Well fans… It’s really happening.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon appeared in a live press conference with members of the media today to officially confirm the return of the XFL. Originally the brainchild of Mr. McMahon and WWE at the turn of the century, the National Football League alternative will return to the field in 2020 for another go-around, with a focus on what was repeatedly referred to as “the quality of the play”.
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While rules and specific regulations are still a ways off, McMahon did emphasize the XFL’s desire to shorten the average football experience. The end goal is to trim a full game down to just two hours total, with the idea of removing halftime entirely pitched, and finding ways to speed up time between plays. He also asked fans and media members alike to send in their thoughts on how they would “improve the game of football”, in order to present a “shorter, faster-paced, family friendly and easier to understand game.”
One interesting note is McMahon’s insistence that the “quality of the human being is going to be as important as the quality of the player.” It was announced that the returning league will have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to ANY kind of criminal background. “In the XFL even if you have a DUI you will not play.”
Given the massive controversy surrounding the NFL and players taking a knee during the National Anthem this season, there has been a tremendous amount of speculation that the return of the XFL might cater to the more right-wing fan. While McMahon refused to directly state whether or not players would be suspended or punished for political protest, it was made very clear that the league would take no part in “political or social issues”.
“The National Anthem is a time-honored tradition that’s played to this day, and many years in the past prior to most athletic events in our country and in other countries. Whatever our rules are is what everyone will abide by. There’s plenty of opportunity in which players, coaches, members of the media can express yourselves in terms of your own personal views, as far as social aspects are concerned. Whether or not it’s Twitter or Facebook, or whatever. We’re here to play football. When we come out onto the field we’re here to play football. That’s everyone’s job.”
Unfortunately, with two full years before the return of the XFL we’ll have to wait awhile to hear about specific rule changes, and even which cities may be getting brand new teams. Just about the only thing we can tell you in terms of gameplay so far is that the league’s original setup with 8 teams playing 10 games each will remain.