http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22213241/vince-mcmahon-gimmick-free-xfl-return-2020
QuoteWWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go.
It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league McMahon and NBC tried for one season in 2001, but it won't rely on flashy cheerleaders and antics as its predecessor did, he said.
QuoteOne mark of the new league, McMahon said, will be faster games. The ideal running time, he said, would be two hours.
As for the timing of the announcement, two years before the league's debut, many might point to McMahon's relationship with President Donald Trump, who this fall criticized the NFL for allowing its players to kneel and sit during the national anthem. McMahon said players in his league will not be given the forum to take a personal stance while on the playing field. McMahon's wife, Linda, heads the Small Business Administration in Trump's Cabinet.
"People don't want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained," McMahon said. "We want someone who wants to take a knee to do their version of that on their personal time."
QuoteMcMahon said being the only owner of all of the teams will allow him to do whatever he wants.
"I can say, 'Here are the rules, and as long as you are playing football in the stadium for us, you follow these rules.'"
McMahon also said he would preclude any player with a criminal record.
"We are evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are," McMahon said. "If you have any sort of criminal record or commit a crime you aren't playing in this league."
yay?
I am at least a little amused at the fact that Vince McMahon is trying to posture his new league as the cleaned-up league. He's aiming for as much patriotism as possible and clearly pandering to the ongoing political divide in football fandom.
As everyone forgotten how he made his fortune?
I love that somehow Vince McMahon is being painted as the Paragon of virtue for what he wants to do with this new football league
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 29, 2018, 09:07:55 AM
I love that somehow Vince McMahon is being painted as the Paragon of virtue for what he wants to do with this new football league
Who is painting him as a paragon of virtue other than himself?
I'm not seeing it that way. I think McMahon is a sleezeball, personally. But if he can create a viable football league to threaten the NFL's dominance, I'm all for it. If ANYONE can do that, actually, I'd be behind it.
I'm especially intrigued by the two-hour limit he's claiming. An average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes. (https://qz.com/150577/an-average-nfl-game-more-than-100-commercials-and-just-11-minutes-of-play/)* Also, 100 commercials per game. Both reasons why I don't watch any longer.
* of course, that article is from 2013, so I can only imagine it's much worse nowadays.
PS: LOL
http://dailysnark.com/graph-shows-just-many-hours-commercials-youll-watch-football-season-vs-actual-action/
He isn't going to create a viable anything. If he wants to piss more of his money away on another failed league, more power to him.
I barely remember the original XFL but I think it amused/entertained me.
It sucked.
The quality of play was awful, but if he can spend enough money for a decent set of players, he might get some attention
Quote from: mirth on January 29, 2018, 09:13:35 AM
He isn't going to create a viable anything. If he wants to piss more of his money away on another failed league, more power to him.
Again - even if there's a minute chance, I'm all for it. F the NFL.
I only found out about this because Jim and Sam were talking about it this morning. I heard them mention something about opening things up to college-age players, whereas the NFL requires their recruits to be at least three years out of high school. That doesn't bode too well, if true. I haven't had a chance to double check that.
Quote from: BanzaiCat on January 29, 2018, 09:25:16 AM
I only found out about this because Jim and Sam were talking about it this morning.
It's been floating around for at least a week or so.
If it fails this second time bring back the USFL.
Quote from: mirth on January 29, 2018, 09:26:26 AM
It's been floating around for at least a week or so.
I did a search here to be sure nobody else had posted this but nothing came up. I guess y'all don't have the same level of amusement I do at all of this. ;D
Quote from: Gusington on January 29, 2018, 09:27:59 AM
If it fails this second time bring back the USFL.
That's a good idea. I'd be all for that too. Or even another World League. Either of them before a McMahon-fueled XFL. But to me, XFL would be more enjoyable than NFL. I know I'm in the minority on that, but that's fine. :)
Quote from: BanzaiCat on January 29, 2018, 09:30:26 AM
Quote from: mirth on January 29, 2018, 09:26:26 AM
It's been floating around for at least a week or so.
I did a search here to be sure nobody else had posted this but nothing came up. I guess y'all don't have the same level of amusement I do at all of this. ;D
I really don't care one way or the other. I have plenty of problems with the NFL, but I don't think a new XFL is going to amount to much more than the first try.
The early-90s World League was an NFL-funded venture
^ I know, and that's fine. I actually liked it better even if it was just a lower-tier system. I have especially fond memories of it because San Antonio got a team and my friends and I would go to home games whenever we could. This was about the time they were building the Alamodome in the hopes of attracting an actual NFL team (ha).