What is the XFL?
New and improved version of football?
April 27, 2023
The XFL is a fast paced version of the NFL with modified rules that essentially enhances the way the game is played. Former NFL players even participate, along with players who want to keep their careers alive.
The XFL was founded in 2018, but was cancelled during the pandemic. The original owners claimed that COVID-19 was the ultimate cause.
The XFL has just started up again after they were able to raise enough money to keep it alive. The XFL is owned by Dany Garcia, RedBird Capital Partners, and Dwayne Johnson. They bought it in 2020 for 15 million dollars.
What’s different about the XFL? The biggest difference would have to be the point system. There are no kicked extra points. After a team scores a touchdown they are given the option of attempting a one to three point score. One point attempt from the two yard line, two point from the five yard line, and three point from the ten yard line. This point system is much different from the NFL and adds a twist to the game.
Another major difference would have to be the way kickoffs are set up. The XFL kicks off from the thirty yard line while the NFL does from the thirty five. Only the kicker and returner may move until the ball is caught. This a smart way to do kickoffs because it prevents injuries and doesn’t effect the game in a negative way.
There are some other smaller changes but they can greatly affect the game. For example, a fumble into the back of the end zone won’t result in a touch back, safety, or any turnover. You only need one foot in bounds to have possession on a catch, linemen can move two yards downfield on a forward pass, and they try to reduce the amount of times punted. No gunners are allowed when punting and the punting team cannot cross the line of scrimmage before the ball.
There are eight teams in the XFL: Defenders, Sea Dragons, Vipers, Renegades, Roughnecks, Guardians, Brahmas and the Battlehawks. The league started out with six back, but has since added the Brahmas and Vipers.
The regular season consists of ten games, and is followed by a three game post-season to determine the champion.
All of these changes are innovative and different but people don’t exactly want change.
I personally think that some of these changes should be implemented into the NFL because they make the game more entertaining and add a twist to it. Whether or not the XFL lasts, pretty much comes down to that.
The XFL has to have something unique about it that makes it stand out and the rule changes provide that. However, a major problem, if not the biggest problem, they have is athletes. Yes they have a lot of athletes, but they don’t have the best and they don’t have the faces that the NFL has. No team in the XFL has a Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady; instead they have past athletes or younger ones who aren’t as popular and eye catching.
Adding to it, the average contract of a player is only 60,000 dollars. However, they are given housing and two meals a day throughout the season. Some players might not want to commit to this due to the fact the pay is low. I think this is a problem for the league because they won’t be able to bring in as many players.
How will the XFL look in the future? To be honest I don’t know if it will last for long. Having the NFL to compete with it makes it pretty hard. No sport really competes with the caliber of the NFL. Almost everybody in America, including the people who know nothing about football, watch the Super Bowl. I don’t know if the XFL can do the same.
