Semi-OT: FCF surpasses 1.2 million unique viewers

[MGB01]

Well FredEx started indoors (NIFL) might as well bring it semi-full circle.

[Coffeeeyes]

Much of FCF has drawn its publicity from the players it has signed. Last night was the much ballyhooed reunion of Manziel and Josh Gordon... which promptly turned into the most lopsided loss in FCF history to date (gee, it's like reuniting the mid-2010s Browns even in a pickup league like FCF proves that a truly bad team can lose to anyone) after Manziel went down early. Combine those kinds of marquee names with the old running back vets like Quinn Porter and Robert Turbin, and a few names from other leagues like Quinton Flowers, and you get just enough name recognition to catch people's attention. Can they sustain that in 2022?

Maybe. They could make a play for Tim Tebow, who as a running QB who's been out of the game a little while would be a perfect fit for FCF. But I'm not sure there are enough players out there to do that consistently.

What the FCF has going for it (and also at the same same, is a bit of a problem) is that it's not as serious as the XFL or even the AAF took itself. Manziel himself said he joined the league to have some fun, Turbo said the same and Gordon is just doing it to pass time. I think you'll see that a lot. The FCF invites players to be under contract for only six weeks, making not much ($450-$750, though, to be fair, it's more than the IFL's $250) and allowing them to just enjoy themselves. The owners themselves are pretty relaxed about it too. If you were going to see a Tim Tebow or a Connor Cook in this league, it's because it isn't a commitment, it's just some fun for six weeks.

I think that's why you haven't seen former XFL and AAF players like Luis Perez and Brandon Silvers in the FCF. It's not the type of football they want to play and it's not good enough for their resume.

Ignoring all this though, the league itself might not even need washed NFL talent. It could build a solid fanbase around its players, just like the old AFL did. I'm sure theres fans that never heard of Quinton Flowers (of course we did from the XFL but...) and now know about him because they're much younger and found FCF from Twitch. I do think that'll take several seasons though, and the most popular players are the same ones who are going to try out for the XFL and CFL in spring and summer and most likely get picked up.

It's going to be interesting to see how it goes.