15 years ago the XFL played its Million Dollar Game

[Vice honcho room temperature]

www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/wwe-vince-mcmahon-xfl-championship-game-15-year-anniversary-042116

Were we ever that young?

[Nickybojelais]

I remember been annoyed that the XFL wasn't shown in the UK. I was so certain that because Sky Sports were already showing the WWF and NFL, they would automatically be broadcasting the XFL too.

I know the standard wasn't great, but it would have given me some sort of football fix until the NFL season started again in September!

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

The way I see it the Pittsburgh Steelers owe Vince McMahon 2 Super Bowl rings.

Tommy Maddox was signed to the Steelers because of how he did in the XFL, he wound up taking the starting job in his 2nd year with the team, and they made the playoffs. Since they made the playoffs, the Steelers weren't in a rush to get a QB, in the 2003 NFL Draft the Steelers traded up and took Troy Polamalu. If they didn't have Maddox, they probably would have taken Byron Leftwich, Kyle Boller, or Rex Grossman depending on where they drafted. So they'd lose out on one of the best Safeties ever to play the game, and a key figure in 2 Super Bowl winners, for a QB that fell short of expectations. The following season, Maddox struggled and the Steelers knew they had to take a QB, and of course in the 2004 Draft they took Ben Roethlisberger.

So Pittsburgh Steelers fans, you owe Vince McMahon a thank you, for coming up with the XFL. And the Steelers owe Vince 2 Super Bowl rings, without him coming up with the XFL they don't get Polamalu and Big Ben.

[chrom]

The XFL died the moment Vince had his in character interview with Bob Costas. Any chance of it being taken as an alternative to the NFL went down the drain the second they aired it.

[bob]

I watched every XFL game. I remember tha tmost sports shows crapped all over it before a single game was even played and set the league up for failure. I'm not saying it would've been a success, but it should've been given a fair shot by the media.

[chrom]

Apr 27, 2016 12:17:07 GMT -5 bob said:

I watched every XFL game. I remember tha tmost sports shows crapped all over it before a single game was even played and set the league up for failure. I'm not saying it would've been a success, but it should've been given a fair shot by the media.

Like I've said, any chance it had went right down the drain during that interview with Vince.

[bob]

I'm an OG, I won my XFL fantasy league.

[Sam Punk]

I was in second grade back then.

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Apr 27, 2016 18:45:53 GMT -5 chrom said:

Apr 27, 2016 12:17:07 GMT -5 bob said:

I watched every XFL game. I remember tha tmost sports shows crapped all over it before a single game was even played and set the league up for failure. I'm not saying it would've been a success, but it should've been given a fair shot by the media.

Like I've said, any chance it had went right down the drain during that interview with Vince.

I agree. While I am not saying it would have succeeded long term, all the others like WFL, USFL, WLAF, CFL's US expansion and later UFL failed, but the XFL would have had a better chance if Vince was a silent partner. After all they did have the backing of NBC and Dick Embersol at the beginning.

They were fighting an uphill battle though, the only leagues that made it were the AFLs, the one that merged into the NFL and Arena Football that is still around after nearly 30 years, even if it is a niche product.

[tigermaskxxxvii]

I think the XFL could have succeeded long term as a niche product if they stuck with the original plan of Sunday afternoon games on TNN and UPN. Instead of the big gamble of Saturday nights on NBC in prime time. At least until a couple of seasons into the league's existence when they had the chance to get their feet under them and built up a fan base. As opposed to getting millions of curious onlookers week one and then the nosedive onward that caused the league to become a laughing stock of the television industry as they had to reimburse advertisers with "make good" ads on NBC. The prime time games just gave them high expectations they could not live up to.

Also, it did not help matters that the XFL had confusion with its brand identity. On one hand they wanted to be hard nosed, meat and potatoes old school football. In contrast to the NFL that they painted as being soft (only if McMahon launched the XFL now. We could have had an Enzo and Cass promo for the league) since it's a league of millionaires who have been insulated in a bubble of luxury. As opposed to a league full of hungry young players who don't just want to win, they need to win. So on one hand they're marketing themselves as this no nonsense old school league that harkened back to the days when pro athletes were blue collar working men like the folks in attendance. On the other hand, they marketed the league as a f***ing sideshow.

Too bad every attempt at spring time football has gone defunct. Now if I want a football fix until Autumn I have to rely on ESPN 2's inconsistent coverage of Arena and Canadian games.

[unc40]

You knew things weren't going to go well when an XFL player is injured during the opening scramble of the first game.

[Toxik916]

I wore my XFL Tshirt with pride every week in middle school until some asshole made fun of me for supporting a defunct league.

San Francisco Demons 4 lyfe

[wildojinx]

Apr 26, 2016 17:03:22 GMT -5 chrom said:

The XFL died the moment Vince had his in character interview with Bob Costas. Any chance of it being taken as an alternative to the NFL went down the drain the second they aired it.

Is that the one where Vince knocked the papers out of Bob's hands (and Piper did his interview about drugs on the same program)? If so, that interview was aired long after the XFL was dead and buried.

[Hanzo]

HE HATE ME