Xibo talks about the XFL

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The Latest:

It's official-- TNN will be airing afternoon games, as I predicted! In other news, Topps has been selected as the exclusive licensor for the trading cards. Given WWF's ability to license the brand, the trading cards should come as no surprise... expect a full line of licensed clothes and toys to follow!

What is the XFL?

The XFL, the Xtreme Football League, is a new football league starting in February. It's the brainchild of Vince McMahon, chairman of WWF Entertianment Nasdaq: WWFE), and is the boldest idea for a new football league ever put forth.

The Teams

City	Staff	Comments
Chicago Enforcers	GM: ?? Coach: Ron Meyer	Chicago has a long history of football, with the Bears going back almost 100 years. Chicago was an excellent choice, and provides a large market for the team. Chicago fans love their sports. The team will play at Soldier Field, which will make for some really fun games, as they get a lot of snow there in the winter. Coach Ron Meyer has experience with the Colts and Patriots as head coach.
Memphis Maniax	GM: Steve Ehrhart Coach: Kippy Brown	When the NFL was choosing their next expansion city, Memphis, Orlando, Los Angeles, and Houston were vying for teams. Eventually Houston won out, and that left the others wanting. Memphis had a taste of football when the Oilers played nearby, but then they moved to their permanent home in Nashville and became the Titans. Memphis also participated in the USFL and the WFL, so it's easy to see them wanting an XFL team. Hopefully the XFL is more permanent! They will play in the Liberty Bowl. The GM, Steve Ehrhart, has really been around, with experience in the USFL and in Memphis's old CFL team.
Orlando Rage	GM: Tom Veit Coach: Galen Hall	With Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and Miami having NFL teams, Orlando never stood a chance at getting an NFL expansion team. But now Florida fans can all set their eyes on Orlando starting in February. Orlando is mostly a tourist city, with Disneyworld and the like. This should help attract a national audience. The team will play in the Citrus Bowl. Coach Galen Hall comes from NFL Europe, where he led the Rhein Fire to championships in 1998 and 2000.
San Francisco Demons	GM: Mike Preacher Coach: Jim Skipper	Not much is known about the San Jose team yet. It's surprising the team was here instead of San Francisco or Oakland. They will play their games at Pac Bell Stadium (capacity 40,000). Coach Jim Skipper comes from the NY Giants, where he was assistant head coach.
Los Angeles Xtreme	GM: J.K. McKay Coach: Al Luginbill	After losing the Rams and the Raiders, L.A. has been desperately trying to acquire another football team. They almost got the NFL's 32nd team, but the deal fell through when the city wouldn't fund a new stadium. So I'm sure they're happy to receive an XFL team. They'll play in the L.A. Coliseum. Coach Al Luginbill comes from NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals; it appears the XFL will be raiding a lot of NFL Europe's talent.
Las Vegas Outlaws	GM: Bob Ackles Coach: Jim Criner	Like Orlando, Las Vegas is a tourist town. I expect a national audience here as well, as the Las Vegas locals don't seem to be the football type. The team will play their games in Sam Boyd Stadium. Coach Jim Criner comes from NFL Europe's Scottish Claymores, so he has experience with junior pro football that should come in handy.
Birmingham Thunderbolts	GM: Tim Berryman Coach: Gerry DiNardo	Birmingham has an Arena Football team, so I guess it's not too surprising that they got an XFL team. Still, it seems like a small market. They'll be playing their games at Legion Field (UAB). GM Tim Berryman has a lot of experience trying to startup teams in small cities, which will come in rather useful here. Coach Gerry DiNardo is a successful college coach (LSU 95-98; Vanderbilt 91-94).
NY/NJ Hitmen	GM: Drew Pearson Coach: Rusty Tillman	This team will play in Giants Stadium. It's good that the XFL will have another winter-weather team, it should make for some good fun. Giants Stadium seats 77,716. Drew Pearson will the GM, he was famous when he played for Dallas in the 70's, and more recently he is regarded as one of the top black businessmen (CEO of DPM Marketing, Inc.). Like Butkus, this appears to be a hire for the star power of the individual. Dallas was "America's Team" in the 70's, so he'll be well-known to everyone. Rusty Tillman, formerly special teams coach in Seattle, will be the head coach here. There is a fan club for this team on Yahoo.

Watching the XFL

The XFL's first season will run from Feb 3, 2001, to April 21st. The XFL has signed up with NBC and UPN. UPN will show a game each Sunday from 7-10pm ET. NBC will air a game on Saturday nights from 8-11pm ET, as well as the XFL championship game. The Sunday afternoon games at 4pm will air on TNN (also home to the WWF).

Who will the players be?

Mostly amateurs, semi-pros, NFL cuts, and the like. I'm not sure if the season conflicts with NFL Europe's, so it seems unlikely they'll be able to use those guys. It doesn't appear that the XFL is going after big name players, which makes sense, since you can't afford $10M players until you've established a huge audience.

Knowing the WWF though, I'm sure that they will take their amateur and semi-pro guys and make them into stars. They'll create their own heroes, and since the XFL encourages celebration, the audience will take to these champions more readily.

What's different about the XFL

XFL teams will play outdoors, with no artificial turf. They'll play in the snow, in the mud in the rain. Well actually only Memphis and chicago get snow; the other four cities are downright pleasant in the winter. Go figure.

Notable staff

Basil DeVito, President; Dick Butkus, Director of Football Competition.

Cool XFL Links

Seagryphon's XFL Football Pool -- predict the winners of each game.

"It's not just a sport-- it's entertainment."