Why the XFL Will Succeed

The XFL begins today. The current rendition of the professional football league kicks off its 10-game season. I am very excited about it. It’s nice to have professional football back in St. Louis. Go Battlehawks! But the big question about this league is how much of a chance does it have in succeeding?  Here are a few reasons why I think it has a good shot. 

First the XFL has already failed once. The XFL was originally in existence for 1 season back in 2001 It folded after that year after viewership went down.  It was the Xtreme Football League, created by WWF owner Vince McMahon. The main issue the first time around was it was too gimmicky.  It tried to be more violent, exciting, players wore nicknames on the back of their uniforms (He Hate Me). This time around the league can learn from the mistakes it made last time. It knows what worked and what didn’t work. 

Speaking of leagues that failed, last year the Alliance of American Football (AAF) folded after 8 weeks of its 10 week season.  The league had issues with sponsors and ran out of money.  The XFL shouldn’t have that issue. Vince McMahon is a successful, proven businessman and has reportedly put up enough money to fund the league for 3 years. That should give the league enough time to get established, iron out kinks and hopefully gain a solid following.  

Another reason I believe the AAF failed was its poor marketing. A big issue was it did not secure good tv deals. Most of the games were on CBS Sports Network and the Bleacher Report app. Seriously, the Bleacher Report app. The XFL secured much more accessible and popular tv channels to air their games: ESPN, ABC, and various FOX affiliates. The much more reliable tv deals should allow for much higher visibility and commercial success. 

I’m excited to see how this season goes. The XFL has a lot of good things going in it’s favor which should lead to some success. My hope is that it is able to get settle, established and find its place in sports culture. But for now, I’m just going to enjoy football in STL again.