The XFL has existed for only one season. XFL never officially stood for anything. The league was officially created on February 2, 2000 at a news conference in New York City. The XFL was founded & created by Vince McMahon of the WWF, now WWE. Vince McMahon promised that The XFL would be 100% football, which raised a lot of questions on how the league would survive after many failed attempts and would the football be legit. XFL was promised to be different, bringing the fans where it has never been. Things like cameras in the huddles and on the sidelines, coaches would be hooked up with live microphone and locker rooms would be wired for sound and video before and after the game. Three TV Networks even bought into the hype. NBC, TNN and UPN would show games live on Saturday and Sundays. Players would all be paid the same base salary and the winning team receiving more money.
Originally, six teams were announced and two teams were announced at a later date. Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, New York, San Francisco, and Washington were all awarded teams. At a later date, Miami and Washington were switched to Birmingham, Memphis, Chicago, and Las Vegas, making the total number of teams at eight.
The XFL officially debuted on February 3, 2001 in Las Vegas and Orlando. The world was eager to find out about the XFL. Ratings were initially high, but interest died quickly in the league. The biggest surprise of The XFL was the nicknames on the back of players’ jerseys. The name “He Hate Me” would be the most popular and talked about name in the entire XFL. According to sources and fans, the sloppy play, boring announcers, and wrestling kind of feeling would soon doom the league. Attendance and merchandise sales were extremely successful at first, but quickly died down as well.
Orlando Rage had the regular season’s best record at 8-2 and they hosted the playoff games. San Francisco Demons would upset Orlando and The Los Angeles Xtreme defeated the Chicago Enforcers as the winning teams met in the Championship Game known as the Million Dollar Game. Tommy Maddox, Jose Cortez, John Avery, and Stepfret Williams were among the XFL’s top players. Los Angeles Xtreme would easily defeat San Francisco Demons and be crowned the champions of XFL’s inaugural season.
The 2001 season was the only season the XFL has had. The announcement of NBC not being able to handle the XFL games and UPN not taking NBC’s place put the nail in the coffin. On, May 10, 2001 the XFL officially ceased operations. The XFL will always be remembered for their unique kind of football. But now that we know that the XFL will be coming back and it will be relaunched in 2020, it will be interesting to see what approach Vince McMahon will take and what improvements he will make to successfully run the XFL this time around.
