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Thoughts on XFL???

Erehy Dobon said:
Coronavirus will empty the stadiums. The league will fold without completing its inaugural season.
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I agree that this coronavirus came at the worst possible time for the league, but its my understanding the Vince McMahon was projecting 3 years of losses and then with new tv contracts starting to make a profit in year 4. If that truely is the case then empty stadiums may not upset that business plan. Additionally, its possible they could see an uptick in viewerships (thus strengthening is negotiating leverage) due to the people unable to see the games in person.
 
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The XFL has cancelled the rest of its regular season games. They won't play in empty stadiums so the viewership is now zero.


Moreover, the league is allowing XFL players to sign with NFL teams with immediate effect. That means they were contractually obligated to remain exclusive to the XFL prior to this announcement.

While they publicly claim that they will return in 2021, we have possibly seen our last XFL game.
 
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Well, history repeats itself, one season & done.

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/04/xfl-to-cease-operations-as-a-result-of-covid-19-669109/
When the XFL was reborn following Super Bowl LIV, it was unknown how long it would last. Nobody expected a global pandemic to force it to end, however.

It was announced that the XFL will cease all operations immediately. Per a news conference with COO Jeffery Pollock, the league will not be returning for the 2021 season. As a result, all major employees have been let go. This comes after the announcement that all fans will be allowed a return of their 2021 ticket investment after the first season was postponed after week five.
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While there is a chance the XFL can return in the future, it is unknown when exactly that would be.
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Too bad, they did a lot of things better than the NFL and it was fun to watch. Must be devastating to be involved in that and then have COVID-19 happen out of nowhere and wipe it out.
 
Called this and the AAF long ago. I switched to college sports a long time ago. More satisfying than pro sports, IMO.
 
Zenithal said:
Called this and the AAF long ago
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I think nearly everyone called this, it was going to be an uphill battle and most people never really believed it would last.

What's odd is that they're giving up on this so quickly, I thought they would be able to do at least another season.
 
maflynn said:
I think nearly everyone called this, it was going to be an uphill battle and most people never really believed it would last.

What's odd is that they're giving up on this so quickly, I thought they would be able to do at least another season.
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I recall a few people arguing with me that it would stick around. That would be the presumption if this virus is squashed by the time the next season rolls around. Chances are it won't.
 
And the league is officially dead.
The XFL's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, the first business day after the league suspended operations and laid off almost all of its employees.

The filing, officially made by Alpha Entertainment, listed the XFL with assets and liabilities each in the range of $10 million to $50 million. The largest creditor was listed as the St. Louis Sports Commission at $1.6 million. Seven of the league's eight coaches also are among the top creditors.
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www.espn.com

XFL files for bankruptcy after suspending league

The XFL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, three days after suspending operations because of the coronavirus pandemic.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
The thing of interest to wrestling fans, is the stake that involved the WWE.

https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2020/4/13/21219643/xfl-files-bankruptcy
Fightful tracked down the documents filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware. Those confirm that, despite McMahon’s assertion the XFL and WWE were separate entities, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. did own 23.5% of the class B interests in Alpha Entertainment. Vince and WWE were the only equity interest holders listed in the filing (he owned 100% of class A interests and the other 76.5% of class B interests).

Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily says the league is for sale as part of the bankruptcy process.
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Don't ever change Vince. Now he's got WWE scoring an 'essential business' rating somehow from the Florida governor, so he's got his wrestlers back to work whether or not it's a good idea for them. Why? Concern for possible monies lost in TV deals, now he's taken that XFL hit.

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2...rtedly-hurts-vince-mcmahon-reputation-669251/
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's reputation reportedly took a hit among those in the business community after the XFL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week.

As noted on Monday, Vince's football league filed for bankruptcy in the state of Delaware. It was later reported that the league is looking for a buyer. XFL officials originally announced that they were suspending the season due to the coronavirus pandemic, and had plans for a 2021 season, but those plans were officially nixed this week. The XFL is done for the second time.

The XFL bankruptcy hurt Vince's reputation because the league filed so Vince could get out of the debut, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer noted that he picked up on this after talking to people in New York on Monday. People involved know Vince is worth millions of dollars, and had earmarked $300 million for the league. They also know that he hasn't spent $300 million on the league yet. It was noted that there's a feeling of Vince essentially "screwing people" he worked with on the league, including coaches and stadiums.

​
TMZ reported on Monday that the timing of the filing was done to maximize the return to investors. The Hollywood Reporter added that the league wants to maximize the value of its assets in order to pay creditors, so they have started the process of seeking a buyer. Among the creditors, the league listed head coaches Bob Stoops ($1,083,333.33), Mark Trestman ($777,777.78), Jonathan Hayes ($633,333.33), Winston Moss ($583,333.33) and others. The bankruptcy filing stated that the league has between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities and the same in assets. They owe more than $14 million to its 25 largest unsecured creditors, including 7 of their 8 head coaches mentioned above.
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I didn’t care much for the first edition of the XFL—some aspects looked like they came straight out of “The Replacements”—but I was rooting for both the AAF and the new XFL because they had some interesting ideas, like the sky judge or the multiple types of extra points. The stodgy NFL will never be anything other than what it is.
 
Because it's Vince McMahon, there has to be some drama...

wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/04/vince-mcmahon-sued-by-former-xfl-commissioner-ceo-oliver-669493/
Vince McMahon Sued By Former XFL Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck
By Marc Middleton | April 21, 2020
138

Former XFL Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck is suing Vince McMahon for wrongful termination.
Luck has filed suit against the XFL boss and WWE Chairman, claiming he was wrongfully terminated after the league folded due to the coronavirus earlier this month, according to TMZ.
Luck says he received a termination letter detailing why he was being let go on Thursday, April 9, but he denies any wrongdoing and says the allegations against him are not true.
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In the suit, Luck says he fulfilled his end of the deal and ran the league from its resurrection in January 2018, only to be wrongfully terminated. Regarding the specific allegations against him, Luck redacted those details in the lawsuit. This is likely due to a confidentiality agreement he had with the league from when he first signed.

Luck is suing McMahon to hold him responsible for paying out a guaranteed portion of his contract. There's no word yet on how much money that is.

The XFL recently folded for a second time and filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy due to losses from the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Just when you thought it was over...

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Vince McMahon could be trying to buy the XFL - ProFootballTalk

As the bankrupt XFL looks for a buyer, the buyer could be its founder. Via Daniel Kaplan of TheAthletic.com, XFL creditors “seem to believe” McMahon is positioning to buy the league out of bankruptcy. Separately, XFL president Jeffrey Pollack has contacted stadiums in Seattle and St. Louis about...
profootballtalk.nbcsports.com profootballtalk.nbcsports.com
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As the bankrupt XFL looks for a buyer, the buyer could be its founder.

Via Daniel Kaplan of TheAthletic.com, XFL creditors “seem to believe” McMahon is positioning to buy the league out of bankruptcy. Separately, XFL president Jeffrey Pollack has contacted stadiums in Seattle and St. Louis about reinstating the league’s lease agreements.

The XFL declined comment to Kaplan regarding the potential strategy that would, if effective, allow McMahon to escape debt at a time of devastated revenue and re-emerge on the other side of the pandemic with a clean slate.
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The clues as to the creditors’ beliefs come from their objection to a proposal in bankruptcy to pay $3.5 million in season-ticket refunds. The committee of creditors wrote that the payment “is being sought to further the efforts of the debtor’s controlling equity holder/secured lender, Vincent McMahon . . . to acquire the debtor at a fire-sale price.”

The ticket refunds would be aimed at bolstering relations with customers, in anticipation of a future business arrangement.

If that’s McMahon’s plan, and if it succeeds, he’d have to rebuild the league from the ground up, re-hiring coaches and players and others necessary to running the league. Anyone who previously worked for the league and was stiffed in any way may not be inclined to return (most notably, Oliver Luck won’t be back as the Commissioner), but if folks want to work in football and unless they’ve landed in the NFL, it’s not as if they have many alternatives.

Ultimately, fans won’t care one way or the other. In St. Louis and Seattle, the league thrived. If/when it resurfaces, the XFL could move franchises in cities where the league struggled to places like San Diego and Oakland, from which NFL teams recently have moved. The XFL also could try to identify another city or two (or more) like Seattle, which has an NFL team (and other pro sports) but which still flocked to the XFL games.

If McMahon is indeed trying to rebuy his own league and resurrect it for a second time, there’s a path to profitability given the impressive ratings performance on TV, the pent-up thirst for live sports, and the potential post-pandemic explosion of legalized wagering as states try to repair busted budgets.

Debates regarding the business ethics of the move notwithstanding, this potential Hail Mary play disguised as a Statue of Liberty could be the thing that lays the foundation for the league to survive and perhaps to thrive.
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Now if you know anything about wrestling, Vince Mcmahon, and the McMahon character, the idea of buying your own bankrupt business back at the end of a pandemic to shed all debt, isn't that disgusting a seeming move. To paraphrase another business guy, "I'm a smart business guy". Supposedly the stadiums in St Louis & Seattle have already been quietly talked to about their leases for games again. Obviously they'd have a friendly ( 18.5 million dollar ) ear in Florida, so there's already places for games, and Vince won't hesitate to send his employees back to work as soon as possible.

So if missed the XFL, you may have it again.
 
I heard that there were multiple people looking at the league. I wonder if Vince would have competition.
 
MacNut said:
If ya smelllllalalala What the Rock is buying.
www.espn.com

Rock-solid buy: Ex-WWE star, group to own XFL

Former WWE star Dwayne Johnson leads an investor group that has agreed to purchase the XFL.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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They get it for cheap due to Covid and previous failure. They can make lots of money once the Covid emergency eases as municipalities and TV's will scream for action and will be glad to make discounts.
 
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yaxomoxay said:
They get it for cheap due to Covid and previous failure. They can make lots of money once the Covid emergency eases as municipalities and TV's will scream for action and will be glad to make discounts.
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Johnson knows how to market things. I bet he could make the league better. Without Vince micromanaging the league has a good chance to survive.
 
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MacNut said:
Johnson knows how to market things. I bet he could make the league better. Without Vince micromanaging the league has a good chance to survive.
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Didn't he kind of market the previous attempt at the XFL and it still failed? I think I'm wrong but I vaguely remember him being a large part of the XFL.
 
TrevorR90 said:
Didn't he kind of market the previous attempt at the XFL and it still failed? I think I'm wrong but I vaguely remember him being a large part of the XFL.
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He was a college player at Miami, so I'm sure he was used as a salesmen, but I doubt he had any say in the league.
 
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