XFL 2020 Season

[Red Wolf]

7 hours ago, dfwabel said:

It was nicknamed "The Temple" by now-retired sports radio host/station owner, Mike Rhyner, upon walking into the stadium for the first time in 1994 during the exhibition games. 

His original quote was:

 

 

How embarrassing that a temple can be built and replaced within my lifetime.

[Red Comet]

27 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

 

How embarrassing that a temple can be built and replaced within my lifetime.

 

I know that feel. Well, I guess I don't due to the Royals/Chiefs having the same stadiums since before my Dad became a man but it does feel weird seeing all these different cities get into some ridiculous arms race over taxpayer-funded palaces that only 10-20% of said taxpayers will actually get to enjoy more than once every few years or so.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

1 hour ago, Sykotyk said:

4 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

...the eventual champion Demons...

Just a quick note, the Xtreme were the champions. Crushing San Francisco in the Million Dollar Game. 

 

Ah, right! Tommy Maddox, the other Arena Football League veteran. Silly me.  Thanks for the correction.

 

I have always admitted to caring more about uniforms than results. And here I prove it by awarding the championship to the best-dressed team.

[Maroon]

On 2/9/2020 at 3:56 PM, Red Comet said:

And now to watch my team: The St. Louis Battlehawks. Again, might have to go buy a couple tickets now. Especially after watching the product not be nearly as rough as I thought it would. It's still not NFL quality. At all. But I'll spend a bit of money to watch a game with a friend. 

 

Just bought my tickets to see the BattleHawks play LA. I'd mentioned in this thread before how I'd wanted to see them play the Defenders, but that game ended up conflicting with something. My second choice would have probably been the home opener (especially since I love the Guardians uniforms), but it's almost sold out and the remaining tickets are a bit pricey for my tastes. 

One random thing to throw out into the discussion: apparently a lot of BattleHawks fans have taken to considering the Vipers their rivals. I have no idea why, but in the BattleHawks twitter and facebook worlds it's constant ragging on the Vipers and their fans. 

[Red Wolf]

40 minutes ago, Maroon said:

One random thing to throw out into the discussion: apparently a lot of BattleHawks fans have taken to considering the Vipers their rivals. I have no idea why, but in the BattleHawks twitter and facebook worlds it's constant ragging on the Vipers and their fans. 

 

Probably because they're jealous. St. Louis wanted to be named after Randy Orton like how Seattle got named after Daniel Bryan, but instead some team in Florida got the name.

[dfwabel]

14 hours ago, Red Comet said:

 

I know that feel. Well, I guess I don't due to the Royals/Chiefs having the same stadiums since before my Dad became a man but it does feel weird seeing all these different cities get into some ridiculous arms race over taxpayer-funded palaces that only 10-20% of said taxpayers will actually get to enjoy more than once every few years or so.

Globe Life Park (nee The Ballpark in Arlington) opened in 1994 and was paid off by the city of Arlington in 2001. They didn't know what to do with the additional income from the half cent sales tax so the approached the Cowboys and built the Death Star.  That was gonna be paid off 14 years early too, so since both the city and the Rangers realized that not building a retractable roof in 1994 was an error, they and voters don't mind voting to keep that half cent on the books and refinanced the Cowboys debt at a lower interest rate to save $138M, but would have to slow down paying those bonds off in order to get $400M for the new Rangers stadium.  The city is raking in the sales tax money, even with last fall's 40-day UAW strike of GM plants. Arlington's GM plant builds the Escalade/Suburban/Tahoe, so you know that plant runs 24/7.

Arlington is still the largest American city by population w/o a public mass transportation system. They recently added a series of vans which act more like rideshare, but won't buy buses or  either join Fort Worth's The T, and cannot join Dallas' DART as that requires a full cent in sales tax, which Arlington would still not have available if the stadium half cent tax went away.

 

[GDAWG]

the ratings and attendance numbers as the season goes on will be very interesting.  

[FiddySicks]

20 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

The San Francisco Demons averaged more than 35,000 fans a game in that park in 2001, leading the XFL.

 

Here is a mid-season game, from week 6 against the Hitmen.

 

 

The place was just fine for football, even if both teams had to use the same sideline, soccer-style.

 

As a side note, the broadcast was a good one. It was very professional, without all the wrestling-flavoured nonsense of the early weeks. The Demons' regular quarterback, Arena Football star Mike Pawlawski, was out with an injury; so he joined the announcing team of Craig Minervini and Bob Golic while standing on the sidelines.

 

Finally, these were the two top looks in the league, with the eventual champion Demons' logo being a design masterpiece, the Hitmen's dignified logo being a welcome use of a letter, and the teams' colours each being beautiful on their own and looking great against one another.

 

A well-played game between two sharply-dressed teams, played in a full stadium and presented in an entertaining broadcast. A viewer cannot ask for more than that.

 

AT&T/Oracle/Pac Bell Park is actually a surprisingly awesome venue for football. I’ve been to several games there and have enjoyed every one of them immensely. 

 

I actually got to run on the field there a few days before the first XFL game. They had the back gate WIDE open, I was twelve, and I said screw it, how much trouble could I possibly get into? They ushered me off the field in about ten seconds, but they were cool about it and appreciated my enthusiasm. It looked so strange set up for football. It works really well, though. I think @Puckguy14 worked for the team that year, too. 

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, FiddySicks said:

 

I actually got to run on the field there a few days before the first XFL game. They had the back gate WIDE open, I was twelve, and I said screw it, how much trouble could I possibly get into? They ushered me off the field in about ten seconds, but they were cool about it and appreciated my enthusiasm.

You better pay that forward, or make sure the CSC or Securitas folks don't beat the brakes off a tween like they stole a Milky Way^

 

*-Cannot discriminate about unfortunate stealin' fools with peanut allergies.

[FiddySicks]

Not my bag anymore since they let me go this week

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, FiddySicks said:

Not my bag anymore since they let me go this week

See my PM

[GDAWG]

Houston opens three sections of the upper deck:

 

[GDAWG]

Attendance and ratings will be interesting for this weekend and in the weekends ahead.  

[See Red]

Quite the attendance drop in DC. 

[Red Comet]

17 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

Attendance and ratings will be interesting for this weekend and in the weekends ahead.  

 

DC looks half-full at best. It's also 38 degrees there right now and that might be playing a role too.

[Matthew24]

3 minutes ago, Red Comet said:

 

DC looks half-full at best. It's also 38 degrees there right now and that might be playing a role too.

 

4 minutes ago, See Red said:

Quite the attendance drop in DC. 

I thought I was the only one who noticed that.

 

It weird. Last week they were almost packed. Wonder how many New York Guardians fans will show up in MetLife Stadium next time they have a home game?

[Red Comet]

2 minutes ago, Matthew24 said:

 

I thought I was the only one who noticed that.

 

It weird. Last week they were almost packed. Wonder how many New York Guardians fans will show up in MetLife Stadium next time they have a home game?

 

Looks a little fuller now but given the choice of going to the 1st game ever or the game next week, most people who are interested are going to go to the 1st game. 

 

Plus, most people don't want to freeze their asses off watching okay football.

[Matthew24]

1 minute ago, Red Comet said:

 

Looks a little fuller now but given the choice of going to the 1st game ever or the game next week, most people who are interested are going to go to the 1st game. 

 

Plus, most people don't want to freeze their asses off watching okay football.

Which makes me wonder something. Why the heck is Summer Football not a thing? I know Baseball and Soccer might be an issue but it would make more sense.

 

They don't have to worry about the CFL at all and still play for 10 weeks while fans would not have to freeze their butts off watching Spring (more like still Winter) Football.

 

I don't know. But summertime would make more sense to me as a fan of american football the springtime football.

[Red Comet]

5 minutes ago, Matthew24 said:

Which makes me wonder something. Why the heck is Summer Football not a thing? I know Baseball and Soccer might be an issue but it would make more sense.

 

They don't have to worry about the CFL at all and still play for 10 weeks while fans would not have to freeze their butts off watching Spring (more like still Winter) Football.

 

I don't know. But summertime would make more sense to me as a fan of american football the springtime football.

 

Because then you'll deal with offensive/defensive linemen who are going to croak from the heat. A dead atmosphere is better than a dead player after all. 

 

Plus, you have any idea how hot it gets when you're wearing a football uniform at 100 degrees? It's not something I'd wish on anyone.

[Matthew24]

1 minute ago, Red Comet said:

 

Because then you'll deal with offensive/defensive linemen who are going to croak from the heat. A dead atmosphere is better than a dead player after all. 

 

Plus, you have any idea how hot it gets when you're wearing a football uniform at 100 degrees? It's not something I'd wish on anyone.

Fair enough..