Team Names Coming when?

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

I disagree that the team name announcements are overdue. If anything, announcing too soon is a greater risk. The league is new and the real excitement around it won't happen until 2020. The team names and logos can come at that time - for now the city can be the focus and it keeps attention on the XFL itself. Marketing will be more local and team-oriented once play starts, because honestly as far as fans care there's no team until they are playing games.

"Go New York... wait, are they still the Hitmen? I don't remember when they ever said what the team names were going to be. I was busy following the Jets that weekend."

Is that what they want? Because that's what they're going to get. Now we have Jones coming out with a date—FINALLY—only for league office to deny it and not tell us the true date. WE WANT ANSWERS.

If I wanted evasive non-answers, I'd call Charlie Ebersol.

[MikeMitchell]

The truth is and people don’t want to hear it. The creative and legal process have not been completed yet.

There are more than eight names being bandied about and there are more than eight logos being bandied about.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

The truth is and people don’t want to hear it. The creative and legal process have not been completed yet.

Then they can have their generic city-named-teams like the AAFL, for all I care. I'm done with it. This is a joke! They've had how long to put together team identities and they STILL can't get it done? By the start of the season, these teams are going to have had no name longer than they've had a name!

(in Charlie Brown voice) Isn't there anyone who knows what running a professional football league is all about?!

[greensoup]

The truth is and people don’t want to hear it. The creative and legal process have not been completed yet.

Then they can have their generic city-named-teams like the AAFL, for all I care. I'm done with it. This is a joke! They've had how long to put together team identities and they STILL can't get it done? By the start of the season, these teams are going to have had no name longer than they've had a name!

(in Charlie Brown voice) Isn't there anyone who knows what running a professional football league is all about?!

The league has their names and logos right now - what they don't have is a decision on which to use. This is a process and it's a good sign if they're taking their time. August is not the month to launch a new product.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

The truth is and people don’t want to hear it. The creative and legal process have not been completed yet.

Then they can have their generic city-named-teams like the AAFL, for all I care. I'm done with it. This is a joke! They've had how long to put together team identities and they STILL can't get it done? By the start of the season, these teams are going to have had no name longer than they've had a name!

(in Charlie Brown voice) Isn't there anyone who knows what running a professional football league is all about?!

The league has their names and logos right now - what they don't have is a decision on which to use. This is a process and it's a good sign if they're taking their time. August is not the month to launch a new product.

June and July were the times: from after the NBA Finals ended to the All-Star Break. That was their window when they would've had the sports media world all to themselves. In fact, that's when they originally planned to have this process finished. That's when they trademarked the Seattle names.

But now we're greeted with excuses with how the creative team hasn't done their job yet. In other words, some people in Stamford screwed up, and the higher-ups didn't fire them in time to get people in there that would fix the mess. And now... there's no good time to do it. I agree: right now is a horrible time to try and introduce the names. The next opportunity probably won't be until November or so: just in time for the holiday season. But to do that, they'd have to have all the merchandise ready to take advantage of the holiday shopping rush.

[greensoup]

I don't think it's necessary or advantageous to release the names in a lull sports period. You are going for a sports audience, so it's better to announce while they're paying attention. I think the beginning of the NFL season, where football excitement is fresh, is the best time to roll-out the XFL teams.

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

I don't think it's necessary or advantageous to release the names in a lull sports period. You are going for a sports audience, so it's better to announce while they're paying attention. I think the beginning of the NFL season, where football excitement is fresh, is the best time to roll-out the XFL teams.

But they're not paying attention to YOU, they're paying attention to something else. It's the equivalent of trying to have a conversation in a crowded shopping mall. (OK, that's a dated reference since shopping malls are rarely ever crowded anymore, but hopefully you get the picture.)

That's the whole logic behind why the XFL holds its games in February and March, and in mostly NFL markets: it's better to take advantage of that void and the lingering desire for football, than to try and compete head-to-head with the NFL. A football fan wants as much football as he (or she) can get. When his (or her) needs are being met by the established product (college, NFL, maybe high school or CFL for the niche crowd), the fan doesn't need to look elsewhere to find it, so they don't. When those needs aren't being met, they'll be much more receptive to something on the outside... and right now the XFL is on the outside until it (re)establishes itself.