XFL’s Russ Brandon Talks League Expansion, Playoff Revamp, and Shattering the Spring League Curse

Recently, XFL President Russ Brandon shed light on various aspects of the league at the St. Louis Showcase. He addressed a range of topics including the league’s future, the role of St. Louis, and the so-called spring league curse.

Brandon affirmed, “I think people now realize that we’re in this for the long haul. We’re obviously here in St. Louis for the very long haul and couldn’t be more pleased with how the league kicked off in year one. And we look forward to continuing to move the needle in year two and beyond.”

Discussing the pressure or rather satisfaction of breaking the spring league curse, he said, “I don’t know if it’s pressure, but it’s satisfaction for us that have worked so many, have worked so hard to get to the place we are today.”

The XFL President also had high praises for the fans, especially in St. Louis. He recounted, “Walking into that first game and seeing the fans with costumes and uniformed out in just a passion was awesome. And like, I said, it’s the standard for the XFL. I can’t say enough about the great fans here in St. Louis and how they’ve received this. It’s been amazing.”

On the topic of future championship games, Brandon left room for anticipation, “Not a timeline per se, but pretty standard operating procedure for us is we hold dates in all of our buildings that we plan. We even hold dates in some buildings we don’t plan, based on how we look at the metrics and what we want to do for championship number two.”

Addressing potential expansions in the league, he shared, “We’re going to look at everything to continue to grow. The XFL right now, going into season two, we will have the eight and eight team league again, so we’ll continue under that premise. But we were looking at a variety of game planning as we move forward.”

Regarding the playoff rules, Brandon acknowledged some confusion. He said, “Never dreamt, in all seriousness, never dreamt that we would get that far down in the tiebreaker scenario. It’s actually the exact same in the NFL. They’ve never utilized it. So the key to anything is keeping things simple. So we’ll have to clean that up a little bit.”

In a nutshell, Brandon’s conversation offers a candid look into XFL’s journey and future. His comments reveal a long-term commitment to the league and the fans. He acknowledged the need to address certain confusions around playoff rules, hinting at potential improvements. With the combination of fan support, especially in St. Louis, and an eye towards continuous growth, XFL’s path forward appears promising.