I think there's room for a spring/developmental league... but not the XFL, it's a hot mess.
I think they should create an 8 team spring league that starts the week AFTER the SB and then ends around the NFL Draft. 8 teams, play 7 games - make it 2 divisions, no playoffs - top 2 teams play for a title.
Put the teams near "college football" towns. Omaha, Austin, Gainesville, Southern CA, NY, etc... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Amnorix:
I honestly think you could make a second league work in a number of different ways. History, however, has suggested otherwise. We'll see if Vince can put it together.
UFL, World League, USFL, WFL, Arena League, XFL and NFL Europe - All failed American Football Leagues. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
I think there's room for a spring/developmental league... but not the XFL, it's a hot mess.
I think they should create an 8 team spring league that starts the week AFTER the SB and then ends around the NFL Draft. 8 teams, play 7 games - make it 2 divisions, no playoffs - top 2 teams play for a title.
Put the teams near "college football" towns. Omaha, Austin, Gainesville, Southern CA, NY, etc...
SoCal doesn't support the Chargers. It's not going to support some semi-pro league.
I doubt you'd get 1,000 people. Same with NYC. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
UFL, World League, USFL, WFL, Arena League, XFL and NFL Europe - All failed American Football Leagues.
Some of those had success and a number of great players came from a few of them. It just has to be done the right way with a smaller focus and in areas that will support something like this because that's all they've got OR they're just a crazy fanbase that will support a cheaper football fix during the offseason. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
SoCal doesn't support the Chargers. It's not going to support some semi-pro league.
I doubt you'd get 1,000 people. Same with NYC.
Fine... was just throwing those out, I believe you could find some fringe areas in those geographies where it might work. If not, it wouldn't be hard to find 8 regions where it could be successful. And, wasn't suggesting NYC - that general area. NY/NJ - northeast. [Reply]
Vincent Kennedy McMahon really wants to set fire to a $100 million dollars. Reading what he said in his PC, he is going to be the sole owner of all 8 teams and that he wants no partners. That should be interesting
He will need to find a broadcasting partner though and I assume he will use the WWE Network infrastructure to stream games with a new app. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dirk digler:
Vincent Kennedy McMahon really wants to set fire to a $100 million dollars. Reading what he said in his PC, he is going to be the sole owner of all 8 teams and that he wants no partners. That should be interesting
He will need to find a broadcasting partner though and I assume he will use the WWE Network infrastructure to stream games with a new app.
Oh yeah, he'll use the WWE brand and mechanics. Guys like Stone Cold will be the voice of whatever team might land in Podunk, TX... it will be what they did originally.
I think they did a 30 for 30 on the XFL. Recall seeing a documentary and it was really a shitshow behind the scenes. If done right, he's got the brand and auidence to make it work.
Question is money and can he stay away from the business of the WWE and surround himself with true football talent behind the scenes to make it happen? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
Some of those had success and a number of great players came from a few of them.
I think it depends on how you define "success".
If you're talking about monetary success, then no.
If you're talking about developmental success, then yeah, there were more than a few.
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
It just has to be done the right way with a smaller focus and in areas that will support something like this because that's all they've got OR they're just a crazy fanbase that will support a cheaper football fix during the offseason.
Historically, that's proven to be impossible.
I don't think the new XFL changes that history. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
Oh yeah, he'll use the WWE brand and mechanics. Guys like Stone Cold will be the voice of whatever team might land in Podunk, TX... it will be what they did originally.
I think they did a 30 for 30 on the XFL. Recall seeing a documentary and it was really a shitshow behind the scenes. If done right, he's got the brand and auidence to make it work.
Question is money and can he stay away from the business of the WWE and surround himself with true football talent behind the scenes to make it happen?
He said there where will be zero WWE crossover but we will see. I just don't see how he will be able to afford it.
I do like the idea of a 2 hour game though. PFT has some ideas how this is going to work and if it is basically a constant 2 minute drill that could be decent.
Originally Posted by :
The easiest way to trim a full hour from the XFL experience would be to use a running clock until the final five or two minutes of a half. The clock, for example, would keep moving during each possession, pausing only after a score, punt, or turnover.
Another alternative would be to treat incomplete passes the same way the NFL currently treats plays that end up out of bounds, with the clock stopping until the ball is ready for play. But that alone may not be enough to fit a full game into two hours.
Ultimately, the right combination could be a running clock, until the final five or two minutes of the half, coupled with a shortened play clock that essentially forces teams to run a two-minute drill for the full 60 minutes of clock time. Which would definitely hold the audience in place — and it would definitely create old-school football in one very important way: The quarterback would end up calling the plays.
The snowflakes crying about the anthem will tune in for the first 5 minutes, soak in the enjoyment of everyone standing, then promptly turn the channel. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mile High Mania:
Fine... was just throwing those out, I believe you could find some fringe areas in those geographies where it might work. If not, it wouldn't be hard to find 8 regions where it could be successful. And, wasn't suggesting NYC - that general area. NY/NJ - northeast.
Not sure I agree with that. There are tons of tier 2 markets that will never get an NFL team. Portland, Austin, San Antonio, Louisville, Columbus, des Moines, OKC.... I think football could do really well there. The MLS might be a good model to consider. Even though soccer fans know they're watching second rate soccer, the league is still making a decent amount of money and pulling in decent crowds. If minor league baseball can pull in 7k per game, why couldn't a well run xfl league pull in decent crowds in the right market? [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
I think it depends on how you define "success".
If you're talking about monetary success, then no.
If you're talking about developmental success, then yeah, there were more than a few.
Historically, that's proven to be impossible.
I don't think the new XFL changes that history.
No, I was referring to players as successes... and I think a spring league would take a decade to produce any real profit. I do not believe the XFL could be that spring league though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
Not sure I agree with that. There are tons of tier 2 markets that will never get an NFL team. Portland, Austin, San Antonio, Louisville, Columbus, des Moines, OKC.... I think football could do really well there. The MLS might be a good model to consider. Even though soccer fans know they're watching second rate soccer, the league is still making a decent amount of money and pulling in decent crowds. If minor league baseball can pull in 7k per game, why couldn't a well run xfl league pull in decent crowds in the right market?
You might have misread something or maybe I mistyped it... these "B" cities that you referenced would totally support something like a developmental league.
Look at the minor leagues... they're in nothing, nowhere towns and it does a good job. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dirk digler:
He said there where will be zero WWE crossover but we will see. I just don't see how he will be able to afford it.
I do like the idea of a 2 hour game though. PFT has some ideas how this is going to work and if it is basically a constant 2 minute drill that could be decent.
What I see as being a downfall is I could see Vince McMahon being a shiny object guy. Let's go big or go home. If he built this out like the MLS and let it slowly build a grassroots movement, I actually think it would be an interesting concept. What's even more unique is that there are tons of stadiums probably practically begging to get better use in the offseason so that's a pretty huge expense most leagues would worry about. The question is if he thinks this will be a mass media smash hit right away, and that's really hard to believe. [Reply]