Fansided

XFL needs more new College talent, not NFL washouts

By Leonel Manzanares De la Rosa

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 1: Taylor Cornelius #4 of the Tampa Bay Vipers running against the DC Defenders during the XFL game at Raymond James Stadium on March 1, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/XFL via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 1: Taylor Cornelius #4 of the Tampa Bay Vipers running against the DC Defenders during the XFL game at Raymond James Stadium on March 1, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/XFL via Getty Images) /
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In order for the newly-revamped XFL to survive, it desperately needs a hefty dose of fresh blood.

It’s been four weeks now for the 2020 season of the new version of the XFL, and while there have always been doubts about the financial health of the League and its chances to contest the media supremacy of the NFL, we have undoubtedly seen signs of promise and a wide array of possibilities for it to become its own thing and gain further relevance.

Moreover, even with a slight drop in TV ratings compared to the opening week, the stadium attendance numbers have been consistently on the rise, as we can begin to see which are the teams to watch for title contention, and most importantly, we look at the players with the potential to become superstars.

But here is where we can also see the bigger problems, the shortcomings that might put the future of the league at risk. For a young, rising organization that wants to position itself as professional football’s alternative, it still focuses too much on introducing players that were, at some point, part of the NFL teams.

It is true that the XFL works as a good second chance for players that didn’t quite pan out in the past to still have a decent pro career, and that the teams can value their proven experience in the spotlight, but the league’s approach of “Remember this guy who played in the Raiders six years ago and then disappeared? He’s your star quarterback now” is not a good selling argument, and it does a great disservice to its intention of acquiring new fans.

What the league can do is to shift its direction towards the new; instead of recycling stars, creating stars. And what better place to find the new hot ticket that in the immense pot of talent coming out every single year from the College system. The NCAA is perhaps the largest creator of athletic talent in the world and an already inextinguishable resource for the NFL machinery, and the XFL may actually become even more exciting if it manages to beat the NFL to the punch and discover the hidden gems first.

More crucially, and essentially for the XFL’s survival, it needs to become a developmental league. Look, it is extremely hard to even get into the NFL, let alone to get a sustainable, long career, that place is reserved for only an elite few. But the XFL can function not only as the spring-summer stage for pro football but as a formative stage for promising athletes to fulfill these expectations. Maybe after a few years of experience, they could be ready for the NFL, and it could secure some important financial gains for the XFL in the process, as it could create the conditions for a healthy trade pipeline for both leagues.

Besides, this developmental approach can also make it more attractive to watch. Imagine how great of a premise is to create for the fans a chance to see the players that could completely revolutionize the sport, here for the first time, on International TV. The XFL is already doing a lot of things right, especially as a spectacle, but it can seriously improve its sporting profile if it gets this much-needed dose of fresh blood.

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