Month: December 2017

Reports are that Alpha will be used to found a new football league and hold the intellectual property of that league. The original XFL, a joint venture between WWF and UIS television company NBC, was a brainchild in 2001 but lasted only one season. In that one season it lost $35 million.

The XFL should not be confused with the United States Football League (USFL) that lasted 3 seasons, from 1983 through 1985. The idea behind the USFL dated back to 1965.  It was the dream child of New Orleans businessman David Dixon, who saw a market for a professional football league that would play in the summer, when the National Football League and college football were in their off-season.

The XFL was conceived as an outdoor football league that would take place during the NFL off-season, and promoted as having fewer rules and encouraging rougher play than other major leagues.  Its failure was in large part due to NBC sabotaging its relationship with the WWF.  It was far different from the polished and rather plastic NFL.  It was more rough and gritty and used personalities from wrestling to promote.

If the reports are true to what is behind Vince McMahon creating the new company Alpha, this time he is separating it out from his wrestling business.  Given the change in the way content is now delivered–the networks are no longer in a position to play God–the reason can’t be totally related to his experience with NBC though that may play a part.  The XFL could provide content for youtube, amazon, facebook, twitter, its own subscription service, and so on.

To stand a chance it will have to have pay caps  offset by revenue sharing.  And with those pay caps it will have to create personalities beyond the normal skills of an NFL player.  It will have to pull from the showmanship of the WWE even if McMahon wants to keep  the XFL and the WWE separate.  Recruitment could be more like American Idol than scouting.  The recruitment can NOT be seen as rejects from the NFL but rather as men and perhaps even women who have some skill and who have a whole lot of ambition.  It can’t be seen as a cheaper plastic, but still plastic, version of the plastic–rich man’s–NFL.  The players must be people with whom the audience can identify.

Can it succeed? Yes.

Will it succeed? Well, we don’t really even know the full plans of Vince McMahon. So…  That is an open question.

But if they create an environment where everyday people think they might can play, and advance to a higher level, then yeah.  If they try to be a poser acting all NFL like, then no.