by Mike Mitchell

Minor league football doesn’t work. Developmental leagues don’t work. A farm system football league won’t generate mass interest. By mere design, they go against the competitive league structure that fans clamor for. Could that come off as a blanket statement? Perhaps, but let’s delve into this a little deeper.

By default, any pro football league that is not the NFL can be considered as one of their unofficial developmental leagues. From the CFL to the upcoming AAF and XFL. No affiliation needed, just reality. In truth, the NFL already has a developmental league. It’s called NCAA College Football.

The NFL itself once had a spring pro football league that was designed to be a farm system for them. First called The World League of American Football, then shut down and re-branded as NFL Europe before closing up shop as NFL Europa in 2007. This league had NFL money backing it, players allocated from the NFL to play in it and yet it lost hundreds of millions of dollars. In truth, it was quality football and produced good to very good players. Most football fans know the story of Kurt Warner and Adam Vinatieri. The league even had decent exposure on ABC, FOX and The NFL Network among others. It just never captured the interest of football fans on a large scale.

So why didn’t it work? It’s simple, the games and the teams. If the fans don’t have a rooting interest in either, you don’t have a profitable league. So, what went wrong? The most important element of any sporting event is getting people to care about the outcome of the games. It’s not rocket science. It comes down to, “Do you care who wins or loses?”

In NFL Europe, the outcomes weren’t important. The games were often times treated like NFL preseason games. Quarterbacks would rotate in and out. Other positional players would share playing time. All in an effort to get players on game film for evaluation. That’s great for coaches, players and NFL teams but from a spectator standpoint, the games itself lose all meaning. That’s what you get from a developmental league. The viewing public sees the games as not being important because the actual outcomes are not. Any league that promotes itself as a minor league, it will in turn be treated as such.

Why has the CFL worked and survived all this time? Besides the fact that it is in another country. It’s because of the fans and the league itself. The CFL presents its own brand of pro football. It’s not a carbon copy or a lesser minor league version of the NFL. It has its own endearing qualities. The league has tradition and fan bases that are passionate and care about their teams winning and losing. They have the recipe for a league with a true competitive structure.

There’s nothing wrong with minor league sports. In fact, there is a lot to love about them. It provides players, coaches, officials and team employees, the opportunity to keep their dream of working in the big leagues alive. Great for those people but when it comes to appealing to the mass public, you come off as just that minor.

As for the AAF, under Bill Polian’s guidance and influence their main goal is to become a feeder system/developmental league for The NFL. That’s his end game. The rebirth of NFLE in the states. Get the NFL to endorse the AAF and back the league financially. Other leagues have had this vision and idea. The defunct UFL after looking like they would attempt to capitalize on the NFL’s labor issues, entertained the possibility of becoming a developmental league. The defunct FXFL run by Brian Woods positioned themselves with the premise of being just that for the NFL. Woods closed up shop and now runs The Spring League. A different yet more cost-effective way of giving prospective pro players a shot to go to the NFL or get back into the league.

The new spring pro-football leagues, the XFL and AAF, are going to provide great opportunity for prospective pro players. Considering the fact that in 2017, despite the fact over 16,000 college football players were eligible for the NFL draft, only 253 players were drafted. Some of the undrafted made their way to the league as college free agents, but we are talking about over 15,000 college football players with no chance to become pro-football players.

This is all good but positioning and promoting yourself as a minor developmental league is the kiss of death. What football personnel want is a developmental league, what football fans want is a strong alternative to the NFL and for something to fill the void when the NFL and NCAA seasons have ended. That’s the whole point of a spring pro football league. To appeal to die-hard football fans when there is NO FOOTBALL.

It’s what the original USFL had going for it, before it was mismanaged greatly on several fronts. The USFL had its own unique feel and felt like a legit pro sports league. There were fans who embraced the teams and players and speak glowingly of that fan feel for the league to this very day, three decades later.

How does a league achieve that type of fan connection? You do it by taking what the NFL and NCAA does well and try to make it better. You take what they don’t do well and improve upon it. You present an exciting new brand of football that innovates on the field and on the broadcast level. Present the league as being something major, exciting and on the cutting edge. Make fans care about the teams and games.

The XFL and AAF have both taken public stances where they are not adversarial to the NFL. This is a good thing. You don’t want to alienate the die-hard NFL fans and supporters. They are the consumers that you are targeting after all. You also don’t want to get the mainstream sports media against you. The original XFL riled up supporters by taking shots at the NFL and boasted about bringing smash-mouth football back. There were some things that they innovated like broadcasting interviews with players to the stadium live, the sky cam and the “bubba cam” but the XFL made a lot of enemies with their renegade league approach. There is still joy to this day from people that they failed in 2001.

Both The AAF and XFL have to take the approach of trying to present the best possible football leagues that they can. It’s the only chance they have to be taken seriously. On the field and off. If in any way, they come off as minor league. They will be ignored. Best case scenario? If the AAF becomes the NFL’s version of the NBA’s Gatorade League. (Yes, that’s what it’s called now). Then, they will exist but who will even notice or care.

 

Why is the XFL launching?

An opportunity exists to re-imagine America’s favorite sport by putting fans at the center, while leveraging a changing media landscape and evolving consumer viewing behavior.

Who owns and runs the XFL?

Vince McMahon is personally funding this venture through Alpha Entertainment, a new private entity.

Will teams be owned by the league or will teams be owned and run by independent entities?

The new XFL is a single entity structure with plans for eight teams at launch, all of which will be owned by the league.

When is the XFL launching?

The new XFL is scheduled to launch in early 2020.

Where will teams be located?

The selection of cities will take place over the coming months, and a mix of major and mid-major markets in all regions of the U.S. are possibilities.

Have team nicknames been determined?

Team identities and logos will be revealed after cities are selected.

When will games be played?

Games are being planned for Sundays.

How many games will be played? What’s the postseason structure?

Plans include each team playing a 10-game regular season, with a postseason consisting of two semifinal games followed by a championship game.

How big will team rosters be?

Active rosters will have approximately 40 players.

What will players’ salary structure look like?

The players’ salary structure is still in development, but players will be paid to play, and paid more to win.

Will there be testing for illicit drugs and PEDs?

The XFL’s comprehensive player health and wellness policy will include drug testing.

Reference: XFL.com

Below is a written transcript of the XFL Conference Call done with reporters on 25 Jan 2018.

Questions are in bold, with Vince McMahon’s answer, in italics.

1. Brian Fritz, Sporting News: Vince, I guess the big question now is why do you believe now is the right time to bring back the XFL?
   • Well, football is America’s favourite sport. There is 7 months of no football, and uh, there is 70 million fans, so why not now? Now is a perfect opportunity. I’ve always wanted to bring it back.
2. What do you think of a lesson you learned from the first time you did the XFL to what you will do now
   • Well I think the most important thing we learned with the older XFL and now the new XFL is the quality of the play. But frankly, we only had a short time in the past to put everything together. We have two years now to really get it right. It’s the quality of the play.
3. Joe Flint, Wall Street Journal: Hi, Vince talk a little about your media plans. Will you be looking to put this, offer this as a package to the broadcast or cable networks? Or for your own streaming service? What do you think there?
   • Well again, as we reimagine the game we re-imagine the way we distribute the game. I think it’s important to consider the standard way we do this. I also think it’s important to consider the new way, so it’ll probably gonna be a combination of any number of forms of presentation.
4. Have you had any initial talks with anyone?
   • No, no initial talks not really. We just know interest is there
5. Brian Campbell, CBS Sports: How will this announcement affect your day to day control of creative decisions of WWE?
   • It won’t affect it at all.
6. Will you be staying in the same role completely?
   • Yes I will continue to be the CEO and Chairman of the board of WWE.
7. What type of opportunities do you see available for WWE talent, broadcasters, wrestlers to cross over between brands
   • Thank you for asking, there will be no crossover whatsoever in terms of talent or anything like that from the WWE to the new XFL
8. Darren Rovell, ESPN: I guess the question I have is what is your role as far as being out in front? Obviously you had a presence in 2001. What will people see of you?
   • Quite frankly this may be the last you see of me in terms of being out front. We’re gonna hire people who really know what they are doing. It won’t be me.
9. Chris Palmeri, Bloomberg News: Can you say if the controversy about bending knee and the ratings slump that the NFL has had, seeing it play a role in you launching this now?
   • No, I’ve always wanted to relaunch, and have this plan for sometime
10. Why are you not doing it this time through the WWE?
    • Quite frankly, 100 million dollars to start with is too rich for WWE as far as investments concern
11. Paul Newberry, AP: I assume this will be the same timeframe you mentioned out of season I assume a spring league with the same timeframe as the old XFL?
    • There will be a spring league, it’ll start end of January, early February and play through. Not exactly a spring league.
12. Neil Best, Newsday: In terms of the ownership model, will it be franchise or owned all 8 teams? Any idea what cities will be involved?
    • It’ll be single entity, we’re not gonna have the franchise model. We are way away from announcing cities. We are doing research as cities concern, and that’ll be something we announce in the future.
13. Emma Ockerman, Bloomberg News: I wanted to ask, I know that data analysis and research have been a big part of expanding the WWE Network. Can you explain a little bit about the research backing the demanding of the XFL?
    • Yes, well I’m not gonna make reference to any research that makes reference to WWE, and we’ll get into the research and what have you going forward. We have done a lot of it thus far, with more to come in terms of putting all of this together.
14. Jackie Waddel, CNN: My question is about concussions and CTE. Obviously this is a huge point of concern with the NFL right now, and getting attention amount fans and the general public. Do you have any plans or ideas about how your going to keep players safe?
    • Reimagining the game of football means you are reimagining it on all levels. This means safety and we will make it as safe as possible. It’s still football, but we will make it as safe as possible.
15. Any specific measures that you can say?
    • No, not anything specifically except we’re gonna bring in experts in these fields. We’re gonna listen to medical experts and (?) their advice.
16. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union Tribune: Will President Trump support this in any way even if it’s just with statements? And can you speak to San Diego as a market?
    • I have no idea whether or not President Trump will support this, and let me use this as an opportunity to say that as far as our league is concerned, it’ll have nothing to do with politics. Absolutely nothing to do with social issues either. We’re there to play football. We want really good football. When they tune in, I don’t know they want political issues. They want good football, and that’s what we are going to deliver. And as far as San Diego is concerned, we don’t know yet.
17. Richard Deitsch, SI: Vince, why are you not concerned with there being oversaturation of football as a product, with the NFL to college football, to CFL to arena league.
    • There’s 7 months where there is no football on the grid iron, and I think if the demand is there, and as well I think the quality of the play. This is going to be a different game, a fan centric game. It will be faster, it will just be a better football game than what everyone else is accustomed to. I think we are going to make our own demand.
18. John Lassiete: Are you going to suspend players if they have a political opinion, is there going to be no free speech?
    • Well I think this: You know the rules and regulations, as I mentioned. Your gonna have a booklet, whatever it is to make sure all the players understand the rules, as well as everyone else. We intend for everyone to abide by those rules. As the national anthem is concerned which is where you might be going now, I think this: The national anthem is a time honoured tradition, and it played to this day and many many years in the past prior to most athletic events. In our country and other countries. So whatever our rules are, is whatever everyone will abide by. There is plenty of opportunity that the players and coaches can express themselves in terms of personal views as far as social aspects are concerned. Whether it’s Facebook or whatever. But again, we are here to play football. That’s everyone’s job.
19. Roger Simmons, Atlanta Sentinel: Could you tell us, do you have in your mind a criteria the type of cities you are looking for? Cities that don’t have an NFL franchise?
    • That’s not the criteria. We’re gonna go where fans want us to go. Where there is more interest, and of course there is a lot of factors. We are nowhere near that right now.
20. John Shumway, KDKA TV Pittsburgh: Are you going to be targeting places that already had the existing NFL type of facilities?
    • Without a doubt, you wanna play football where football is played. And the stadiums. There may be a situation where we play a baseball stadium when a football stadium isn’t available in that market, but nonetheless the intent is the play most specifically where other NFL teams play?
21. Is Pittsburgh on your radar?
    • Every city, I love Pittsburgh. Every city is on our radar.
22. John Healy, New York Daily News: You said you wanted to make the game safe, but you also want to make it faster. Is this time to bring back any bigger hits? How are you going to make it possible if it’s gonna be a faster game?
    • Well again, I think that there may not be a halftime for one example, we’re gonna listen to football experts. Their gonna tell us. The goal is to make it a much faster game. Sitting and watching a much faster game is leborious sometimes, sometimes it’s not depending on the quality of the play. But, we intend to have a much faster game. We’re gonna try to get to two hours, that’s our goal. That’s an experience that I think most people would enjoy and it doesn’t take up too much of their time.
23. Steve Feitl, Asbury Park Press: Obviously the XFL was in the headlines last year when the ESPN documentary came out early in the year. Did the reaction to that play into this decision at all?
    • No, we have been thinking about doing the XFL for many many years. I do think Charlie Ebersol did a great job capturing the interest and the appreciation for each other that Dick Ebersol and I have had and have today. He’s a wonderful human being and we had a blast together in the old XFL.
24. Did you have any thoughts to giving it a different name this time around?
    • Um, we did, but we kept coming back to the equity of the XFL from a marketing standpoint it was already there. We think it’s a cool name.
25. Neil Docking, The Daily Mirror: You mentioned there is no TV partner as of yet, will you be looking to have a social media streaming component? And are you exploring broadcasting the product internationally, in the UK for example where there is a growing audience?
    • Yes, I think again, all options are available to us. And I think that’s something that was never there before. We can do any number of things, or a combination of things as well. In terms of traditional platforms, as well as digital and what have you. So, there are many options that are available to us that weren’t before. And again, by simplifying the rules, it makes the XFL (a) more global friendly environment.
26. Tony Maglio, The Wrap: Just a clarification, will you allow nicknames on the back of jerseys like He Hate Me, and number two ‘cause you mentioned the national anthem thing, just to clarify, will it be in the rules that you have to stand for the national anthem?
    • Well first question I’m not sure about the individuality of the He Hate Me, we’re not there yet, but it’s amazing that people remember that, Rod Smart. That was extraordinary. Whether we do that again, we are gonna listen to football experts, we’re gonna listen to what the audience, what the fans want. As far as the national anthem is concerned, I think again it’s a time honoured tradition to stand and appreciate the national anthem with any sport. In any country they do that, so I think it would be appropriate if we did that.
27. Ryan Wooley, News Radio 950: You mentioned about streaming the games and the broadcast network, is there a specific network you want to place it on? Is there a specific broadcasting team, national announcers? Local guys? How is that gonna work?
    • That’s all to be determined. There’s interest with everyone. There’s interest in traditional networks, there’s interested in a lot of areas. And again, we can have a different feed and different customized feed for anyone. By doing that, you can appeal to the older audience, and a younger audience as well. You can give them what they want and how they want it.
28. You say your still looking for teams and places to place the teams, do you see old teams coming back? Or will everything be all new?
    • I think everything will be all new, but if theres something from the past that you want to bring back, we aren’t constrained to do that. We are reimagining the XFL as well.
29. Jimmie Traina, SI.com: Will any invites be submitted to players like Johnny Maziel, Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick?
    • Well I think this, that one of the things that I said was the quality of the human being is very important and just as important as the quality of the player, what I mean by that is you want someone who does not have any criminality whatsoever associating with them. In the XFL, even if you have a DUI, you will not play in the XFL. That will probably eliminate some of them, not all of them. If Tim Tebow wants to play, he could very well play.
30. Rob Wollard, AFP: Could you clarify on the players that will be allowed to play in the league, would Colin Kaepernick be welcome in the league?
    • Again I think anyone who plays the game of football well and meets our criteria in terms of the quality of the human being as well as the player, why not? As long as everyone abides by the rules as laid down.
31. Just to clarify, you would have to standing during the national anthem?
    • Your gonna know them (the rules) before you sign on to the XFL, so I assume anyone who signs on is going to abide by those rules.
32. Jim Varsallone, Miami Herald: Any thought with broadcasting with Jim Ross, Jessie Ventura, do you know if there will be a crossover?
    • There will be no crossover whatsoever.
33. Justin Barrasso: What drives you for this process?
    • I think this: I’m gonna hire professionals, people who really know what they are doing. I’m gonna take a backseat to that, I’m not gonna be out front.
34. Did you seek her opinion (Linda McMahon) on this decision?
    • No.
35. Will there be specific differences on the field between the XFL and the NFL?
    • I think there will be a lot of differences. The big difference will be what do the fans want.

(Transcript reference: http://www.wrestlingheads.com/?p=18381)