Cheerleaders and/or Mascots by year 3?

[GoDogs]

I would expect mascots would come very soon. I don't see any issues with mascots.

The XFL may never have cheerleaders.

FYI, every CFL team has a cheerleader squad. It is still seen as a customary activity in the CFL.

Cheerleaders definitely add to the ambiance of the game. But with a 25 second clock, some canned music and jumbo trons, you can get away for a while without them. The crowd should be saavy enough to understand game situations, when to and when not to cheer. There will be a lot going on the field to with guys who just ran ”go routes“, trying to get back in formation.

Year 1 has to be right, you don’t want a Buffalo Jills situation right off the top. The uniforms would have to work (not to Xtreme not too conservative). And cheerleaders would need to be compensated correctly. They make fantastic ambassadors for a team, but for now, I’m hoping for sound football. Like the rest of the league, it has to be thought out and presented appropriately.

Mascots: Bring em on! Low overhead, lots of opportunities for marketing. They can be as quirky, different as you want them to be. They can be organic (see Niner banjo guy, Raiders fans, AAF Commander rider). Would be curious to see what a “Defender” would look like.

Go Cats!!!!

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

With the way things are going, Vince is looking to lose as little money as possible with this league. He learned from the 2001 mistake. These are just unnecessary things. Good football is the only thing that can make this league work.

But you must also realize that Vince has already invested more money into this league than the AAF, UFL and FXFL combined. He's not doing this on the cheap. Yes, he's saved some money with off-brand and unknown companies for the ball and uniforms, but he runs WWE. He knows where to spend money and where not to spend it. That's different from running a league on the cheap.

Besides, a guy in a foam suit costs almost nothing. Small-town radio stations and high schools have mascots that are as respectable as any pro sports team's. It's an easy way to build PR cred and make the game experience a little more fun, especially for the younger fans. The risk is low, and the reward is high: a far more cost-effective way of keeping a crowd entertained than, say, halftime shows.

You also have to remember that Oliver Luck was big on having a whole-game experience when he ran NFL Europe.

[BengalErnst]

I agree that he isn’t being cheap about this league, he’s spending money the right way for a start up league. That doesn’t include unnecessary things like cheerleaders or mascots.

[MikeMitchell]

I have no issue with anything that potentially enhances the live game experience for fans. So if the teams want to have mascots, marching bands or cheerleaders. So be it. I understand however where the league may want to distance themselves from the latter because of XFL 1.0

Each XFL team has their own theme. So I could see each team doing some theme based stadium rituals. If played right. Swords, Dragons, Motorcycles and everything else could be fun.

[Tank55]

Agreed. Holding off on cheerleaders for Year 1 was the right move for the optics. Going forward, I hope this stuff would be left up to the team presidents. Cheerleaders and mascots are potentially useful not just on game day but also throughout the year by being able to serve as ambassadors for the team at a very low cost. If that's a tool a team president wants to use, I don't see why the league office would stand in their way. The other side to that coin is that I don't see why the league would impose a mascot or cheer team on team president that doesn't care to use them.

[KKWATT98]

Just curious about the mascot. If you guys do decide to have in person mascots with suits then please let me know where I can sign up. I’ve been a mascot for 6 years now in high school and college experience and would love to take my skill to the next level!!

[XtremeFanForever]

The Wildcats had a mascot, "Rowdy."

https://www.google.com/search?q=rowdy+k ... L3NH-7Cw4M

Cheerleaders I don't really care either way, but the league should probably establish itself first before going that route given the infamous reputation its 2001 cheerleaders had.

[Firecop]

The fans don't need cheerleaders, they are an annoying distraction IMO. I am ambivalent about mascots but really don't like cheerleaders in professional sports. They are fine for high school and college but not the pros.

[Battlehawk]

Mascots: I'm a solid maybe, whatever, don't really care.
Cheerleaders: I'm an adamant NO THANK YOU! Football is about the game, not about dancing and preening.