The XFL may only be a few years old, but it is already making waves in the American football market. It currently ranks as one of the youngest leagues in American football, comprising eight teams. And from February to April, fans enjoy watching the teams go head-to-head in search of the main title. And with 10 games in the regular season and 4 more in the playoffs, you would be right to think that you can make money from placing wagers on this league. But you are not the only one who enjoys online games and esports gambling. Some XFL players have also been open about their love for online gaming.
As more betting companies have approached the players in this league, many players have expressed their love for the gaming industry. We look at the players who have grabbed the attention of bookies everywhere and the roles they can play in the upcoming online games and e-sports developments.
XFL Players and Online Gambling
There’s a lot of talk about players who will benefit from the impending sponsorship deals between the XFL and betting companies. As things stand, the following players seem to be the favorites based on their accomplishments:
- P.J. Walker: You can hardly talk about the XFL league without touching on the influence of this young athlete. Walker joined the XFL in 2020. And in the first game he played with the Houston Roughnecks against the Wildcats, he scored four touchdowns. That was enough to see him scale up the rankings and make it to the star of the week. And in the five weeks that followed, he had 15 touchdowns to his name!
So, why do we think he could get the sponsorship deal? Well, bookies noticed just how good he was and went ahead to rave about it on social media. FanDuel posted about it on their Twitter feed. It would be safe to think that he is on their list for potential players to partner with in the coming years.
- Cam Phillips: Like Walker, Phillips made history with his first game and has since been of interest to betting sites. The Houston Roughnecks drafted him in 2019 during the 6th round. And true to the predictions, he scored a touchdown in his first game against the Wildcats. But he did not stop there. In the week that followed, he scored 3 touchdowns which propelled him to the star of the week. His star did not stop shining. Instead, it shone even brighter as he scored 3 more touchdowns in the third week, retaining his title.
Did anyone pay attention to his plays? Of course! DraftKings was back on social media, tweeting about Phillips’ exemplary performance. And that makes us think that he could be a potential recipient of the underway sponsorship deals.
- Josh Johnson: Josh is a veteran athlete who has played for several teams in the NFL. He’s been with the Ravens, the Buccaneers; you name it. And in the XFL, he has played for the Wildcats. Aside from his amazing fetes in football, he has a keen interest in gaming, so much so that he co-founded an e-sports media company. He hopes to raise awareness about gaming and increase diversity in the gaming industry. It makes sense that after having played an active role in the sports industry, he would want to take a step back and help more people find their footing in it.
Thus, these players will find a spot in the online gaming and e-sports industry – whether spearheading it like Josh or partnering with betting sites like Phillips and Walker.
XFL and Betting
Many sports leagues actively avoid getting into partnerships with betting sites. They think that such interactions can adversely affect their reputations by bringing in questions of bias. And as a result, they have observed a wide berth between them and any betting sites. But XFL has taken a different approach by embracing sponsorships from betting sites. After all, sports betting is a huge industry, and pushing it to the side does not do this budding league any favors. If anything, it overshadows the league. After all, if sponsors are not busy advertising XFL betting markets, they will focus on other leagues. And that takes attention away from a league that needs all the viewership it can get in its early stages.
So, when you think about it, the situation is advantageous to the league and the betting companies. So far, there has not been much information on what kind of sponsorship we can expect to see in the future. But we expect the players mentioned above to have a piece of the cake. We also expect to see an increased viewership in the league. It offers much more exciting gameplay compared to the NFL. Rather than use a play clock of 40 seconds, it works with 25 seconds, giving the players little time to act fast. The adrenaline rush is unbelievable for the players and viewers. And soon, punters will be able to cash in on this.
While there is uncertainty about when the sponsorship deals will come to fruition, we can agree that the sports betting and esports betting industries will suffer a boost because of these changes. And we are quite eager to see them come to life. What’s your take on the XFL’s position on sponsorship deals?
