The XFL is a professional American football league that has seen increasing interest in recent years. This new league, actually is an old one, because it originally appeared in 2001, but was curtailed after the first season. In 2020, owners tried to resurrect it, but even here the league was defeated. So, is there a future for XFL league and who is behind it? Let’s find out!
What Is XFL?
If you notice, right after the Super Bowl, the betting market for American football matches are continuing to increase. This market proved to be an interesting distraction for the most American football lovers or even for those who regularly play for free easy slot machine games and penny slots.
Anyways, the name of the American football league XFL means Xtreme Football League. The point of the league, as the name suggests, was a tougher style of play than the NFL. There was indeed enough cruelty, but this did not help the league in any way. It had low TV ratings, and the media mercilessly criticized it for low level of football. Investors lost $70 million on this venture and it was recognized as one of the biggest failures in the history of sports leagues.
Who Stands Behind the XFL?
The founder and ideological inspirer of the XFL is Vince McMahon, who made his name and fortune in wrestling. During the first run, his partner was NBC, but when the league restarted, Vince decided to handle it on his own. McMahon sold $100 million worth of his WWE shares and used the money to form Alpha Entertainment which owns the XFL.
McMahon brought several people into the league with NFL and college football backgrounds. In particular, Oliver Luck, who worked as vice president in the NCAA league, became the league’s commissioner. Doug Wahley, former general manager of the Buffalo Bills, became vice president of football operations, and Jeffrey Pollak, who was responsible for marketing and strategic development at the Los Angeles Chargers, was appointed executive director of the league.
Who plays XFL?
In 2020, McMahon decided to focus on the largest US media markets, so 7 of the 8 teams were based in cities with NFL teams. At that moment, the Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, LA Wildcats, Seattle Dragons, DC Defenders, New York Guardians, Tampa Bay Vipers and St. Louis BattleHawks played.
In 2023 XFL season, according to the 2022 report, such 5 teams will be kept: DC Defenders (which will go through a rebrand), St. Louis BattleHawks, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks and Seattle Dragons. Later, it was stated that two teams from San Antonio and Las Vegas would replace the LA Wildcats and New York Guardians.
Are There Any Differences from the NFL in Terms of Gameplay?
Sure, and they are also quite serious ones. XFL wrote in the rules a number of serious and revolutionary decisions. Three of them deserve special attention.
The first is the kick-off rules. In the XFL kick-off, all members of the receiving team, except for the returner, are within their own 30 yards. And the members of the throwing team, except for the kicker, are only 5 yards from the receivers, at their 35 yards. All players other than the kicker and returner are prohibited from moving until the returner catches the ball or until 3 seconds have passed since the ball hit the lawn. In addition, while in the NFL it is enough to hit the ball 10 yards for a kickoff to be considered successful, in the XFL the kicker must hit the ball at least the 20-yard mark of the receivers or they will start the attack from the kick-off team’s 45 yards.
The second is the overtime rules. They are perhaps the most revolutionary. In the XFL, overtime takes place (more precisely, it will take place in the future) in the form of an adapted version of post-match penalties in soccer or a shootout in hockey. The offense must successfully hit the equivalent of an NFL 2-point conversion, that is, score a touchdown from the 2-yard mark using just one play. If they succeed, they get a point and the other team conducts their attack.
Each team has five such attempts. If after five attempts the score is equal, then the attacks are carried out until the first failure. If the defense fouls on the play, the ball advances to the 1-yard mark. If the defense fouls a second time, and not necessarily in one draw, but in general for the entire series of such penalties, then the attack automatically receives a point. To speed up the overtime process, the attack and defense of both teams are on the field at the same time, in different end zones. Such rules reduce the time of overtime to 5-6 minutes and, most importantly, give each team a chance to win.
The third is the extra point rules. In the XFL, after a touchdown, a team can score one, two, or three points. And in each case, they will have to play a combination. Unlike in the NFL, where one point is earned by hitting the kicker on goal, in the XFL, the team must play from the 2-yard mark to do so. To earn 2 points – play a combination from 5 yards. And to earn 3 points – from 10 yards.
And the most important rule for those who think the NFL matches are too long – the time of the game in the XFL goes on all the time, like in soccer. The timer is stopped only for the time of the change of possession and 2 minutes before the break and the end of the game (two-minute warning). In addition, teams only have two overtimes in each half of a game, as opposed to three as in the NFL.
Does the XFL Have Prospects?
Very much. Of course, it is possible that the league will bounce back after the first season, like last time, but so far, its positions look much better than in 2001.
The XFL is in no way trying to position itself as a competitor to the NFL. And it shouldn’t be taken that way. It’s just a league designed to fill the huge football break from February to August. And judging by the first games, she can do it. So, if you have a severe lack of football or you simply have nothing to do on your weekend evenings, the XFL is your choice. Or you may also try out playing in online casinos with huge welcome bonuses, it is a great leisure time for anyone who likes sports and gambling on them!
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