PFT: Will football fans embrace the XFL?

[MGB01]

The star angle is overrated as all hell too. The USFL ditched the original Dixon plan and, coming off the NFL strike, morphed into a mini-NFL. Problem is, they started drowning in red as soon as the ink was dry on the Herschel Walker contract, thus setting the stage for.........you know, who came in and pledged to hire Don Shula and sign LT (which Florio would seem to endorse) among other things.

Fact the reason they went after Walker is because the NFL didn't allow underclassmen for another seven years, similar to Lawrence today. These are short-term moves (for TV, great; for the rest, not much).

And the "stardom" of Kaepernick and Manziel (and throw in Tebow since he's usually the next guy on their list) have almost nothing to do with football, so basically these are 2001 moves.

You can get whiplash trying to follow Florio, I advise against it.

[Tank55]

And Lawrence is not going to jeopardize an eight-figure salary playing second-tier football for six-figures.

I'm not following this part. He's currently playing second-tier football for zero figures. What additional risk does the XFL introduce?

[4th&long]

The star angle is overrated as all hell too. The USFL ditched the original Dixon plan and, coming off the NFL strike, morphed into a mini-NFL. Problem is, they started drowning in red as soon as the ink was dry on the Herschel Walker contract, thus setting the stage for.........you know, who came in and pledged to hire Don Shula and sign LT (which Florio would seem to endorse) among other things.

Fact the reason they went after Walker is because the NFL didn't allow underclassmen for another seven years, similar to Lawrence today. These are short-term moves (for TV, great; for the rest, not much).

And the "stardom" of Kaepernick and Manziel (and throw in Tebow since he's usually the next guy on their list) have almost nothing to do with football, so basically these are 2001 moves.

You can get whiplash trying to follow Florio, I advise against it.

You go that right... he's latest:
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... tar-power/

He was all in on AAF because former NBCer Ebersol's lying son was the man behind it. Now he's taking his revenge against the XFL which is the Un-AAF. He had no issues with AAF not having stars. And AAF was good on the field - XFL will be too and it will be financially viable off the field.
THAT"s A HUGE DIFFERENCE. Florio likely doesn't like Vince cause his wife is in the Trump Admin. Who cares - its about FB - keep it professional.

BUT - PFT is viewed alot and any news is good news. ie free press. Go XFL!

[MGB01]

Stars are important, but you got to have the means to support said star system: the USFL clearly didn't; the WFL, which went after as many NFL stars as they could get, clearly didn't--to the point they put their entire existence on signing Joe Namath; the AFL could do that back in the days when the NFL was a clear #3 in the sports pecking order and wasn't doing the 1960 equivalent of 16 billion in revenue (about two billion)--but even then that was limited, they would have died out under the Davis plan.

The XFL is following the MLS model about as much as you can. Sure, they had Tab Ramos and Carlos Valderrama when they started, but could have also broken the bank for Ronaldo and Roberto Baggio. Instead they drew almost 80,000 for the first ASG with largely homegrown talent. And voila, they were around long enough to do that for David Beckham, and boom the first paid rights deal followed. Now the idea here is not to wait a decade for that to happen.

MLS' approach clearly worked better than the NASL, end of career Pele anyone?

[nick1091]

You would think someone as seemingly pro player as Florio is would embrace another venue for players to make money playing the game - even from a selfish perspective, interest in the XFL could drive more Web traffic to his site in the lean months of the offseason (it is Pro Football Talk, not NFL Talk.)

For name recognition, XFL is/was clearly in a no-win situation with the likes for Florio - spend for the likes of Manziel, they're derided for wasting money on NFL cast-offs. Pass on them for the same reason the NFL did, and you're "inexplicably," leaving them unemployed.

Regardless of how you feel about the rules, the ownership, etc. I can't see how a football fan would wish the league ill.

[GDAWG]

Here is my take:

- Florio has the right to be skeptical. A lot of people are skeptical about the XFL's chances due to the failures of the WFL, USFL, XFL 1.0 and AAF. Those leagues failed big time so it gives people a lot of skepticism when it comes to the XFL. In order to prove those skeptics wrong, XFL 2.0 needs to last longer than the USFL, which lasted 3 seasons. They cannot play just three seasons and then Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck announce the league is folding soon after if they want to prove the skeptics wrong. If the XFL can get to and finish the 2023 season (which would be it's fourth season), then the skeptics can be proven wrong, but until then, people like Florio will continue to be skeptical of the XFL's chances.

- As for star power? It depends on who it is. If it's someone who can get positive publicity for the league, like oh.....Andrew Luck, then I say that the XFL should go for it. Manziel and Kaepernick are not worth it. Neither would Antonio Brown. I know this isn't going to happen, but what if Dak Prescott held out of the Dallas Cowboys and did so by wanting to play in the XFL? Not a chance that the XFL would say no to Dak. Again, only a hypothetical and not likely to happen.

[4th&long]

Here is my take:

- Florio has the right to be skeptical. A lot of people are skeptical about the XFL's chances due to the failures of the WFL, USFL, XFL 1.0 and AAF. Those leagues failed big time so it gives people a lot of skepticism when it comes to the XFL. In order to prove those skeptics wrong, XFL 2.0 needs to last longer than the USFL, which lasted 3 seasons. They cannot play just three seasons and then Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck announce the league is folding soon after if they want to prove the skeptics wrong. If the XFL can get to and finish the 2023 season (which would be it's fourth season), then the skeptics can be proven wrong, but until then, people like Florio will continue to be skeptical of the XFL's chances.

- As for star power? It depends on who it is. If it's someone who can get positive publicity for the league, like oh.....Andrew Luck, then I say that the XFL should go for it. Manziel and Kaepernick are not worth it. Neither would Antonio Brown. I know this isn't going to happen, but what if Dak Prescott held out of the Dallas Cowboys and did so by wanting to play in the XFL? Not a chance that the XFL would say no to Dak. Again, only a hypothetical and not likely to happen.

He's throwing Shade on XFL did not on AAF, that's MF

[MGB01]

MLS' approach clearly worked better than the NASL, end of career Pele anyone?

NASL played 16 seasons.

MLS is playing its 25th season. But MLS is only "profitable" because of expansion fees in those additional seasons. MLS is still as likely to crash and burn as a Ponzi scheme as it is to become a truly successful sports league. The soccer is lousy most MLS teams barely make the sports sections in their hometowns. MLS could crash and burn once those expansion fees dry up and will they really have been more successful than NASL was?

Until MLS can prove it can be profitable without adding 1-2 teams (and the hundreds of millions of dollars those owners pay for the honor) I am far from convinced that MLS is any better than NASL was.

Are we talking about the same NASL that laughably claims to have brought the World Cup to the states and was last seen suing MLS over their failed reboot?

This was your grand return post?

[XFLGUY]

MLS' approach clearly worked better than the NASL, end of career Pele anyone?

NASL played 16 seasons.

MLS is playing its 25th season. But MLS is only "profitable" because of expansion fees in those additional seasons. MLS is still as likely to crash and burn as a Ponzi scheme as it is to become a truly successful sports league. The soccer is lousy most MLS teams barely make the sports sections in their hometowns. MLS could crash and burn once those expansion fees dry up and will they really have been more successful than NASL was?

Until MLS can prove it can be profitable without adding 1-2 teams (and the hundreds of millions of dollars those owners pay for the honor) I am far from convinced that MLS is any better than NASL was.

Are we talking about the same NASL that laughably claims to have brought the World Cup to the states and was last seen suing MLS over their failed reboot?

This was your grand return post?

Shots fired..

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

MLS' approach clearly worked better than the NASL, end of career Pele anyone?

NASL played 16 seasons.

MLS is playing its 25th season. But MLS is only "profitable" because of expansion fees in those additional seasons. MLS is still as likely to crash and burn as a Ponzi scheme as it is to become a truly successful sports league. The soccer is lousy most MLS teams barely make the sports sections in their hometowns. MLS could crash and burn once those expansion fees dry up and will they really have been more successful than NASL was?

Until MLS can prove it can be profitable without adding 1-2 teams (and the hundreds of millions of dollars those owners pay for the honor) I am far from convinced that MLS is any better than NASL was.

Are we talking about the same NASL that laughably claims to have brought the World Cup to the states and was last seen suing MLS over their failed reboot?

This was your grand return post?

I think he means the NASL of the 1968-84 era.