# The XFL to return in 2020



## Gordon Cole (Jan 25, 2018)

*Vince McMahon: XFL to return in 2020 without gimmicks*

WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go.

It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league McMahon and NBC tried for one season in 2001, but it won't rely on flashy cheerleaders and antics as its predecessor did, he said.

McMahon said he is the sole funding source for the league, which is slated to begin in January 2020. Its first season will have eight teams around the country playing a 10-week schedule. The initial outlay of money is expected to be around $100 million, the same amount of WWE stock McMahon sold last month and funneled into Alpha Entertainment, the company he founded for the project.

"I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one," McMahon told ESPN in an exclusive interview. "A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, 'You were the one who screwed this up,' or 'You made this thing a success.'"

McMahon told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he has had no initial talks with media entities.

One mark of the new league, McMahon said, will be faster games. The ideal running time, he said, would be two hours.

As for the timing of the announcement, two years before the league's debut, many might point to McMahon's relationship with President Donald Trump, who this fall criticized the NFL for allowing its players to kneel and sit during the national anthem. McMahon said players in his league will not be given the forum to take a personal stance while on the playing field. McMahon's wife, Linda, heads the Small Business Administration in Trump's Cabinet.

"People don't want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained," McMahon said. "We want someone who wants to take a knee to do their version of that on their personal time."

Despite his relationship with President Trump, McMahon told reporters he had "no idea whether President Trump will support this."

McMahon said being the only owner of all of the teams will allow him to do whatever he wants.

"I can say, 'Here are the rules, and as long as you are playing football in the stadium for us, you follow these rules.'"

McMahon also said he would preclude any player with a criminal record, which would possibly disqualify former Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

"We are evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are," McMahon said. "If you have any sort of criminal record or commit a crime you aren't playing in this league."

McMahon was asked by reporters specifically about Manziel, Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow playing in the XFL. While Kaepernick does not have a criminal record, he started the NFL movement to protest during the national anthem, which would not be allowed in McMahon's league. McMahon answered the question and only specifically referenced Tebow.

"You want someone who does not have any criminality associated whatsoever with them. Even if you have a DUI you will not play in the XFL," McMahon told reporters. "So that will probably eliminate some of them. Not all of them. If Tim Tebow wants to play, he can very well play."

Manziel, however, tweeted at McMahon to express his interest in playing in the league.

#XFL2020 @VinceMcMahon

— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) January 25, 2018

One of the main problems with the ill-fated previous XFL was timing -- the first games were played a year after the concept was announced. Adding an additional year, McMahon said, will allow for a better product. Teams will be formed in 2019.

"It's extremely important that we have time to get together and get them practicing so we can have a quality product," McMahon said.

One of the reasons McMahon thinks he will be able to succeed 19 years after the league first failed is because, he said, television ratings no longer dictate success.

"To me the landscape has changed in so many different ways," McMahon said. "Just look at technology and companies like Facebook and Amazon bidding for sports rights. Even if ratings go down, there's no denying that live sports rights continue to be valuable and continue to deliver."

One of the ways McMahon envisions enticing major media partners is to offer them something the NFL hasn't: more creative feeds of the same game.

"I don't think people want to see the same thing when they're streaming as they see on television," McMahon said. "That's boring. I think fans want it shot in a totally different way, and I think there's an immersive opportunity that's more interactive to the game."

McMahon said seeing the NFL's troubles, which included a second consecutive year of a decline in ratings, didn't have to do with the timing of his announcement.

"The start of this league has nothing to do with the NFL's troubles," McMahon said. "What has happened there is their business, and I'm not going to knock those guys, but I am going to learn from their mistakes as anyone would if they were tasked with reimagining a new football league."

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ESPN that the league will have no comment on McMahon's upstart league.

Over the next couple of months, the XFL will announce the eight cities, expected to be large and medium-sized markets, where the teams will play. Team names will follow.

"Every city is on our radar," McMahon told reporters.

Then will come selection of players for the 40-man rosters. Salaries will be determined, but McMahon said players will make more money for winning.

"To me that's common sense," McMahon said. "Everyone in America lives when they perform, they get a raise or bonus. That's capitalism."

Although the season is only 10 weeks, McMahon said the contract will be a 52-week job so players can work themselves into the communities where they play.

It is not clear whether star players, should they garner national attention, will be able to jump to the NFL.

"One thing we are not is a development league for the NFL," McMahon said.

The original XFL, a joint venture between Vince McMahon's WWE and NBC, debuted in 2001 and lasted only one season. Ed Bailey/AP Photo
McMahon said he decided to go with the XFL name even though his new league won't provide the same gimmicks that were both a hallmark and a black mark on the original league.

"Quite frankly I looked at a number of things, but nothing resonated like the XFL. There's only so many things that have 'FL' on the end of them and those are already taken. But we aren't going to have much of what the XFL had, including the cheerleaders, who aren't really part of the game anymore. The audience wants entertainment with football, and that's what we are going to give them."

That means popular names such as Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, won't be given priority just because they are marketable. Everyone will come in on an even playing field, McMahon said.

"Maybe in a certain city having the old college quarterback would make sense, but only if he's the best option," McMahon said. "It's the wrong thing to do just for marketing."

McMahon told reporters that, unlike the last XFL, he doesn't have any plans to be visible during the league's games or with the league's content. Similarly, McMahon said that there will be no crossover with the league and WWE talent.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22213241/vince-mcmahon-gimmick-free-xfl-return-2020


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## From The Uncanny Valley (Jan 25, 2018)

This timeline never ceases to amaze.


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## Flowers For Sonichu (Jan 25, 2018)

Tebow won't do it unless a shitload of money is thrown at him because he's trying to make it as a baseball player. He sucks at it but the team he's in the minors with is desperate for revenue after Bernie Madoff with all of the owners money  and want to use him as a publicity stunt

The biggest draw other than Tebow is Manziel, who is precluded due to having a criminal record. As is half of the other players who would want to play because getting hit in the head repeatedly tends to dull one's judgement.

Obviously Kapernick is out of the question because Vince is going for the racist redneck demographic who thinks athletes aren't allowed to have political opinions and that modern day football is too "soft" 

The NFL has a shortage of quarterbacks. That's how a barely functional alcoholic like Blake Bortles made the Semifinals. Who is gonna play QB for these teams? Robert Griffin and his paper mache knees?


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## thismanlies (Jan 25, 2018)

I'm not sure how this will play out.

On one hand, two years is a long time for the NFL and its advertisers to lose money. I'd be amazed if the league doesn't have a major shakeup between now and then.

On the other hand, Goodell is making statements saying that he's turning the NFL into the social justice league. We all know that losing copious amounts of money has never stopped the social justice crowd from jamming their shit down everyone's throats.


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## Piss Clam (Jan 25, 2018)

If it was a league that played without pads then I would watch it. Other than that, there is no gimmick to this and people will just watch the NFL.

You have to satisify the blood god.


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## Bad Times (Jan 25, 2018)

Only a Chad could look at one of his biggest and most costly mistakes and go "LETS TRY THIS AGAIN."


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## Aquinas (Jan 25, 2018)

Is Opie and Anthony making a comeback to host for them again?


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## escapegoat (Jan 25, 2018)

I am all for this. Only, this time with more internet. Yes.


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## proteus4994 (Jan 25, 2018)

Did anyone bother to tell Vince that football ratings are down and basketball is way up?  Maybe he should have done the Xtreme Basketball League.

Oh wait, it's already been done and it totally fucking owned.


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## RG 448 (Jan 25, 2018)

Sexy Times Hitler said:


> One mark of the new league, McMahon said, will be faster games. The ideal running time, he said, would be two hours.


Eh... am I alone in preferring being able to cook and eat a meal, smoke two cigars, and get shitfaced over the course of a single game?


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## Red Hood (Jan 25, 2018)

It makes perfect sense. The NFL is kneeling, McMahon climbs onto the turnbuckle and prepares to leg drop on it.


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## Don't Call Anybody (Jan 25, 2018)

Bad Times said:


> Only a Chad could look at one of his biggest and most costly mistakes and go "LETS TRY THIS AGAIN."


When do we get round 2 of the WBF?


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## MrTroll (Jan 25, 2018)

He should sign Kaepernick on the condition that he publicly destroys a BLM shirt, puts on a MAGA hat and sings the Star-Spangled Banner during half-time of the first XFL game. It would be the greatest heel turn since Stone Cold Steve Austin joined The Alliance.


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## Y2K Baby (Jan 25, 2018)

Go get em', tiger.


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## Pickle Inspector (Jan 25, 2018)

proteus4994 said:


> Did anyone bother to tell Vince that football ratings are down and basketball is way up?  Maybe he should have done the Xtreme Basketball League.
> 
> Oh wait, it's already been done and it totally fucking owned.


Maybe that’s a good reason to do it, if there’s a weakness in the market take advantage.


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## XYZpdq (Jan 26, 2018)

It's still not a good idea, but it's a less-bad idea this time.

Aren't there arena football leagues that already barely scrape by?

I think it's funny how directly opposite the concept is from the Attitude Football of the old XFL.

Local buzz I've heard in Orlando (old XFL team city) is bemusement. Nothing really negative but nothing totally sincere. Basically a fun cow's thread minus the alogs.


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## Adolf Von Merkel (Jan 26, 2018)

Flowers For Sonichu said:


> . Who is gonna play QB for these teams?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Syaoran Li (Jan 26, 2018)

They're actually bringing back the XFL?

Damn. This truly is a strange and terrifying timeline.


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## Pickle Inspector (Jan 26, 2018)

> The market reacted positively to today's announcement about Vince McMahon relaunching the XFL under his new company, Alpha Entertainment. The stock jumped 1.9% to close at $34.13, which is a new all-time high. The last time WWE stock hit $34 was when the company went public in September of 1999.


http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news...ck-hits-all-time-high-after-xfl-announcement/



XYZpdq said:


> It's still not a good idea, but it's a less-bad idea this time.
> 
> Aren't there arena football leagues that already barely scrape by?
> 
> ...


I think it potentially might be successful, what I hear from people here in the UK who try to get into NFL is they find it drags on too long and the rules are confusing so if the XFL can improve on those things it might bring in casual sports fans.

Although like many people have said online this is the same person who has a 3 hour long weekly RAW show and more than double that for Wrestlemania if you include the preshow.


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## Flowers For Sonichu (Jan 26, 2018)

Pickle Inspector said:


> http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news...ck-hits-all-time-high-after-xfl-announcement/
> 
> 
> I think it potentially might be successful, what I hear from people here in the UK who try to get into NFL is they find it drags on too long and the rules are confusing so if the XFL can improve on those things it might bring in casual sports fans.
> ...



The stock went up because investors thought he will be less involved with shitting up the WWF


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## Pigeon On A Stick (Jan 26, 2018)

The NFL is repetitive. Season starts, players may or may not get injured, Lions suck, Jets suck, Giants suck, Saints win, Patriots win, rinse and repeat. I hope XFL throws a wrench in the system.


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## Flowers For Sonichu (Jan 26, 2018)

Here are some predictions:

Mike Ditka will somehow be involved, most likely the commissioner
Vince will go back on the DUI thing because JOHNNY FOOTBALL
Tony Schiavone will be an Announcer for the representative southern team
St Louis will have a franchise
As will Hartford/Long Island. They'll have the best players and will win the championship due to Vinces prefs
They won't have a network deal but games will be streamed on either youtube or Facebook
Some player will protest and get fired and it will be debated if it was a work or not
The coach who is smart enough to run a spread option offense with a dual threat QB will win the championship


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## GS 281 (Jan 26, 2018)

Flowers For Sonichu said:


> They won't have a network deal but games will be streamed on either youtube or Facebook


I get the feeling they're going to be using the network for this as a way to diversify the network.


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## XYZpdq (Jan 26, 2018)

yawning sneasel said:


> I get the feeling they're going to be using the network for this as a way to diversify the network.



Seems like this is being kept pretty separate from WWE this time. Vince actually sold some of his stocks to fund this, it's not a WWE spin-off.


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## Karl der Grosse (Jan 26, 2018)

Johnny Football managed by Jim Cornette


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## HomeAloneTwo (Jan 27, 2018)

It could work. Spring or summer league would be the best option. Playing in soccer stadiums would help fill up seats easier as well. The look and feel need to be professional. No Nickname on back or shitty colors/logos/team names/cities. Not only was the last XFL textbook gimmick, but it looked god awful too.


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## Skeletor (Jan 27, 2018)

What kind of an exceptional individual would ever want to play for a league that openly announces it's going to be even harden on player health than the NFL? The whole player pool is going to be absolute career fuckups like Johnny Manziel and a sad bunch of arena football rejects.


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## CIA Nigger (Jan 27, 2018)

I'd watch it if it were as much of a shitshow as the original was. Seriously, it's like something out of Idiocracy, like an over the top parody of football:


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## TowinKarz (Jan 27, 2018)

Better dust off that old "He Hate Me" jersey.


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## TrippinKahlua (Jan 28, 2018)

The fact is the NFL is shooting themselves in the foot these days.

As a loyal fan you DO NOT want to see those facts, but its true.

That's whats going to give the reborn XFL a shot.


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## TowinKarz (Jan 28, 2018)

Just because the NFL isn't doing as well as it was a year ago doesn't mean it's automatically vulnerable, and the big hubaloo about declining ratings is probably due to the sea change in the way Americans watch TV (or increasingly don't) not any problem with the product.      Ironically, without any "gimmicks" this incarnation of the XFL is probably even LESS likely to succeed.    

At this point, why not just relaunch NFL Europe?  

GO BARCELONA DRAGONS!


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## TrippinKahlua (Jan 28, 2018)

TowinKarz said:


> Just because the NFL isn't doing as well as it was *five years* ago doesn't mean it's automatically vulnerable, and the big hubaloo about declining ratings is probably due to the sea change in the way Americans watch TV (or increasingly don't) not any problem with the product.      Ironically, without any "gimmicks" this incarnation of the XFL is probably even LESS likely to succeed.
> 
> At this point, why not just relaunch NFL Europe?
> 
> GO BARCELONA DRAGONS!



FTFY

Kaepernick the little Jackass did his schtick far too late in the era where he got away with it.

You're absolutely right with the way Americans watch Tv though, why do you think the whole "Unplug the NFL" campaign exists?

Trust me, by the time this becomes actually relevant, the populace are going to be happy for it. The country is changing and will continue to change.


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## proteus4994 (Jan 29, 2018)

Skeealator said:


> What kind of an exceptional individual would ever want to play for a league that openly announces it's going to be even harden on player health than the NFL? The whole player pool is going to be absolute career fuckups like Johnny Manziel and a sad bunch of arena football rejects.



I dunno, the CFL does pretty well and they play on frozen grass that's basically the equivalent of playing on concrete.

The fact that the CFL is harder on a player's body than the NFL is why Ricky Williams got out in a year despite being the highest paid running back in Canada.


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## Kazami Yuuka (Jan 29, 2018)

CTE be damned, I kinda want to get into the XFL 2 just for the meme


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## Adolf Von Merkel (Jan 30, 2018)

The whole CR7 vs Messi in football or UFC proves that you can put 'storylines' in sports but they barely capitalize it.
I never watched XFL but I were Vince I would make interviews with players with things like "I'm the captain and is my last chance of winning a league" or "I left that team because I want to be famous" .Shit like this that make you want some team to sucess or not if you're not a follower of a specific team or player.


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## Gordon Cole (Feb 26, 2018)

*Here's Why the XFL Will Work This Time Around*

In late January, World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon announced his plan to resurrect the XFL in 2020. With this new XFL, McMahon promised not to repeat the mistakes of 2001, and he could be successful this time around.

Pure football fans didn’t take the XFL seriously the first time McMahon launched it. Wrestling fans weren’t interested, and traditionalists didn’t like its marketing tactics. The lack of interest combined with multiple incidents, mishaps, and other failures—which were chronicled in an ESPN "30 for 30" film in 2017—forced McMahon to close shop after one season.

During its launch in 2000, McMahon said he wanted to bring back "old-fashioned smash-mouth football." He felt the NFL had become watered down with its many rules and regulations. So in response, McMahon eliminated the fair catch on kick and punt returns, enacted the "No Domes" policy, which meant every game was played outdoors regardless of the weather, and allowed quarterbacks to get hit when sliding (which is a 15-yard penalty in the NFL). McMahon also made sure penalties like unnecessary roughness and late hits were kept to a minimum.

"It was too 'gimmicky' for me," Shawn Sierra, an affiliated host for SB Nation Radio and a former player and coach in his own right, told Complex.

With this new XFL, McMahon has vowed to make changes, and he could be successful if he's able to put them into place. The sports and media landscape has changed since 2001 thanks to more options for television viewing and social media being used as a strong marketing tool. Today’s sports fans are constantly seeking the next big thing, and the time could be right for competition as the NFL was forced to deal with turmoilon several fronts in 2017.

Back in 2000, McMahon hoped he could compete with the NFL with an alternative product that was co-promoted with WWE and marketed to the 18-34 year old male demographic. McMahon fast-tracked his league for a 2001 debut, which many felt was rushed and should have waited until 2002. While the league did have a draft in 2000, the majority of XFL players were a collection of former NFL players, college players who were overlooked by the NFL, and players from minor leagues such as the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League, among others.

The XFL did, however, resurrect the careers of quarterback Tommy Maddox, kicker Jose Cortez, and the late Rashaan Salaam. It also launched the NFL career of Rod "He Hate Me" Smart. At that time, WWE was at the peak of its famed "Attitude Era" where sold out venues, insane television ratings, and record pay-per-view buys (before WWE Network) were common. McMahon tried use the success of WWE to propel the XFL.

Legendary WWE announcers Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Jesse Ventura were among the broadcast teams. Wrestlers appeared at games throughout the 2001 season, and WWE promoted the league constantly during its weekly programs. McMahon also used multiple "gimmicks" to sell the league, such as eliminating the coin toss, getting rid of extra point kicks, taking cameras into the cheerleaders' locker room, giving coaches a live microphone, and introducing the innovative "Skycam," which is now used by both the NFL and NCAA.

"I can remember that people were indifferent about the concept," Jerry Riles, who has worked in sports media for nearly 30 years and currently hosts _The Rewind Sports: 60_, told Complex. "They were open to something new but felt some of the corniness was a bit too much."

"Competition is always good," Riles added. "Some experts around the sports world believe with the declining ratings, serious injuries, and the constant rule changes in the NFL that it will no longer exist in the next 20 years."

In addition to benefiting from an evolved marketplace and appealing to disgruntled NFL fans, player development may also help the XFL’s rebirth. The NFL has lacked a developmental league since NFL Europe shut down in 2007. The XFL can fill that void if McMahon plays his cards right.

"It could be a place for some players to develop and gain confidence, thus improving their chances of making the NFL," Sierra said.

With any sports league, money is always an issue. Players have frowned upon the CFL’s salaries, while the AFL’s financial struggles have been well documented. Even the XFL’s 2001 business model is outdated. So player compensation could help dictate the league’s future.

"If the XFL can compete with the salaries in the NFL that will change the landscape," Riles said.

Of course, the XFL won’t get anywhere without television coverage. Fortunately, with the expansion of cable and satellite networks and the various streaming services now available, McMahon shouldn’t have a hard time finding a network home.

"The multiple platforms that people consume their entertainment with will benefit the XFL because people can now watch on their phones, tablets or computers," Sierra said. "They don’t need to be in front of a TV."

"With social media and advanced technology this time, the game may take off. Fans are growing tired of the NFL, and if the XFL markets their games properly, it can be a game changer," added Riles.

McMahon always seems to make a business move at the right time. And if all goes well, 2020 could prove to be the XFL’s right time.

http://www.complex.com/sports/2018/02/heres-why-the-xfl-will-work-this-time-around (https://archive.md/yuRVj)


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## XYZpdq (Mar 10, 2018)

some goofball with a blog said:


> McMahon always seems to make a business move at the right time.


[citation needed]

Don't get me wrong, the new XFL seems to be less-doomed than the old one, but Vinnie Mac is hardly batting 1000 on business moves.


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## PS1gamenwatch (May 6, 2019)

It's been awhile but here's an update on the XFL:

www.postwrestling.com/2019/05/06/xfl-announces-tv-deals-with-disney-fox/ 



> On Monday, the XFL announced its television deals for its inaugural 2020 season. Beginning Saturday, February 8, 2020 (six days following Super Bowl LIV), the XFL will air weekly on broadcast networks ABC and Fox, as well as its cable affiliates ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2.
> 
> The Wall Street Journal added details in their report, indicating a three-year term for the deal with Disney and Fox covering production costs for the events while keeping TV advertising inventory. The XFL will maintain its ability to sell sponsorships.
> 
> ...


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## Zaryiu (May 6, 2019)

If theyavoid the error of the NFL (Seriously the NFL fucking sucks shit), the AAF and the first XFL they could do really well


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