XFL 2020 Season

[Maroon]

8 hours ago, DustDevil61 said:

I’m still surprised that the only non-NFL market the XFL went with (so far) is St. Louis. Granted, when the 8 XFL markets were announced, the AAF had staked a claim in places like Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio, but now that that league imploded spectacularly, you would think that there are no restrictions (aside from the municipalities/stewards of said stadiums) keeping the XFL out now.

 

I also don’t think that Vince is as prone to having a knee-jerk reaction after Year 1 and move the Vipers to Orlando, given that he announced the markets as early as he did.

 

I'd be shocked if San Diego wasn't one of the first expansion cities - but who knows if and when the XFL will expand? I'd have to imagine that Vince would want to get a solid footing before increasing the employee payroll. 

[Red Comet]

They've played one week and people are talking about expansion already? Let's see how year 1 (and probably 2) ends before even broaching that subject.

[Skycast]

3 minutes ago, Red Comet said:

They've played one week and people are talking about expansion already? Let's see how year 1 (and probably 2) ends before even broaching that subject.

 

Dude, go check out either of the two Reddit subs, folks have been talking about where they'll expand for the better part of a year. 

[Red Comet]

23 minutes ago, Skycast said:

 

Dude, go check out either of the two Reddit subs, folks have been talking about where they'll expand for the better part of a year. 

 

Don't know what's more annoying, people talking about expansion with barely a week played or the sarcastic meme of being a lifetime fan of a team in a newly launched league. 

 

Also, its Reddit. Stupid circlejerks in the name of karma is the name of the game there.

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, Maroon said:

 

I'd be shocked if San Diego wasn't one of the first expansion cities - but who knows if and when the XFL will expand? I'd have to imagine that Vince would want to get a solid footing before increasing the employee payroll. 

Well, they'd have to deal with two separate lessors.

First, the city of San Diego for one year at SDCCU Stadium (aka Qualcomm aka Jack Murphy).  The stadium is expected to be town down after SDSU's 2021 season.  Where will you go for 2022?  There is no place to play but USD Torero stadium. 

 

Petco seems unlikely since not even the Holiday Bowl has confirmed to play there temporarily.

Then they have to get an agreement with SDSU itself, as they will operate the new stadium on the Mission Valley property.  New stadium construction is set to break ground in April since the city and SDSU agreed on a purchase price two weeks ago.

 

Then again Vince needs an influx of TV revenue to stop the bleeding too.  Right now, he receives $0 in media rights and $0 in TV ad revenue.  That all goes to ESPN/ABC and FOX who are covering the cost of production. 

[gosioux76]

1 hour ago, Maroon said:

 

I'd be shocked if San Diego wasn't one of the first expansion cities - but who knows if and when the XFL will expand? I'd have to imagine that Vince would want to get a solid footing before increasing the employee payroll. 

Whether it's realistic or not, it's still fun to speculate. I also think in another season, a year-plus removed from the failure of the Alliance, that San Diego would be a good expansion fit. I'd also like to see a Rust Belt city like Pittsburgh or Buffalo get into the mix. I'd also be curious to see a football league adopt the MLS strategy of regional rivalries driving expansion. Portland, despite the reluctance to use Providence Park for anything but soccer, comes to mind. 

 

Speaking of Pittsburgh, I thought I read once that there was speculation Pittsburgh was in line for an original XFL expansion franchise prior to the league going belly up. I could just be making that up, though. 

 

Oh, and you can now add Oakland to the list of ex-NFL cities. So throw that on the list of speculative new markets. 

[GDAWG]

23 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

Whether it's realistic or not, it's still fun to speculate. I also think in another season, a year-plus removed from the failure of the Alliance, that San Diego would be a good expansion fit. I'd also like to see a Rust Belt city like Pittsburgh or Buffalo get into the mix. I'd also be curious to see a football league adopt the MLS strategy of regional rivalries driving expansion. Portland, despite the reluctance to use Providence Park for anything but soccer, comes to mind. 

 

Speaking of Pittsburgh, I thought I read once that there was speculation Pittsburgh was in line for an original XFL expansion franchise prior to the league going belly up. I could just be making that up, though. 

 

Oh, and you can now add Oakland to the list of ex-NFL cities. So throw that on the list of speculative new markets. 

 

Oakland would have nowhere to play.  If they expand to the Bay Area, it would be probably to Levi's Stadium.  I believe Oakland already said no.  

[gosioux76]

59 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

 

Oakland would have nowhere to play.  If they expand to the Bay Area, it would be probably to Levi's Stadium.  I believe Oakland already said no.  

Or San Jose, I suppose. 

[Tygers09]

2 hours ago, Red Comet said:

 

Don't know what's more annoying, people talking about expansion with barely a week played or the sarcastic meme of being a lifetime fan of a team in a newly launched league. 

 

Also, its Reddit. Stupid circlejerks in the name of karma is the name of the game there.

Well Red Comet, some people are optimistic rather than like most people who are pessimistic, a lot people were criticizing the league even before the first game was played because they were comparing the upcoming league to the one in 2001! 

 

Let some people have some creativity and dreams rather than criticizing and knocking them down. You only create more drama and arguments that way, I don't know what's more applauding or repulsive than people who constantly have to degrade others for being optimistic. It's like the kid who constantly cries or complain because the parent didn't give in to what he/she wanted!!

[Red Comet]

16 minutes ago, Tygers09 said:

Well Red Comet, some people are optimistic rather than like most people who are pessimistic, a lot people were criticizing the league even before the first game was played because they were comparing the upcoming league to the one in 2001! 

 

Let some people have some creativity and dreams rather than criticizing and knocking them down. You only create more drama and arguments that way, I don't know what's more applauding or repulsive than people who constantly have to degrade others for being optimistic. It's like the kid who constantly cries or complain because the parent didn't give in to what he/she wanted!!

 

Hey, I think this is the most polished alternative football league since the USFL. Not saying a ton, but I do think there's a lot to build on here and I did find myself enjoying what I watched. I'm taking things week-to-week here due to the AAF. Is it fair to compare the neo-XFL to the AAF or the original XFL? Probably not, but that's the legacy this new league has to overcome and time is the way to do it.

 

People can talk about expansion all they want, I just think it's premature until the end of this season when we can get a fuller picture. 

 

Besides, it's the Internet and rule numero uno is to not take it seriously unless your actual life gets dragged into it. If someone's dreams are destroyed because of sarcastic comments I make here, that's on them.

[Maroon]

4 hours ago, Red Comet said:

They've played one week and people are talking about expansion already? Let's see how year 1 (and probably 2) ends before even broaching that subject.

 

My speculation was more on the long term basis pertinent to the discussion of what markets the XFL is in or should have been in. San Diego wasn't really an option for the XFL considering the AAF staked it out. Now that the AAF is gone, it just seems like if expansion happens at some point that it'd be a logical city.

 

I certainly don't think it's imminent. But it is also fun to speculate about the future of a sport or league, and isn't that why we all follow sports when it comes down to it? To have fun?

[GDAWG]

Oliver Luck said recently that expansion is like near the bottom in terms of priority for his league at this point.  

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, Red Comet said:

 

Hey, I think this is the most polished alternative football league since the USFL. Not saying a ton, but I do think there's a lot to build on here and I did find myself enjoying what I watched. I'm taking things week-to-week here due to the AAF. Is it fair to compare the neo-XFL to the AAF or the original XFL? Probably not, but that's the legacy this new league has to overcome and time is the way to do it.

 

People can talk about expansion all they want, I just think it's premature until the end of this season when we can get a fuller picture. 

 

Besides, it's the Internet and rule numero uno is to not take it seriously unless your actual life gets dragged into it. If someone's dreams are destroyed because of sarcastic comments I make here, that's on them.

Why spend money on another 80-160 salaries when we know that 80% aren't that d@mn good enough to play professionally.  Unless Luck really attacks those HS seniors and college FR and SO who don't want to attend class, they're kinda just recycling the same dudes who are not on NFL 90-man or CFL rosters.  Granted, the AFL is officially dead, but you are only looking at QBs and skill guys from there. 

[kmccarthy27]

Sunday ratings have been released, looks like FOX gained viewers:

 

Saturday

(DC/SEA) - 3,302,000 - ABC

(HOU/LA) - 3,290,000 - FOX

Sunday

(NY/TB) - 3,385,000 - FOX

(DAL/STL) - 2,495,000 - ESPN (#1 cable telecast)

via ShowBuzzDaily

[GDAWG]

4 minutes ago, kmccarthy27 said:

Sunday ratings have been released, looks like FOX gained viewers:

 

Saturday

(DC/SEA) - 3,302,000 - ABC

(HOU/LA) - 3,290,000 - FOX

Sunday

(NY/TB) - 3,385,000 - FOX

(DAL/STL) - 2,495,000 - ESPN (#1 cable telecast)

via ShowBuzzDaily

 

the interesting numbers will be for week 2.  

[CrimsonBull9584]

On 2/10/2020 at 3:24 PM, GDAWG said:

 

 

I wonder what the story is here. I just hope LA doesn't become like the Legends. We had like 4 OCs during the whole season. Can't tell you why really, it just happened. 

[Walk-Off]

On 2/9/2020 at 6:59 PM, MJWalker45 said:

Toyota Stadium has had issues in the past. The 2014 (?) FCS Championship the field was so torn up they didn't let the bands play at halftime so they could do repair work. The reason it was so bad? Instead of painting the original turf, or removing it and laying down the new turf they stuck it right on top of the old stuff. Right after we had a nice cold snap that kept the new field from settling and it was crap the whole game, though it was always going to be a NDSU win because Towson couldn't do anything. I like that Dallas is using Globe Life because it's in a good access location, which is always the critique used for Frisco, that it's not close enough to Dallas proper. 

 

Unless I am mistaken, one more thing that gives Globe Life Park an edge over Toyota Stadium as an XFL team's home stadium is that in the months between the MLB Texas Rangers' final home game at GLP and the Renegades' debut game, the grass field that GLP had utilized throughout its life as a baseball-specific stadium gave way to a supposedly more durable synthetic turf surface similar to both the existing field at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and the field that the Rangers plan to use at their new home, Globe Life Field.

 

On 2/9/2020 at 9:16 PM, 4_tattoos said:

It's been my understanding that the ownership of Red Bull Arena (which I'm going to assume without Googling is the Red Bull company) simply does not want American football to be played in their stadium. Like somebody else pointed out RBA has hosted rugby events. In addition to that, the Premier Lacrosse League held 2 events at RBA last year (5 total LAX games). So there is willingness to allow some other sports to "ruin the pitch", just not American football. Go fig *shrug*

 

I can see some practical reasons why an owner and/or operator of any soccer-specific stadium would be more willing to host lacrosse games and rugby games at such a venue than to let gridiron football games be played there.

1. Just as in a soccer game, the typical flow of play in a lacrosse game or even a rugby game is, if not faster, then definitely smoother and more consistent than in a gridiron football game.
2. Just as in a soccer game, the players and action in a lacrosse game or even a rugby game tend to be spread out over more of the field at any given time than in a gridiron football game.
3. Just like the average soccer player, the average lacrosse player or even the average rugby player weighs less than does the average gridiron football player.
4. Just like a soccer uniform, a rugby uniform or even a lacrosse uniform weighs less than does a gridiron football uniform if all things are equal.

 

Put together, all of these factors mean that a game of either lacrosse or rugby, like a soccer game, is likely to inflict less wear and tear on a field -- let alone any specific part of a field -- than a gridiron football game.

[IceCap]

Any future XFL relocation/expansion discussions need to focus on cities where there are smallish college stadiums or MLS soccer specific stadiums available. A fun, intimate atmosphere is the best thing this league has going for it as far as garnering fan interest goes.

[McCall]

27 minutes ago, IceCap said:

Any future XFL relocation/expansion discussions need to focus on cities where there are smallish college stadiums or MLS soccer specific stadiums available. A fun, intimate atmosphere is the best thing this league has going for it as far as garnering fan interest goes.

Has Exploria Stadium officials said no to football? If Orlando were a potential expansion/relocation candidate, seems like it would be a great option. The Cure Bowl just moved there, so they're not entirely opposed to football being played there, though that's just one game.

[GDAWG]