New XFL Owners Looking To Make XFL 3.0 Into Entertainment Powerhouse

According to a report By Thornton McEnery and Josh Kosman in the New York Post, The Rock, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale have enormous plans for the XFL 3.0. They are thinking beyond a Spring football league.

“But instead of rushing to push players back onto the gridiron, Johnson — teaming up with his ex-wife and business manager Dany Garcia and the prolific sports banker Gerry Cardinale — are drawing up plans to remake the XFL into an entertainment powerhouse, sources told The Post.”

Dany Garica has said in recent interviews they have plans to make the XFL year-round. Playing games on the field in the Spring is just one part of their overall strategy.

“That means potentially creating reality-TV programming akin to HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” which follows an NFL team in the preseason, introducing viewers to players and coaches. Indeed, the XFL is considering a similar show that would span the whole season, according to sources close to the situation.”

Having a show like a XFL Hard Knocks would be great for the league as it gives fans a chance to get to know a lot of these unknown players and help develop stars for the league. Something critics of the league continue to complain that the XFL lacks star power. The XFL would be in the business of making stars not paying for them.

“Likewise, the group aims to capitalize on Johnson’s star power not only as a box-office draw, but also as a former college football player and a WWE wrestler. One possibility, sources said, is to bring the XFL into storylines on Johnson’s current HBO show “Ballers,” in which he plays a retired NFL star turned business manager.”

Incorporating the XFL into Ballers is another reason why XFL fans should be excited about the new ownership group—creating innovative ways to expand the XFL fan base beyond the games. Still, games on national TV are critical to the league’s success.

It would have been nice to already have the old XFL broadcast partners like ESPN, FOX, and ABC on board with the sale. However, it looks like the new ownership group is trying to bring in the big streaming partners.

“Johnson and Cardinale’s RedBird Partners aren’t going to fight to enforce those contracts and are preparing to market a new media package to all potential buyers, including streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, insiders said.”

XFL 3.0 is undoubtedly an exciting time for fans as just several months ago. All hope was lost when the league shut its doors. This group is trying to do something different and even more significant than the XFL 2.0. and judging by the fan’s response, they are all in.