The original "World League" featured three Europe-based teams, one in Canada and six teams in the U.S. What happened? This start-up lasted the longest of any, thanks to the backing of the NFL. World League of American Football/NFL Europe/NFL Europa The San Francisco Demons' Terrance Joseph (29) breaks up a pass intended for Las Vegas Outlaws wide receiver Mike Furrey (82) in an XFL game in 2001. Despite all of this, McMahon reincarnated the XFL for a 2020 launch. Only the AAF failed faster than the XFL in 2001. Less than a month after it played its championship game, the XFL folded after massive financial losses. It was just bad football, featuring trash-talking TV commentators such as Jesse Ventura (then the governor of Minnesota) and borderline-inappropriate cheerleaders (there were, however, cool player nicknames on the back of jerseys). Billed as "the toughest football ever," the XFL failed to live up to expectations. Those ratings quickly deteriorated as the season went along. What happened? Triggered by the marketing power of Vince McMahon and what is now the WWE (plus a partnership with NBC), the XFL opened to huge TV ratings. The UFL played the 2011 season, but its 2012 season was cut short after four weeks of play as the league succumbed to financing issues. Instead, the NFL lockout was resolved in time for the 2011 regular season and the UFL wouldn't be the only pro football option for TV networks that autumn. What happened? A rare start-up football league to try to play its games in the fall, the UFL nearly benefited from a prolonged lockout in 2011 as the NFL and NFLPA worked out a new collective bargaining agreement. However, without official NFL support, the league never became profitable and closed operations before it could complete its second season. The league had hoped to be a developmental league for the NFL, playing its games in the fall and ending its season in November, which is normally a time when injuries can take a toll on an NFL roster. It played with four teams in 2014 and just three in 2015. What happened? The FXFL was, well, small. John Wolford and the Arizona Hot Shots won the last AAF game, beating the San Antonio Commanders 23-6. It drew larger crowds than its spring football predecessor, the Alliance of American Football, and had national television agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports. The league did have a promising start in 2020. In August 2020, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and business partner Dany Garcia were among a group of investors that purchased the XFL's parent company for roughly $15 million. The XFL initially stated it would be back in 2021, but a month later the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Just five weeks into its 10-game schedule, the XFL joined every other sports league in suspending its season due to the coronavirus pandemic. What happened? Blame a global pandemic for the premature end of the second (but not last!) iteration of the XFL. Whether these leagues were direct competitors to the NFL, or just trying to fill a void in the football calendar in the timeframe after the Super Bowl, these leagues provide a cautionary tale for anybody thinking about getting another pro football league off the ground. In 1960, the American Football League went head-to-head with the National Football League and succeeded, forcing a merger between the two leagues and spawning the unofficial national holiday that is the Super Bowl. It currently exists as the NFL's American Football Conference. So, good luck XFL and USFL, as you compete for the attention of the sporting audience this spring.ĭating back to World War II, only one start-up outdoor professional football league survived. It was a reminder that it's tough out there for start-up pro football leagues. Just four years ago, the Alliance of American Football attempted to fill the post-Super Bowl football void, only to fold with two weeks still left to play in its inaugural season. While our country has a borderline ridiculous appetite for football, that hasn't quite carried over to spring football. though the seasons of the XFL and USFL will only overlap for a month. That means sports fans will have two spring pro football leagues to watch.
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