The XFL Is (Once Again) Dead
Vince McMahon's attempt at reviving the football league he started and closed 19 years ago has shut down -- again. The XFL has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and laid off nearly all of its employees. At least last time they got to play out a full season; this go around, only half of the planned 10-game season was in the books before getting cut short by COVID-19. Not that the season was a spectacular smash hit. After the initial big ratings, the numbers began trending downward when everyone realized the league's premise was once again "football without the skill of the NFL".
If there's one thing to admire about how the XFL went out for the second time, it's in how the carnival barker, fueled by HGH, patented bravado that Vince McMahon brings to every project can be felt even in the press release announcing the league's demise. The league was never around long enough to prove itself as a formidable alternative to the NFL, thus making it all the stranger when the release being with "The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people who love football." That's what we're going to say when someone like Elton John dies, not at the death of a sports league that's crowned only one champion over one and a half seasons played over 19 years.
If you're in the market for a slightly used sports league in good condition that still has that new sports league smell, then act now, because Vince McMahon is putting the XFL up for sale. It took a global viral pandemic to finally convince him that the universe didn't want him to create another football league.
Luis can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Catch him on the "In Broad Daylight" podcast with Cracked alums Adam Tod Brown and Ian Fortey! Check out his regular contributions to Macaulay Culkin's BunnyEars.com and his "Meditation Minute" segments on the Bunny Ears podcast. And now you can listen to the first episode on Youtube!
Top Image: XFL
