Official XFL Thread

[StringerBell]

http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26683501/xfl-games-air-espn-abc-fox-properties

STAMFORD, Conn. -- The XFL on Monday announced multiyear agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports to televise games starting with its inaugural 2020 season. XFL games will air weekly on broadcast TV (ABC and Fox) complemented by games on cable (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2). The XFL's TV schedule will feature back-to-back games each Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and two games on Sunday afternoons.

"We look forward to showcasing the XFL on ESPN and ABC, including the kickoff game and championship, during the league's inaugural season," said Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president, programming and scheduling. "Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck are two of the sports industry's most creative and experienced leaders, and they have exciting plans for this league. We believe in their vision for the XFL, which will be a great addition to our year-round commitment to football."

"We welcome the XFL to the FOX Sports Family and are pleased to expand our relationship with Vince McMahon," said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO and executive producer. "Football is in FOX Sports' DNA and a key component of our programming strategy. Alongside Oliver Luck and his incredible team, we're excited for the debut of the XFL on FOX Sports."

"We are thrilled to partner with ESPN and FOX Sports, two innovative media companies with extensive experience in world-class football production that will undoubtedly help us reimagine football," said Vince McMahon, XFL founder and chairman. "The XFL broadcast schedule provides us with incredible reach and makes it easy for fans to watch our games consistently every weekend."

The agreements were negotiated by CAA Sports and Evolution Media Capital on behalf of the XFL.

The XFL will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, with teams in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C. Additional XFL-themed programming and on-air talent will be announced.

 

[SportsByRo]

This is why Vince McMahon waited 2 years to relaunch the XFL

 

[AP2.5]

damn...this whats up

 

[Northside7]

Will it be as good as the Alliance football league?

 

[wadupdoe!313]

Yall excited for more wack ass football

 

[Northside7]

Yall excited for more wack ass football

The AAF wasn't bad but I expect the XFL to be below that in quality.

 

[Dwayne]

The AAF should have gotten this kind of backing

 

[Rubato]

Yall excited for more wack ass football

Football > no football

 

[SportsByRo]

The AAF should have gotten this kind of backing

They rushed it just to start it before the XFL and failed. Vince got plenty of money and like I said he was smart to wait 2 years before the league returns

 

[StringerBell]

https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/xfl-announces-tv-deals-espn-and-fox-sports-283126

One surprise regarding rights fees was reported by John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal:

"The networks are not paying a rights fee, but ESPN and Fox are picking up production costs, which generally amount to around $400,000 per game, sources said. As part of the deal, the nets will sell ads around the game; the XFL will handle sponsorships at the venue. ESPN and Fox will hold streaming rights to XFL games. The two nets also will cross-promote games during game broadcasts."

At 43 games, that adds up to roughly $17.2 million.

McMahon has sold a lot of his WWE stock to privately fund the XFL through Alpha Entertainment which he has said will run completely separate from WWE.

Perhaps part of hesitancy into a large rights fee deal was due to the disaster that was the AAF, a competitor that launched this season on CBS Sports with money troubles from the onset. The league didn't make it through its first year and ultimately may have a legacy of gambling technology instead of anything that happened on the field.

Fox acquired the rights to WWE SmackDown for more than $1 billion over five years that kicks off this September on the broadcast network.

 

[grYmes]

Them starting this right after the NFL ends will be it’s downfall. No one tryin to watch non consequential football the middle of Feb/March. If they started in July/August when people beginning to wanna see football again it could work out. I think it’ll last a little longer than the first time but the result will be the same.

 

[VIBE]

The AAF should have gotten this kind of backing

Vince is getting that $$, especially from Saudi.

 

[StringerBell]

The XFL revealed the names and logos for its eight teams Wednesday, a long-awaited step toward its February 2020 debut.

The names will be:

• Dallas Renegades
• Houston Roughnecks
• Los Angeles Wildcats
• New York Guardians
• St. Louis Battlehawks
• Seattle Dragons
• Tampa Bay Vipers
• Washington Defenders

 

[willhustle]

Them starting this right after the NFL ends will be it’s downfall. No one tryin to watch non consequential football the middle of Feb/March. If they started in July/August when people beginning to wanna see football again it could work out. I think it’ll last a little longer than the first time but the result will be the same.

Yeah man you got to give people a break from football at some point and Feb/Mar is basically when the NBA starts to get real good down the stretch. I can easily see the XFL having low ratings against the NBA's Saturday Night Showcase and it's Sunday afternoon games on ABC.

I'll give Vince's XFL reboot a small chance to survive but if he start doing shit like storylines like before that shit is gone go belly up. If Vince is smart he would look at Ice Cube's blueprint for the BIG 3.

 

[Dwayne]

I like my break for football

 

[grYmes]

I don’t mind the team names. If I can I’ll try to go to a LA game when I move to Cali. I can’t believe this shit is happening. I just listened to Bruce Prichard’s podcast (he’s Vince McMahons right hand man in the WWE for those who don’t know) & he explained how everything from the cheerleaders to the way the games were planned was a shitshow.

 

[VIBE]

Starts this Sat...

XFL is gonna fail again.. odd times for football games is gonna kill them. They need a set day with a set beginning time.

 

[Hustlelitó]

Roughneck gang we outchea

 

[AP2.5]

i hope to catch a couple of these

 

[Disanthrope]

A double forward pass????

Trash. Another reason i won't watch