XFL took the whole kick away and made a rule where a team needs a 15-yard completion to maintain possession of the ball. This is a more realistic conversion and keeps teams in the game for much longer.