Vince McMahon considers move to bring back the XFL

[M.Silverback]

On 2020-03-08 at 10:27 AM, 66 Chevelle said:

but I get it, some feel threaten by the new league

That's fair. I'd say we're threatened in the sense that if the XFL does succeed it will impact the CFL in terms of recruiting or retaining talent. Hasn't happened yet to any large extent though.

On 2020-03-08 at 10:27 AM, 66 Chevelle said:

attendance at St. Louis was been so good that they are opening up and selling tickets in the upper bowl on the 'home side' for the rest of the year.

I've been to all 4 of St. Louis' games this year, enjoyed each one of them... 

That's great! I think that speaks more to St. Louis being an excellent sports city than the draw of the XFL or the quality of play. St. Louis should have an NFL team. Shameful that they don't. 

On 2020-03-08 at 10:27 AM, 66 Chevelle said:

with a little tweaking along the way this league has a legit chance of making it... in most likelyhood it will fail like all others have but it's not as grime and dire and most haters would like to believe...

alright... hating starts.... NOW!  lol...

I think the XFL is doomed to fail, despite some good markets like St. Louis, and despite potential streaming revenue. The CFL is around the same scale in terms of attendance, TV, etc. But, it's apples and oranges. The CFL is an entirely different game, also showcasing Canadian talent. It will always have a draw to Canadians. And the TSN numbers look small, but considering the population, aren't bad. TSN also renewed their contract, so they must be doing alright with it. I know many fans who prefer Canadian football to American. The XFL is a vastly inferior version of the NFL, unlikely to have any star or high profile players emerge. Maybe a few that end up on an NFL roster. I don't think American fans will watch or support that in the long term. It also doesn't have the appeal of supporting a favorite college team, even if the level of play is decent.   

And no hating here. Thanks for the insights from someone who has been to an XFL game.

Edited March 9, 2020 by M.Silverback

[Geebrr]

I don't find the XFL threatening any more than the AFL is threatening.

So...

No.

[66 Chevelle]

44 minutes ago, Geebrr said:

I don't find the XFL threatening any more than the AFL is threatening.

So...

No.

didn't the AFL end in 1969 when it merged with the NFL?

bottom line is, I'm a fan of football... I follow high school football, NCAA football, NFL,  CFL, and now the XFL... and not necessarily in that order... I follow NCAA and CFL at a much higher level of interest than I do the NFL...  I've actually watched every CFL game during the past 3 seasons...

in all honesty, I see the XFL much like the CFL in terms that it more accessible and affordable for the common man to be involved in and support... I'm not sure why that's a bad thing...  

Edited March 9, 2020 by 66 Chevelle

[66 Chevelle]

15 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

You don’t know what you’re missing.

Passes, receptions, converts, interceptions... 

Just like the players on both teams..

you mean like this former Bomber's catch yesterday?

 

yeah, total crap... lol...

Edited March 9, 2020 by 66 Chevelle

[M.Silverback]

19 minutes ago, 66 Chevelle said:

in all honesty, I see the XFL much like the CFL in terms that it more accessible and affordable for the common man to be involved in and support... I'm not sure why that's a bad thing...  

Good point. NFL games have become super expensive in most markets. And with TV coverage being so great, sitting at home watching in HD is a pretty good option. I've gone to a few NFL games and I'm glad I did, but, not sure it was money well spent. CFL games are inexpensive and fun. Sounds like the XFL games are too.

[Tiny759]

Considering the media attention the XFL gets in the states and the media outlets and opportunities the xfl has, there really should be no reason it fails. For example the “beer snake” blew up in media giving them tons of attention, acting like they are the creators of the beer snake. 

[SpeedFlex27]

2 hours ago, Tiny759 said:

Considering the media attention the XFL gets in the states and the media outlets and opportunities the xfl has, there really should be no reason it fails. For example the “beer snake” blew up in media giving them tons of attention, acting like they are the creators of the beer snake. 

And in our league the beer snake was a crime. That made no sense. 

[66 Chevelle]

11 hours ago, M.Silverback said:

That's fair. I'd say we're threatened in the sense that if the XFL does succeed it will impact the CFL in terms of recruiting or retaining talent. Hasn't happened yet to any large extent though.

That's great! I think that speaks more to St. Louis being an excellent sports city than the draw of the XFL or the quality of play. St. Louis should have an NFL team. Shameful that they don't. 

I think the XFL is doomed to fail, despite some good markets like St. Louis, and despite potential streaming revenue. The CFL is around the same scale in terms of attendance, TV, etc. But, it's apples and oranges. The CFL is an entirely different game, also showcasing Canadian talent. It will always have a draw to Canadians. And the TSN numbers look small, but considering the population, aren't bad. TSN also renewed their contract, so they must be doing alright with it. I know many fans who prefer Canadian football to American. The XFL is a vastly inferior version of the NFL, unlikely to have any star or high profile players emerge. Maybe a few that end up on an NFL roster. I don't think American fans will watch or support that in the long term. It also doesn't have the appeal of supporting a favorite college team, even if the level of play is decent.   

And no hating here. Thanks for the insights from someone who has been to an XFL game.

the point I was attempting to make wasn't that the TV ratings for the CFL were small but that the CFL is able to be viable with that level of veiwership... given the similarities in league cost per team, etc., one could draw the inference that another league in a different market could possibly do the same with similar numbers...

however, for anyone to believe that the XFL was going to come out of the gates and put a product on the field to rival the NFL, CFL, or even a major college program were simply fooling themselves... after all, the NFL has been in existence 100 years, the CFL for 107 years, and the NCAA for 150 years... the XFL... 4 weeks... but to think that there isn't dropped balls, interceptions, and at times just poor play in general in any of the aforementioned leagues is equally as foolish...

[GCn20]

8 hours ago, 66 Chevelle said:

the point I was attempting to make wasn't that the TV ratings for the CFL were small but that the CFL is able to be viable with that level of veiwership... given the similarities in league cost per team, etc., one could draw the inference that another league in a different market could possibly do the same with similar numbers...

however, for anyone to believe that the XFL was going to come out of the gates and put a product on the field to rival the NFL, CFL, or even a major college program were simply fooling themselves... after all, the NFL has been in existence 100 years, the CFL for 107 years, and the NCAA for 150 years... the XFL... 4 weeks... but to think that there isn't dropped balls, interceptions, and at times just poor play in general in any of the aforementioned leagues is equally as foolish...

Nationwide total viewing doesn't mean bupkus. Market saturation is what's important. % of people watching is what the networks care about. Canada may have similar TV numbers nationwide but has a 90% smaller TV viewership. Therefore, TSN can sell ad space at a much higher rate for it's CFL broadcasts then what the American channels can ask for a very small TV market share.

I do agree that this league seems like it may survive past the one year mark. However, I am sure it is hemorrhaging money right now and will likely have to make some tough decisions after year one likely on player salaries.

Edited March 10, 2020 by GCn20

[The Unknown Poster]

40 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Nationwide total viewing doesn't mean bupkus. Market saturation is what's important. % of people watching is what the networks care about. Canada may have similar TV numbers nationwide but has a 90% smaller TV viewership. Therefore, TSN can sell ad space at a much higher rate for it's CFL broadcasts then what the American channels can ask for a very small TV market share.

I do agree that this league seems like it may survive past the one year mark. However, I am sure it is hemorrhaging money right now and will likely have to make some tough decisions after year one likely on player salaries.

Maybe but I think Vince has it forcasted.  He's willing to lose the 300, 400 million or whatever it was he put in.  Now, if it was a total obvious disaster in year one, he might re-think that.  But if the golden goose of TV rights fees is still on the horizon, he wont be overly concerned with losses in the first couple years.

[Mr Dee]

No St Louis crowds factored in this week..

 

[The Unknown Poster]

XFL Sunday on cable.
833K ESPN
767K FS1

Below AEW...Vince is going to do something drastic!

[66 Chevelle]

4 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Nationwide total viewing doesn't mean bupkus. Market saturation is what's important. % of people watching is what the networks care about. Canada may have similar TV numbers nationwide but has a 90% smaller TV viewership. Therefore, TSN can sell ad space at a much higher rate for it's CFL broadcasts then what the American channels can ask for a very small TV market share.

I do agree that this league seems like it may survive past the one year mark. However, I am sure it is hemorrhaging money right now and will likely have to make some tough decisions after year one likely on player salaries.

i'm pretty sure that's not how it works... from an advertiser's point of view I'm sure that there is a formula that probably goes something like "% of total viewers=number of related sales" ...  if that weren't the case there would be absolutely no need to track overall viewership and you would only see veiwership numbers in relationship to potential markets... 

[GCn20]

2 hours ago, 66 Chevelle said:

i'm pretty sure that's not how it works... from an advertiser's point of view I'm sure that there is a formula that probably goes something like "% of total viewers=number of related sales" ...  if that weren't the case there would be absolutely no need to track overall viewership and you would only see veiwership numbers in relationship to potential markets... 

As someone who has extensive experience in purchasing and negotiation of advertising in TV and other media I can assure you that is exactly how it works.

[Mr Dee]

Slip sliding away?

 

[GCn20]

23 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Maybe but I think Vince has it forcasted.  He's willing to lose the 300, 400 million or whatever it was he put in.  Now, if it was a total obvious disaster in year one, he might re-think that.  But if the golden goose of TV rights fees is still on the horizon, he wont be overly concerned with losses in the first couple years.

Like I said, I think Vince is likely to ride it out beyond this year unless TV turns their back on him again. At the end of the day this league shows the apparent problems with the American game. It's a very boring style of football that must have excellent execution in order to keep fans engaged. There just isn't enough margin for error to make mistakes or take big risks in the NFL style game. Even a shortened game like the XFL can be exceedingly boring to watch.

Edited March 11, 2020 by GCn20

[GCn20]

24 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

Slip sliding away?

 

This is pretty much a carbon copy of the trends from the first XFL and AAF. Americans are apathetic to spring football. These numbers will decrease as March Madness starts taking over.

Edited March 11, 2020 by GCn20

[GCn20]

What should be concerning Vince the most is that the quality of play has been getting worse, not better. That does not bode well for this league. It is completely devoid of offensive talent and that is resulting in games being ultra boring.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the game in the first couple weeks, and now it seems that the offences are just ill equipped now that there is film on them. QBs that can't throw and OLs that can't block...it's like watching the 1995 Bombers.

I'd love to see an XFL/CFL exhibition game before the new league tanks...it would be a blow out.

Edited March 11, 2020 by GCn20

[Tiny759]

2 hours ago, GCn20 said:

This is pretty much a carbon copy of the trends from the first XFL and AAF. Americans are apathetic to spring football. These numbers will decrease as March Madness starts taking over.

Don’t forget opening day for baseball is only 20 some days away too.

[voodoochylde]

1 hour ago, Tiny759 said:

Don’t forget opening day for baseball is only 20 some days away too.

Baseball is irrelevant until October.

(a little tongue in cheek but with 162 games in a season, it's a little hard to get jacked about it until games actually mean something)

[GCn20]

7 minutes ago, voodoochylde said:

Baseball is irrelevant until October.

I agree....but people watch it and attend in the US. Also, basketball playoffs will also cut into XFL big time. It's just a bad time of year to try attract fans to a 2nd tier league. The CFL has a built in fan base and a long history to fall back on, someone building a new league South of the border will have immense problems doing so. The NFL is kind of weird in that it has zero interest in helping fund or using a farm league and that quite frankly was the only hope a spring football league had at success. Can't say I blame them, the NCAA has an outstanding system for that and costs the NFL owners nothing.

Edited March 11, 2020 by GCn20

[M.Silverback]

New pro leagues struggle in part due to:

Lack of regional allegiances – No history with team in that region. The Seattle Dragons are not the Green Bay Packers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners …

Poor level of play – Can never compete with the established leagues initially – NFL is vastly better; CFL is much better at present.

Lack of star players – Unless a new league can poach existing stars like the WHA or USFL did, there are not any name players who drive interest in the new league.

New leagues can overcome this, but, it takes time. And in that time you will lose money. The WNBA is an example. Started slow, now it is very entertaining basketball with star players who are being marketed. Always secondary to the NBA of course, but a very good product on its own. Also was being propped up financially to some extent by the NBA.

[SpeedFlex27]

19 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

I agree....but people watch it and attend in the US. Also, basketball playoffs will also cut into XFL big time. It's just a bad time of year to try attract fans to a 2nd tier league. The CFL has a built in fan base and a long history to fall back on, someone building a new league South of the border will have immense problems doing so. The NFL is kind of weird in that it has zero interest in helping fund or using a farm league and that quite frankly was the only hope a spring football league had at success. Can't say I blame them, the NCAA has an outstanding system for that and costs the NFL owners nothing.

The NCAA is their developmental league.

[Stickem]

When the true numbers come out, about this covid-19 disease in the states...leagues will have a tough time filling stadiums and arenas...XFL along with other sporting venues will be up against it...I just hope we have this thing beat by the time our league has it's opening day

[SpeedFlex27]

1 minute ago, Stickem said:

When the true numbers come out, about this covid-19 disease in the states...leagues will have a tough time filling stadiums and arenas...XFL along with other sporting venues will be up against it...I just hope we have this thing beat by the time our league has it's opening day

Not likely as a vaccine is at least a year away.