Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson speaks to participants of the XFL Showcase at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday.
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Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson speaks to participants of the XFL Showcase at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday.
XFL
The XFL is just over six months away from the start of the season, and when the league tries its third time, it will expand to three new cities and make Arlington, Texas its headquarters for the 2023 season.
Las Vegas, San Antonio and Orlando, Fla., are all new to this year’s tournament. Houston, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington and Arlington all have teams in the first league restart in 2020.
The positions of the previously announced teams and coaches that will be tied to each team have been announced by the tournament’s owners, actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his longtime business partner Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners, announced on Sunday.
Garcia said in a statement. “In each of these cities, we’ll be co-creating with our fans and building these teams from the ground up so they represent the unique fabric of our community.”
Johnson said he was “proud” to announce the location of the headquarters on Monday.
“This football-rich community is the perfect place for us to infuse XFL culture & DNA into our players,” Johnson said on Twitter. “Now for the fun part – we get to work.”
As the league continues to prepare for its scheduled kickoff on February 18, 2023, here’s a look back at the history of the tournament and what could be different this time around.
When does the XFL start?
The XFL began in 2001 as a partnership between Vince McMahon, then president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, and Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports. There were many things that led to the league’s decline that year, but perhaps most notable was the football that wasn’t really worth watching.
The league is noticeably different from the NFL. The rule changes have resulted in a more violent and unsafe game. The focus on the sex appeal of cheerleaders was brought to the forefront by the teams. Players are encouraged to put their nicknames on the jerseys.
McMahon brought his signature flair and helped sell the league, but the players and coaches had more than two months to prepare and practice, and all the fanfare seemed overwhelming when the teams actually field domination.
Despite high interest at the start of the season, it didn’t last, and when the season ended in April of that year, it marked the end of the league – or so it seemed at the time.
The XFL’s 2020 reboot had been half a season before the COVID-19 pandemic forced games to pause.
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Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images
The XFL’s 2020 reboot had been half a season before the COVID-19 pandemic forced games to pause.
Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images
The league was restarted in 2020 – and then the pandemic hit
Nearly two decades later, McMahon announced the return of the league – scheduled for 2020. The approach seems to have evolved, with many WWE tactics left behind. Instead, this new iteration of XFL more focus on the game and player safety, with rule changes aimed at reducing the risk of injury.
“The game has really been raised, and as a result, the players available to us – the country’s 500 best players who are not under contract with another professional football league – these people good,” former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck told NPR in 2020. “Now, having said that, we know it’s a challenge and we’re opening our eyes to looking at this. I think we’ve made a pretty good step forward in establishing a tournament that people want to see.”
The 10-game season seemed to be on its way to becoming the kind of league Luck was talking about, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Sports leagues halted their seasons abruptly, and while most leagues return a few months later in a bubble, the XFL is not one of them. The federation fired almost all of its employees and immediately Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
“The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of football lovers,” the league said in a closing statement. “Unfortunately, as a new business, we are not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis.”
Johnson, Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners bought the league for $15 million later that year.
XFL 2023 is on the way but we still don’t know all the details
Although the cities and head coaches have been announced for the 2023 season – the coaches are a mix of former NFL and college head coaches and retired NFL stars – Team names and mascots are not. The roster has also not been announced, although the league just wrapped up its final prospectus on Sunday at Arlington.
Game dates and times have not been announced, but the XFL has been selling ticket deposits starting at $50. And for fans who plan to watch from home, the league has announced an announcement. broadcasting contract with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN in the May. The deal runs through 2027, signaling that this XFL iteration is intended to last more than a season.
