According to an ESPN story on Friday, the XFL has ceased operations and does not intend to play a season in 2021. This comes after news in February that Vince McMahon's new football league would begin play this spring. In the article, an executive with knowledge of the situation said there were "fundamental problems" with how the XFL was being operated that prevented it from becoming a success.
The article says these problems included poor management, player contracts that weren't fair to both players and coaches, and scheduling conflicts with other leagues and college football programs. It also states that several high-profile coaches had been approached by the league about taking over teams but declined because they didn't want to be part of what was described as "McMahon's vanity project."
In February, shortly before the start of the NFL season, McMahon announced the formation of the XFL and gave himself and his son, Jimmy, who is involved in the business side of the league, control of three new teams: the Dallas Renegades, Houston Stampeders, and Los Angeles Wildcats. The article notes that none of the teams had played any games by early April, which is when the opening game was scheduled to take place.
The XFL's return was short-lived, since the coronavirus pandemic cut short the football league's 2020 season. The league suspended all operations and fired all of its employees shortly after the season was canceled. The league then declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and listed itself for sale.
The XFL began in 2001 when Vince McMahon announced that he was going to create a new professional football league. The XFL wanted to appeal to more than just traditional football fans and so it decided to have an entire season played during "the dead period" between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of the NCAA football season. This way, if someone wanted to watch football they could go see their favorite team play during the regular season instead of having to wait until after the college football season started.
The XFL hired former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan as its first commissioner. He had great success with the Denver Broncos during his time there and knew how to get things done. However, after only one season the league stopped operating completely without announcing any plans to return.
In recent years there have been rumors that Vince McMahon is planning on bringing back the XFL but nothing has come of these rumors yet.
The XFL even partnered with The Spring League, a football development league, in 2019 to test out its new rules ahead of the 2020 season. The XFL 2.0 league began on Saturday, February 8th, with an eight-team league, ending in the championship game on April 26th, which was scheduled to take place at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas. The winner will receive an invitation to play in the NFL's Super Bowl.
The championship game will be televised by ABC with Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten calling the action.
The game begins at 3:00 PM ET on April 26th.
There will be no overtime in this game. If the score is tied after regulation time has expired, the game will go into sudden death overtime. This will continue until one team gains a lead. Once they do, the other team will get one final chance to score before the end of the quarter. If they fail to do so, then they are eliminated from the tournament and will have lost their first game as a franchise.
This year's champion will receive $1 million if they are invited to next year's Super Bowl. They will also receive a spot in the 2021 XFL Draft if they are not offered a contract by an NFL team.
The league planned a ten-week regular season that would end on April 12, with division championships on April 18 and 19, and the XFL Championship on April 26 in Houston. ...
| 2020 XFL season | |
|---|---|
| League | XFL |
| Sport | American football |
| Duration | Regular season: February 8 – April 12 (planned) February 8 – March 8 (actual) |
The XFL will release the full 2020 schedule for all eight teams, which will begin immediately after Super Bowl 54. The league's championship game will be played on February 6th at Houston Stadium.
The host city of the XFL Championship Game will be determined during the season. If one of these teams holds onto their title through the end of the year, they'll play in January 2021 in Dallas. If not, the game will be moved to either Los Angeles or St. Louis.
The New York Guardians were announced as the first team of the new XFL on December 16th, 2019. They'll play their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The stadium is also known as "The World's Most Famous Arena" because it has hosted the NFL's Giants and Jets since 2007 and 2012, respectively. The team's name and logo were released several days later. The Tampa Bay Vipers are the second team named. They'll play at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. The final two teams will be named this spring when applications are accepted. In addition to naming the franchises, the XFL will select players to fill out their rosters. Over 70% of those players will come from outside of college football.
MAY 23rd. Despite the fact that the revived XFL's initial season lasted only five weeks, the league had its fair share of stars. Following the league's formal cancellation of the rest of the season last week, the XFL permitted their players to sign NFL contracts beginning Monday, March 23. Here are the men who signed with the L.A. Wildcats:
OFFENSE
QB JACOB BRUCE / WR TONY ROMO - Both were members of the Calgary Stampeders when that team played in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Bruce was the Stamps' starter at quarterback while Romo was their top receiver.
Both players entered the NFL after only one season in the XFL. Bruce spent 2018 out of football following shoulder surgery, and Romo missed the entire 2017 season due to a leg injury.
Bruce and Romo both signed two-year contracts worth up to $750,000 with the Wildcats. Bruce will be the team's starting quarterback while Romo will serve as his primary receiver.
Romo is the first player from the original XFL to sign with an NFL team. He made his debut in the XFL on February 5th, 2001 when he appeared in two games for the Dallas Texans before being released two days later.
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