Off-Field Product Vital to XFL’s Success

2020 can’t come soon enough for XFL fans. It’s been a long wait to get to this point, but we’re inching closer and closer to XFL football hitting the airwaves once again. Announcing the reboot of the XFL will give players a second chance to prove they can play professional football, as well as allow fans to consume more football every week. 

If you have followed college football (or pro football for that matter), you should recognize the name, Landry Jones. The former Oklahoma QB is arguably the face of the XFL, seeing as he was the top QB allocated to the Dallas Renegades. 

Going down the line, the XFL has several players who performed at the NCAA level as well as the NFL. Although the XFL is not a direct competition to the NFL, the XFL certainly has some key players who should interest fans. 

One thing fans are looking forward to in the XFL are the betting opportunities. In the early 2000s, we saw how innovative the XFL was for professional football in general. Fast forward almost two decades and the XFL will be at forefront of revolutionizing sports betting and live betting in general. 

While you can bet on traditional lines like over/under, spread and outright winners, the XFL plans to change the game when it comes to football betting. It makes sense that the XFL would hold similar betting options to other professional sports, like the NFL and CFL. When the XFL opens up their season, expect odds to be listed and wager opportunities to be posted similar to the markets offered by betting sites like Betway. 

The XFL has already mentioned that Fantasy Football will be a key component to staying engaged as a fan. In the XFL’s original video released on January 25th, 2018, the video (which garnered over 75-thousand views) mentioned Fantasy Football and betting. The hype video wasn’t specific as to what will be special about the XFL’s betting compared to other leagues, but rumors are circulating that you will have many betting opportunities, especially live during the game. 

With how the XFL helped changed sports broadcasting and presentation during its initial run, I would be shocked if the XFL doesn’t do something gigantic in regards to sports betting. If the XFL allows fans to place smaller bets on what will happen on the opening drive, which play will be called, etc., there will be tons of fans wanting a piece of XFL betting action. 

The XFL has already landed a variety of television deals as well, strengthening its product. This season, you’ll be able to watch league games on Fox, ABC, ESPN, and FS1. That’s a pretty significant line-up of networks to broadcast your league. 

The XFL is doing everything right in regards to their reboot. If they continue to have support, maybe one day we will see players jump ship from the NFL to the XFL. The newly redeveloped league has already seen players drafted from significant football schools. Colleges like Michigan State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Auburn are just a small sample size of where XFL talent is coming from. 

Vince McMahon is known for his theatrics and entertainment value, which brings significant value to the reboot of the XFL. If the league can learn from their mistakes, I think this league has the chance to be successful. While they are not trying to be a feeder league to the NFL, the XFL will provide players the opportunity to have more options at the professional level. 

And once the game is established and fans can see what type of on-field play they are getting every week, the bells and whistles of fantasy football, sports betting and more will be the cherry on top. A lot has changed since the XFL’s first run, so as long as McMahon and other executives have changed with the times, things can run smoothly in 2020.

I don’t think it will take long for players not drafted in the NFL to make the transition to the XFL. There are talented players each season that don’t have their name picked. Ultimately, they could have a professional football career with the XFL. Another football option is great for athletes and can help both the XFL and NFL thrive. Plus, we could even start to see some Canadian talent make the jump to pro football in the U.S.

The on-field product is just as important as the off-field product. If the XFL’s executives can deliver on the field and allow fans to stay engaged through sports betting, fantasy football, and other means, XFL 2020 can thrive.