PFT: Will football fans embrace the XFL?

[Andibald]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com ... /#comments

Frankly, some consumers may see through the effort to force feed more football to an audience that has no problem with a pivot to hockey or hoops or trash-can-banging hardball, and that will resist watching the XFL. Others may react the way I did in 1983, when the USFL launched and I was excited for it until I actually tried to watch a game in March and conceded, “I’m not interested in football in March.”

It makes much more sense for more football to be dropped into football season, ideally on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. But McMahon, ESPN/ABC, and FOX will be doing what they can to get us to watch, to care, to gamble, and to ultimately help the league generate enough revenue to justify an existence that extends beyond 2021.

[MGB01]

I think Florio is the cause of more CTE than any other physical activity.

I don't remember him being a major proponent of the UFL or FXFL cause they "played at the right time". Fact I seem to remember him pushing the Arena League hard when Pittsburgh got a team again.

In the words of the legend, Leslie Nielsen, nothing to see here

[johnnyangryfuzzball]

There are so many false premises in this article.

Do fans pivot to the NHL and NBA after football season? I'm not convinced. The NHL, after some initial gains last decade and the tail end of the previous one, is fading. One look at the Winter Classic ratings shows this. Given the choice between hockey and football, Americans will choose football. Legacy hockey stars like Crosby and Ovechkin are getting older and older, next-generation stars like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are playing on Canadian squads. As for the NBA... New Jersey, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Seattle don't have NBA teams. The anecdotal evidence is that, when given the choice, the pivot to basketball doesn't happen until mid-March when college basketball is in the midst of March Madness.

Second, as others noted, there's hardly any room in the schedule to play any more football in the fall. Certainly not on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—ESPN plays MACtion during the late season and baseball during the early season. The UFL tried that gambit and hardly got anything in ratings, plus it hurt their attendance badly. It works in getting recognizable players but not getting viewers.

There is craving for football after the Super Bowl is over. The old XFL showed that. The AAF showed that. Even arena football had better ratings at the start of the season than the end. The major professional sports structure sets it up. It used to be that the Pro Bowl was the denouement after the season. Now, it goes from the Super Bowl to nothing... in the middle of winter.

The XFL is not spring football. It's winter football. There's a difference.

[BengalErnst]

I’ll watch preseason football over the playoffs of any other sport.. so I may not be included in this survey/opinion

[Firecop]

Except for the World Series and MLS CHampionship (if the SOunders are playing) football is all we watch.

[GDAWG]

Except for the World Series and MLS CHampionship (if the SOunders are playing) football is all we watch.

I will watch the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. Also March Madness and MLB Opening Day as well. Those are the 4 main sporting events I usually watch before the NFL kicks off again.

[Sounder]

The St. Louis BattleHawks have a third corporate sponsor...... it's McDonald's. No.....as far as I know, the golden arches are not going to adorn the uniform just yet. But I guess in the meantime.....this is how the league will best offset potential deficits. Chicken nuggets anyone?.....KaKaw!

IMG_20200206_111748.jpg (69.52 KiB) Viewed 1893 times

[LeoNY]

The mid week fall football schedule has been tried and it failed. You are battling against the interest of football fans who are already invested in the NFL and college season. Their interest is already elsewhere. Plus not easy getting networks to give you prime time weekly spots during the fall.

It would only make sense as a farm league idea with in-season call ups to the NFL but the league would have to be willing to squander hundreds of millions of dollars with no profit margin in sight. It’s the worst time of the year to do it when it comes to profitability.

[LeoNY]

I’ll watch preseason football over the playoffs of any other sport.. so I may not be included in this survey/opinion

From a talent perspective. An NFL preseason game and the XFL will be very similar. The difference though is that there is nothing at stake in an NFL preseason game. Players are playing hard of course but there’s no game planning and you are not getting teams at their best. There is no real stake in the outcome.

In the XFL, the outcome matters.

[MGB01]

The St. Louis BattleHawks have a third corporate sponsor...... it's McDonald's. No.....as far as I know, the golden arches are not going to adorn the uniform just yet. But I guess in the meantime.....this is how the league will best offset potential deficits. Chicken nuggets anyone?.....KaKaw!IMG_20200206_111748.jpg

Well you could probably get something more high profile from a non generic standpoint like B Dubs but then that'll sort of bring back the whole Jared Cook incident, no thanks (I haven't eaten there since BTW)