Coming Monday: XFL’s Whaley, Ross and Giglio on Zoom

[Tank55]

Which is another reason why XFL can't openly said USFL players aren't any good.

Why would they say that even non-openly?

[4th&long]

USFL will shrink or eliminate that anyway.

I'd think and hope so, which is why I said we need to wait for USFL 2023. But as it stands, if you're a rostered player, your chances of being listed as inactive on a USFL roster is literally double. No amount of handwaving and rounding changes that.

Or a better way to look at it is a player has an 80% vs 90% chance on active roster.

What if USFL increase weekly pay to active rosters above XFL but only has 42? Are good players more likely to take an extra $300-500 a week and chance it? Its really splitting hairs.

It all comes down to what the USFL wants to do in 2023 and now with XFL's comp out in the open, lets see what they do.

[Tank55]

Or a better way to look at it is a player has an 80% vs 90% chance on active roster.

What makes that a better way of looking at it?

[4th&long]

Which is another reason why XFL can't openly said USFL players aren't any good.

Why would they say that even non-openly?

"My league is better than your league." They want the fan perception to be we are good they aren't worth watching.
They'll say it in round about ways of course like "looking at the level of play the caliber of XFL player is better than other non-NFL leagues". I'm not saying XFL only, they all CAN say it CFL/USFL too.

[Firecop]

4th, so if I read you correctly, you see things developing as an almost tiered system? 1 NFL, 2 XFL, 3 USFL? If so, how much does the Relationship with the NFL Academy play into that? Is that not the most significant factor?

[MGB01]

Which is another reason why XFL can't openly said USFL players aren't any good.

Why would they say that even non-openly?

"My league is better than your league." They want the fan perception to be we are good they aren't worth watching.
They'll say it in round about ways of course like "looking at the level of play the caliber of XFL player is better than other non-NFL leagues". I'm not saying XFL only, they all CAN say it CFL/USFL too.

Marks love it but it really doesn't do a hell of a lot for either company and it tends not to age well, see Monday Night Wars. Even XFL1.0 ("We hit here!!!!!!") was cringe.

Besides, PFT's already got that market cornered.

[4th&long]

4th, so if I read you correctly, you see things developing as an almost tiered system? 1 NFL, 2 XFL, 3 USFL? If so, how much does the Relationship with the NFL Academy play into that? Is that not the most significant factor?

Nope. Just saying that USFL and XFL, based on the comp XFL is discussing, are virtually identical. There is no Open Spring FB War for players after all. Players will be swapping leagues as opening windows appear. That goes for CFL too. There is no reason for the XFL to bad mouth USFL as many of their players will be coming from there, as many USFL players were former 2020 XFL.

In the end I see the leagues working together to avoid a full scale war. The goals of the leagues are slightly different but the end goal is the same - Money. USFL is more long-term goal IMO at least for the moment. CFL has to be worried.

[laxtreme56]

4th, so if I read you correctly, you see things developing as an almost tiered system? 1 NFL, 2 XFL, 3 USFL? If so, how much does the Relationship with the NFL Academy play into that? Is that not the most significant factor?

Nope. Just saying that USFL and XFL, based on the comp XFL is discussing, are virtually identical. There is no Open Spring FB War for players after all. Players will be swapping leagues as opening windows appear. That goes for CFL too. There is no reason for the XFL to bad mouth USFL as many of their players will be coming from there, as many USFL players were former 2020 XFL.

In the end I see the leagues working together to avoid a full scale war. The goals of the leagues are slightly different but the end goal is the same - Money. USFL is more long-term goal IMO at least for the moment. CFL has to be worried.

I don't think either league is going to bad mouth each other as the amount of spring football fans are finite and would not bode well to alienate any of them. Players are going to be looking for money and benefits. You're correct in that difference is virtually the same, but even outside of the football world employees are changing jobs for "just" 5-10% more. As a Program manager I see this every day. Each league can have a long term vision but for 98%+ of their players, the only goal, long and short is to make the NFL. Nobody ever grew saying I want to be a NJ General or LA Xtreme, perhaps in 30 years it may be the case, but surely not now.

[MGB01]

In the end I see the leagues working together to avoid a full scale war. The goals of the leagues are slightly different but the end goal is the same - Money. USFL is more long-term goal IMO at least for the moment. CFL has to be worried.

I'll go one further and say the NFL will back both (whether openly or in secret, at least the latter that may become the former) and become their own Super League, to prevent exactly what nearly happened to the Premier League and, although it's a completely different fruit, the PGA.

Sure the chances are the Christmas variety, for the simple fact that it's not 1959. Even if you had 10-12 of Josh Harris, Mark Cuban, Jeff Bezos and so on, how much would we be talking to maintain a competitor, a real-live dollars-for-dollar (yes, s on the first dollars), AFL-meets-Monday Night Wars-style competitor against a league that did 11 billion in revenue last year? At least that much?

Still, take no chances.

[Tank55]

Just saying that USFL and XFL, based on the comp XFL is discussing, are virtually identical.

Well, no. The XFL is offering significantly more, and you're assuming that the USFL will raise compensation to match in 2023. This is the free market in action.