Nineteen years after the original XFL first attempted to conquer spring football it is back with new rules and a new plan to sustain its rating week after week.
WWE chairman Vince McMahon first announced the return of the league in 2018 without many details besides it would start in 2020. After that announcement, McMahon took the back seat by hiring current XFL commissioner Oliver Luck a respected leader who previously held roles throughout college football like being on the college football playoff management committee.
The XFL’s goal is to make the game more exciting and higher scoring than the NFL. The league made many rule changes like the 25-second play clock instead of the 45-second play clock that the NFL uses, this was done to have the game played at a faster pace with less delay between snaps. Next, they added a new point after rules to eliminate kicking an extra point. The point after a touchdown can either be a one-point play from the two-yard line, a two-point play from the five-yard line, or a three-point play from the ten-yard line. This change allows the came to be in reach even if a team down points; so in theory, this will allow for more comebacks and exciting games. Another exciting change is the overtime format which will entail a soccer-style shootout with both offenses getting 5 chances to score on the opposing defense. There are plenty of other innovative changes like the one foot in bounds rule, new kickoff formatting, the way the final two minutes are played and a specific ball-spotting official.
After two weeks of play, the networks broadcasting the games see it as a huge success but many people are still not completely sold on the league actually working. Like junior sports communication student Jacob Steinberg who said: “history is not on their side” but went on to say that there is a chance if they show themselves to be an option for college athletes. Another sports communication student Joe Spotanski is quite optimistic saying that they have a chance to earn the spring football slot because of the rule changes put in place. He later went on to say “it might take a season or two for people to accept.”
The overall media focus has been mainly on the amount of access that is given to the viewer. The XFL allows reporters to be on the field conducting interviews right after a play and in the halftime locker room. The coaches and players have microphones during the game along with the referees and replay booth. This unprecedented viewing style creates more insight for the audience.
After just two weeks it’s hard to tell if the XFL reboot will be here to stay but it guarantees to be an interesting ride.
Brendon's Digital Journalism 
