3 reasons why this new version of the XFL might actually work

After an interesting opening week of the 2020 season, the new incarnation of the XFL has exceeded expectations and is showing serious potential for success.

When WWE owner and impresario Vince McMahon announced the return of the XFL, the pro football experiment that was built as a tougher, more spectacular alternative to the forever dominant NFL, everybody had serious doubts. After all, back in 2001, its first stint turned out to be a complete disaster. But this time, the revamped concept looks way more exciting than we expected, displaying a more streamlined focus in the athletic aspects of the game, and offering a very nice show in the process.

In week 1, when the DC Defenders beat the Seattle Dragons, and the New York Guardians destroyed the Tampa Bay Vipers, we were offered a fresh, faster version of the beloved old game, and the tweaks on everything from the scoring to the coach-player interactions made for a very intriguing watch for us rules nerds, but most importantly, it all looked really, really fun. It may be too soon to call, but this could mean that the new XFL can be a smash, and there are three main reasons why you should definitely take a look.

1. This time, it’s more football than spectacle

One of the main reasons the original run of the XFL failed was basically that it was being run the same way as the WWE. It was loud, story-driven and outrageous, but it didn’t offer much when it came to actual football. McMahon himself faced severe criticism for the league’s unnecessary roughness and its attempts to sell sexuality through sport —a relic of its time, perhaps. But on this occasion, the XFL presented us with a new set of possibilities for the sport, and the acquisition of loads of talent, from young players to experienced coaches and coordinators, can create the conditions for a highly competitive season, and even with its modest 8-team setting, there is a lot of room for some nail-biting action.

However, the biggest focus is still on the fans. We can appreciate the inner workings of the game more clearly, due to the fact that players, coaches, and even referees, are all mic’d up. It truly feels like a more personal experience, and it could make a stronger connection between the audience and the athletes since even the public in the field is closer to the action.

2. It’s a great new avenue for up-and-coming players to show their skills

The XFL has enough potential to become a solid alternative, especially for college athletes, to enter the professional market. While the NFL, the MLB, and the NBA are home to the very best the world has to offer in their respective sports, there is space only for an elite few, and thousand of talented players coming from college or high-school never get the chance to fulfill their dreams. In the baseball realm, players still have regional leagues, winter leagues, and international leagues where they become huge stars, and in basketball, there is an effervescent market for the American player abroad, especially in Europe and Australia.

With the arrival of the XFL, there is now an exciting new opening for high-school prodigies, small-college stars and even foreign talent to emerge, hone their skills, acquire waves of followers, and make some really good money. And we get a fiercer, more exhilarating competition to boot.

3. We might be watching the beginnings of an entirely new sport

Yes, there is a strong case for this, and most importantly, there is a precedent. With the introduction of the new rules, the XFL positioned itself as a unique concept in American football, and this reimagining of the old game sets the grounds for it to become a different sport on its own.

The gameplay innovations, from the elimination of the kicked extra point and the introduction of the double-forward pass to the completely new Overtime proceedings, make for a faster, slicker, and less tedious game, and one that relies more on creativity and risk-taking. We also get scoring situations that may seem weird at first but make more room for the unexpected, perhaps some incredible comebacks and improbable upsets.

But the reason why we think it might become an entirely different game is that, historically, these changes recall what happened in Rugby. In 1895, Rugby League emerged as a splinter from the traditional Rugby Union; at first, there were only two competition under different administrations, but as the years went by, the League started to develop several variations, from the pacing of the game to changes in the rules of possession and even in the numbers of players in the field. Nowadays, both codes of Rugby are distinct enough to be considered different sports, with both having their own competitions and regulatory bodies. This could also happen with the XFL and the NFL — it almost happened between the NFL and the AFL, but they merged in 1970 —, and honestly, that would be pretty awesome.

The new XFL looks really good so far. We have nine more weeks to see where it goes from here.