Key Differences Between Jerseys of XFL and NFL

For all fans of American football, the next year is going to be pretty exciting. The beginning of a new season, which will bring in fresh competition and even more thrill, is one of the most anticipated events of 2020. However, that’s not all the new year has in store for football lovers.

Apart from the start of a new NFL season, fans who are craving for something fresh and a bit more unique will get a chance to observe a new XFL season.

XFL: A Brief Story 

It has been around for not as long as the NFL. However, despite this fact, the XFL league has found its fans as it was something completely new and unusual for football lovers.

If you are here to conduct research for a college paper about the XFL, keep in mind that there is always a possibility of turning for help to a professional academic essay writing service to save your time and energy. 

However, for all of you who are genuinely interested in XFL, here is a brief overview of its history and a few facts you should know:

• XFL was created by Vince McMahon, a businessman, professional promoter and executive in wrestling and American football;

• Compared to the National Football League formed in 1920, XFL is a relatively young one as it was established in 2001. However, in 2001, the new league only ran for a single season and then folded until it was revived in 2018;

• As of today, the XFL includes only eight teams, which is not much compared to the NFL that has 32 of them;

• Creating XFL, Vince McMahon wanted to make something unique that would not be similar to the National League. This is why XFL has a significant number of differences compared to the NFL.

What Are the Key Differences Between XFL and NFL?

Since the very beginning of the XFL history, people are always comparing it to the NFL. 

For all these years, the XFL was seen as an alternative to the NFL, which is true to a certain extent. However, we have to admit that the XFL is much different from what we are used to seeing in the NFL.

The creator of the league, Vince McMahon, really wanted it to stand out and look different. That is why he promoted certain distinctive features that ought to distance the XFL from the NFL. 

What are the main features that make XFL different? Let’s find this out!

General

Though there are quite many things that set the XFL apart from the NFL, let’s start with discovering a few basic differences:

Fields

All XFL fields are supposed to be made from grass.

Touchdown Celebrations

To encourage WWE’s persona, the XFL didn’t set penalties for celebrations.

Team Branding

Unlike the NFL, the XFL doesn’t have team branding in their fields.

Contract

In fact, contracts are a regular thing in the world of professional sports. However, while most of them generally look the same, the XFL has a certain difference here too. Each of their contracts:

• Is non-negotiable;

• Assumes that players do not get any royalties for merchandise that the league sells (even if the sold items come with a player’s name on them);

• Allows players to leave the National League, but only when the season ends (the XFL season begins a day after the NFL’s one finishes).

What About Uniforms?

Though it is hard to imagine how XFL uniforms could really stand out from the NFL ones, it seems like cosmetic stuff is another thing that sets it apart. 

While the overall design of jerseys didn’t really change, there are some notable differences to keep in mind:

Colors

Compared to NFL teams, XFL ones seem to give their preferences to brighter colors.

Looking at most teams that compete in the framework of the National Football League, the predominance of calm and neutral colors is clearly noticeable in their uniforms. 

Light or dark blue, black and white, discreet red and green are the main colors. Of course, there are some exceptions, but mostly the tones are less vivid.

Now, let’s take a look at the uniforms of XFL teams for the 2020 season that was just revealed recently – they are mostly bright. 

For example, the D.C. Defenders decided to stick with a bright red and white. Dallas Renegades kept their jerseys black and added vivid, sky-blue elements to make them notable. 

Houston Roughnecks chose a blend of red, blue, and white colors, while Tampa Bay Vipers went further and used bright green colors in their uniform.

Personalization

Probably the key difference between jerseys of NFL and XFL is that the last ones give players much more space for personalization and self-expression.

One of the most telling examples of personalization in XFL jerseys is a possibility for players to put their nicknames on the back instead of using their actual names. 

This fact has made XFL teams look completely different from the ones that play in the National League. And we have to admit that seeing nicknames is much more fun too!

Here are a few examples of nicknames used by players who were the most impactful participants of XFL:

• Rod Smart, “He Hate Me.” Rod was one of the most known and talked about XFL players. He explained the nickname by saying that his opponents will eventually hate him after he wins;

• Haven Fields, “Baby Boy.” Haven was the youngest player in his team, and that’s how his nickname appeared;

• Errick Herrin “E-Rupt.” Herrin’s nickname was given to him by friends and family. They believed that Errick would re-emerge in professional football as a destructive force, which is why they called him E-Rupt.

• Ken Oxendine “Ox.” Ken had an older brother, Terrell, whose nickname was Big Ox. Terrell has always been Ken’s mentor and role model. So there is no wonder why his nickname was passed on to his younger brother;

• Jamal Duff “Death Blow.” Jamal’s nickname is based on the same-named underground black comic strip character.

Wrapping Up

The trend for personalization was quite exciting, and it did have a big impact on the world of pro football. Watching XFL players wearing jerseys with their nicknames, the NFL considered doing the same for their marquee players. However, that didn’t happen.