According to reports, the XFL currently has no plans to reopen in 2021.
On Good Friday, ironically, the XFL died.
It was yet another failure of an attempt of spring football in the tri-state area. The New York Guardians will join the New Jersey Generals, the New York Hitman, and a couple of other nondescript teams in the spring football graveyard.
This time around, however, there were plenty of signs for success.
As in the past, however, revenue wasn’t the issue. Instead, like nearly everything else, the Coronavirus pandemic brought the league to a screeching halt in late March. The pandemic struck the XFL again, apparently this time for good.
“Given the uncertainty of the current environment, the XFL has suspended operations and is evaluating next steps,” read a statement issued by WWE CEO/President Vince McMahon and Alpha Entertainment.
Multiple sources stated the league had a universal layoff of employees and didn’t have any plans for a 2021 restart.
Too bad.
To me, the league had a niche and could have expanded into future markets especially in the South. McMahon initially launched the league in February 2018 and opened a two-year window to envision a smooth start to his second version of spring football. He had secured eight relative markets and familiar NFL and college names such as the Guardians’ Kevin Gilbride along with Marc Trestman, June Jones, Bob Stoops, and Jim Zorn.
The XFL… the Ins and Outs.
The XFL arranged for ABC, ESPN, and Fox for its weekend contests – even though ratings were starting to slide in their final weeks — and they had average crowds.
The Guardians – only making the lower tier of Met Life Stadium available for their games — averaged roughly 15,000 per contest, but they couldn’t recapture the euphoria of the 17,000-plus in their debut 23-3 victory over Tampa, February 8.
They did become embroiled in a controversy with quarterback Matt McGloin, who openly criticized his coaching staff for their offensive scheme on the live sideline reporting option, an intriguing and interesting caveat that created some major waves nationally.
The 5-0 Houston Wranglers were the league’s premier attraction, and quarterback P.J. Walker recently inked a two-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in search of a backup role there behind recently signed Teddy Bridgewater.
Walker, who certainly was a league MVP candidate, threw for more nearly 1,400 yards with 15 touchdowns. He is among a growing list of former XFLers being signed by NFL teams.
Unfortunately, another spring league and New York entry has bit the dust. There were some memories and some impressive players. Defensive tackle Cavon Walker and cornerback Dravon Askew-Henry, both graded as among the league’s best, were signed by the Steelers and Giants respectively.
Herschel Walker still reigns as the area’ most productive spring football player as he once gained a pro football record of 2,411 rushing yards in 1985, the final year of the Generals and the two-year existence of the United States Football League (USFL).
