Spring football is back! The XFL is weeks into Version 3.0 and the reborn USFL will be kicking off in April. While it’s not the highest level of football available, both leagues are providing an alternative for NFL fans, along with great reasons to tune in and watch.
Here are four reasons to love the XFL and USFL:
The Importance of Football Nicknames, Colors, and Uniforms
Part of the excitement when a new league launches are seeing what each team goes to market with. A lot of league credibility can be made or broken when announcing the nicknames. You’ll never have winners across the board, but it’s important that the majority of teams look crisp and strong from an aesthetics standpoint.
Both leagues have done a solid job of creating new uniforms that really pop on television. As each league does not have to honor a fan base of 60-plus years, they can take risks with design and colors.
Some of the more interesting team schematics are the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL and the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. Both teams have color combos that really stand out when watching television. Helmet designs like the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL have been divisive among football fans, but is that a bad thing? More talk online simply creates more buzz for the league.
Examining the XFL’s Unique Rules
Another benefit of launching a brand new league is you can look at what is currently working in the sport and what is not. The XFL and USFL have both made tweaks to rules that have long frustrated NFL fans. Like LIV Golf is doing with the PGA Tour, the XFL and USFL might be pointing out aspects of the football experience that could use re-examining.
The most talked about new development in the spring leagues has been the XFL kickoff. The NFL’s version has become a bathroom break for television viewers, as the majority of kickoffs do not get returned. The play is usually bracketed by television timeouts, creating a five-plus minute gap between action.
From a first look, it’s obvious the XFL is doing everything possible to make the play relevant, and encourage returns. The structure of the play also gives greater player safety as it avoids head-on collisions from players sprinting down the field at full speed.
Both leagues have done a much better job with their instant replay as well. Broadcasts take you inside the decision-making process, and the decision-making window is much shorter and more direct. The NFL replay system can be drawn out and painful, whereas these two leagues have really made the process something to tune into when it occurs.
And finally, the XFL’s three-point convert adds an interesting math element to the game and creates opportunities for teams to come back from bigger deficits. This unfolded in Week 1 as the St. Louis Battlehawks came back from a 15-3 score with less than two minutes left to defeat the San Antonio Brahmas. A touchdown and a successful three-point convert cut the lead to 15-12. And another innovation, the ‘4th-and-15 Onside Kick’, allowed St. Louis to retain possession to score another TD to win the game.
Players Trying to Make the NFL or Get Back In
Professional Football has always lacked a true farm system. For a time, the NFL had the World League of American Football / NFL Europe as a place to groom players (Kurt Warner being the most famous alum). Pro ball has always relied on NCAA football to develop upcoming talent. And for players wanting to make a living playing football, very few options existed outside of the NFL, with the CFL and the on-again, off-again Arena League being the most prominent options.
Fortunately, the XFL and USFL are chalked full of players looking to get back to the big leagues or break in for the first time.
Taylor Heinicke parlayed his play in XFL 2020 to gradually earn himself a starting spot with the Washington Commanders last season. Former Pro-Bowler Josh Gordon is currently lining up for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, looking to get back to the ‘bigs’. And former USFL MVP Kavonte Turpin is now a Pro Bowl kick returner with the Dallas Cowboys.
Part of the fun of watching spring football is looking up at the screen and identifying if certain players have what it takes to play at the elite level, or determine if some who were there still have enough to make it back.
Now Fans Get Football Year Round
With the XFL kicking off a week after the Super Bowl, and the USFL season extending into June and overlapping with the CFL season, professional football is on almost every single week of the year. It’s great news for those who are passionate about the sport, and it benefits everybody involved to have both spring leagues succeed. There are more options to watch, more places for players to play, and more content just makes the sport a better experience altogether.
“There’s clearly an appetite for year-round football. I don’t think that’s in question,” said Randy Vataha, a former New England Patriot who owned an original USFL team and is a longtime sports investment banker. He added, “I think that the level of the appetite, especially if you’re putting on two leagues, is tough. … But it’s always been the question of can you generate enough revenue to support the sport of football?” The XFL and USFL are about to find out. Will fans support the products?
So far, the numbers are solid. For the XFL to be averaging over 500,000 viewers on FX, is an impressive feat. And, when you consider XFL games also air on ESPN+, and we don’t yet know those numbers, it’s safe to assume there are a lot more viewers watching than those who are being tracked on basic cable.
That said, there is some concern and some adjusting going on as the season progresses. ESPN announced Tuesday that two XFL games originally scheduled for FX have been rescheduled for ESPN or ESPN2, and a third game set for ESPN will move up to ABC.
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