The XFL found a way to get its new vision on the field. Now comes the hard part.
Much like a new restaurant that opened to rave reviews, the XFL is going through a similar transition one month into its existence.
The hard part is here. Now the XFL has to lure people back.
The inevitable TV ratings slide for the league is here. People can grow bored quickly. March Madness is on the horizon. MLB’s Opening Day is less than one month away.
The league is four weeks into its 10-week regular season schedule, and XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said the league is taking the “long view” with this startup.
My question is, does the XFL, or any startup, have time to take the long view?
“The answer is a clear yes,” Luck said in an interview on Thursday. “Vince has told us repeatedly this is for the long term. To not go for the sugar high. That if you want to establish a spring league you have to have a long view of it.”
When the XFL launched with eight teams it featured one logical rivalry, Houston and Dallas. The Renegades will host the Roughnecks in Arlington on Sunday, and in doing so you’ll get a decent chance to see how this project is progressing.
This game should be the “best” of the XFL.
This version of the XFL has made more correct steps than one bad, beginning with keeping the league’s owner, WWE chairman Vince McMahon, well out of sight.
While McMahon’s money is making this go (again), the XFL’s best shot is to keep McMahon away, to judge itself against itself, and to keep its goals and expectations “minor.”
The XFL Positives
One of the smartest moves the XFL has made is to make Oliver Luck the visible suit of the league rather than McMahon.
Luck’s reputation in football is pristine. People will buy Oliver Luck.
McMahon’s reputation is in the scripted-world of wrestling. Wrestling fans may be loyal to McMahon, but football fans don’t want scripts.
The immediate reaction from fans and players about the rule changes has been, and remains, positive. The pace of the game has been commended, and the modifications to the traditional rules make for a better product.
You are seeing fewer penalties, and the changes to the kick and punt have resulted in more returns, thus “more action.”
“We are getting over 90 percent kickoff returns compared to 30 percent in the NFL,” Luck said. “When we looked at the rules we wanted to help it. We took a great game and we wanted to make it a little better.”
According to Yahoo! Sports, The Citadel plans to use some of the XFL rules for its spring game.
The reaction from the media to the games has been positive, which is no small feat.
Average attendance has been a bit more than 19,000 fans per game. At least per the XFL, attendance has increased every week overall. Both Seattle and St. Louis have checked in with attendance figures just under 30,000 for home games.
The XFL negatives
Luck said the league has not encountered any issue so big they had to ask themselves, “How did we not see this coming?”
“Maybe long lines for concessions in Seattle,” Luck said. “It’s a lot of little things.”
The quarterback play has been spotty. Houston quarterback P.J. Walker has been good with 10 touchdowns against only one interception. But the player who was supposed to be the “face” of the XFL this season, Dallas’ Landry Jones, has been average with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
The games often look like minor-league football with a few broadcast tricks that don’t necessarily work. The stadiums are at most half-full, which is never good for TV.
Veteran sports TV reporter Barry Horn of Forbes said ratings for the XFL have dropped from 3.1 million viewers in Week 1 to 1.61 million in Week 3.
XFL ratings are beginning to resemble your average NHL game. And that’s not bad, provided they stay that way.
“What I’ve said to my staff is to focus on playing quality football and competitive games,” Luck said, “then the ratings will take care of themselves. We don’t pay too much attention to it.”
At least a part of this struggle is that it’s March, and we are approaching spring. The league has no big name to market, like a former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel to sell a sport that historically has been off at this time of year.
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk fame Tweeted, it’s not “football season.”
Although the XFL is trying to change that.
“We’re all trained over the years to expect what we expect. You don’t want to over saturate anything,” Luck said. “I’d counter Mike’s comments that it’s a short season, football. It’s only September through January. There are plenty of talented players who are finding an outlet here. I’m most proud of that.
“I don’t know if we have to condition fans to do this. The challenge is if there is enough capital to sustain this, and I think there is. I’d push back at this.”
The XFL is in its fourth week of existence, and as long as it keeps McMahon away from the cameras, and its goals modest, it has a chance to extend what we consider football season by a few months.
This is where the real work begins.
This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
