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XFL
Jan 25, 2018 22:07:01 GMT -6
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jan 25, 2018 22:07:01 GMT -6
www.f4wonline.com/daily-updates/daily-update-xfl-announcement-evolve-paul-daley-250361Most of the XFL news is already covered. My main observations is that it didn't appear that Vince McMahon had any great ideas, past the idea of speeding up games to end in two hours (probably based on the fact that his pro wrestling shows lose ratings in the third hour, which, with any studying, football doesn't). But it's clear this XFL is going to be, essentially, the anti-XFL, with McMahon's talk of no crossover with WWE, he won't even be seen as the face of the company or in public talking about the company, no cheerleaders at all (which were a big part of marketing the first XFL), no shots taken at the NFL, and most notably nobody with a criminal record, even a DUI, being considered for the league. The key take is that it appears Vince McMahon subscribes to the belief that the NFL ratings being down this year are based on a weakness in aspects of the game as opposed to overexposure of the product. He talked about a ten week regular season with four of the eight teams making the playoffs, starting in late January 2020. The idea is when they get teams together they want them to practice longer so the quality of the game is higher. Nobody asked what type of salaries they are going to pay and how that compares to the CFL, as they will be competing for the same type of player. As far as public interest, I don't see this being any different from last time or any of the attempts at second pro football leagues. But the environment is completely different today than in 2001. Whether that allows them to make it is a different story, but it's all about broadcast rights and if you can get a deal that allows you to make money, it doesn't matter about merch sales or ticket sales. And if it's just merch sales and ticket sales, but no significant money from broadcast rights, this doesn't have a chance. There are a lot more outlets, but television and OTT, looking for fringe product and you don't need that many viewers to stay on the air. But you need for someone to pay you a lot to be on the air, so this depends far more on the television/OTT market than the football market. WWE stock wasn't hurt by the XFL announcement as it was up 64 cents per share to $34.13, the highest the stock has been since 1999.
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XFL
Mar 20, 2018 16:18:10 GMT -6
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Mar 20, 2018 16:18:10 GMT -6
www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/vince-mcmahons-xfl-gets-rival-unlikely-source-253936VINCE MCMAHON'S XFL GETS A RIVAL FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE BY JOSH NASON | @joshnason | MAR 20, 2018 10:02 AM Before Vince McMahon's XFL officially kicks off in 2020, they already have a rival that isn't the NFL. And, in a twist, a driving force behind it is someone McMahon knows fairly well. On Tuesday, news broke that Charlie Ebersol -- producer of the XFL ESPN 30-for-30 and son of longtime NBC Sports executive Dick -- will be heading up another new pro football league, already armed with a TV deal and set to kickoff in 2019. The Alliance of American Football has several major backers including the majority owners of Barstool Sports and the Founders Fund which includes Peter Theil, the man who secretly funded Hulk Hogan's succesful lawsuit against Gawker Media. The season will begin in February 2019 and will conclude in April with games on both CBS and CBS Sports Network. Dick will be be on the league's board. He was a major part of the XFL's lone season and historically was a champion for then-WWF programming on the Peacock Network. There was no indication he would be involved with the new XFL, but given McMahon's history with him, that was a likely association in some aspect. Because of the nature of the league, it will be a direct competitor to McMahon's XFL which was officially announced in January for a 2020 return. How this will affect the player pool, potential sponsors, and more will be an interesting story to see play out over the next two years.
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XFL
Mar 20, 2018 21:00:59 GMT -6
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Mar 20, 2018 21:00:59 GMT -6
deadline.com/2018/03/new-pro-football-league-aaliance-of-american-football-cbs-dick-ebersol-bill-polian-1202349754/New Pro Football League Leapfrogs XFL, Unveils Plans For 2019 Kickoff & CBS Deal Are you ready for some more football? As the NFL struggles with ratings and other issues on and off the field, a new pro football league is ready to suit up in just 11 months. And no, it’s not the XFL. The Alliance of American Football today announced a February 9 kickoff and a TV deal with CBS. Billed as “a shift in the way we approach professional sports,” the eight-team league is going for a fan-friendly vibe with free streaming of games, integrated fantasy football elements and greater interactivity. Set for a 10-week regular season and four-team playoff, the Alliance — not the AAL, if you please — was formed by veteran TV sports producer Dick Ebersol, former chairman of NBC Sports who also developed Saturday Night Live, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Polian, an ESPN analyst and former NFL GM. CBS will air two primetime games starting with the season opener and continuing through the championship game on the weekend of April 26-28, 2019. One regular-season game will air each week exclusively on cable outlet CBS Sports Network. No word yet on potential cities, franchises, players or coaches. It’s certainly not the first upstart pro football league to lace ’em up. Along with the XFL, whose lone season was in 2001, there was the World Football League, which launched a bidding war for players and decimated the then-two-time-defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins’ roster. It played parts of two seasons in 1974-75. Less than a decade later came the United States Football League, which kicked off in 1983 as a spring league then tried to make the jump to fall in 1986 to compete with the NFL. Among its team owners was New Jersey Generals’ Donald Trump, who hoped to force a merger with the NFL but ended up helping to kill the new league. That 1986 season never happened, and some future NFL legends made the jump from the USFL including Steve Young, Jim Kelly and Reggie White. Among the planned innovations are safety-focused rules including the elimination of kickoffs and onside kicks. Offenses will start at the 25-yard line, and in lieu of onside kicks, the trailing team will receive the ball on their own 35-yard line facing fourth down and 10. Also new are a shorter play clock and fewer commercial breaks in the interest of shortening the total time of game and eliminating the extra point to require two-point conversions after every touchdown. “We believe fans and players are what’s most important,” Ebersol said, “so our approach is simple: We’ve created an Alliance where fans and players share in the success of their teams. Players have our commitment that we will seek the highest degree of safety and our support as we continue to invest in their success off the field with post-football career scholarships and financial wellness programs. With the expertise of Bill Polian and a leadership team of respected former All-Pro players and executives, we are committed to putting the best football product possible on the field every weekend, ensuring that 2018 will be the final year fans have to experience a six-month period without football.” Those All-Pro players he mentioned include Justin Tuck, who will serve on the player engagement advisory board, and Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu and Jared Allen, who have been tapped as senior-level player relations execs. “As the Alliance of American Football launches next February, we are excited to become the official television partner, adding more football to our robust programming lineup with a great package that includes two primetime games on CBS, as well as a full slate of regular-season spring football on CBS Sports Network,” said Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports. “With Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian at the helm, we are confident that the product they will deliver will be entertaining, exciting, engaging and something that fans will really enjoy. JK McKay, a standout receiver at USC in the 1970s and veteran football exec, will head up football operations for the Alliance. The suddenly-rival XFL, that short-lived league best remembered for some wacky rules and nicknames like “He Hate Me” on uniforms, is being revived. WWE impresario Vince McMahon will relaunch his league in 2020.
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XFL
May 4, 2018 15:50:28 GMT -6
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on May 4, 2018 15:50:28 GMT -6
www.sescoops.com/wwe-minority-owner-of-xfl/WWE Revealed To Be Minority Owner of XFL According to a new SEC filing, WWE owns a minority stake in Vince McMahon’s XFL football league. The 10-Q filing shows that WWE is a minority owner in Alpha Entertainment, parent company of the XFL. According to PWInsider, the filing reads: “On April 3, 2018, the Company entered into a transaction with Alpha Entertainment LLC (‘Alpha’), an entity controlled by Vincent K. McMahon, granting Alpha rights to launch a professional football league under the name ‘XFL’. Alpha has announced that it expects that this launch will occur in early 2020. Under these agreements, WWE received, among other things, a minority equity interest in Alpha without payment by, or other financial obligation on the part of, WWE.” The XFL is set to launch in 2020. Vince McMahon officially made the official announcement in late January. Although McMahon had stated that WWE and XFL would be separate entities, XFL commercials have been airing at WWE live events.
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XFL
May 4, 2018 17:54:54 GMT -6
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on May 4, 2018 17:54:54 GMT -6
www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0503/639557/vince-mcmahon-xfl-already-butting-heads-with-aaf-in-orlando/Vince McMahon's XFL Already Butting Heads With AAF In Orlando?, WWE Official Reaches Out About Team The Orlando Sentinel reports that officials from Vince McMahon's XFL have reached out to to the city of Orlando about possibly bringing one of the XFL football teams to Camping World Stadium. The potential Orlando XFL team is causing some drama as the Alliance of American Football (AAF) announced last month that they will be putting one of their new teams in the University of Central Florida's Spectrum Stadium. Legendary coach Steve Spurrier of the Florida Gators will be coaching the AAF Orlando team. To get an idea of the drama in the headlines, the Sentinel asked if we might see "Vince McMahon vs. Steve Spurrier in a Loser-Leave-Town match for Orlando's Heavyweight Championship of Professional Football" soon. As we've noted, McMahon is looking at bringing the XFL back in January 2020 while the AAF plans to launch in February 2019. It was believed that XFL and WWE would run separate for the most part but Allen Johnson, Executive Director of Orlando's venues, confirmed to the Sentinel that John Saboor, WWE's Senior Vice President of Special Events, was the one that recently reached out about an XFL team in Orlando. "We were told that there is preliminary, high-level interest in Orlando and they would get back to us at a later date," Johnson said. "They did mention in the call that they were aware of the other league (the Alliance) and felt that the Orlando market could support two teams." Johnson noted that the city has often received phone calls about pro football teams possibly coming to Orlando over the years but they are excited about the reincarnation of Vince's XFL because usually the discussions don't get past the early conversations. Orlando officials know Vince has the cash flow to make a league happen, plus they recognize the success he has had with various local events, including two major WrestleMania shows. "We're always excited about events that we can add to the great variety of events that we already have at Camping World Stadium," Johnson said about Vince possibly bringing a team to the home of WrestleMania 24 and WrestleMania 33. "The XFL would be a welcome addition."
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XFL
Jun 29, 2018 20:53:50 GMT -6
Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jun 29, 2018 20:53:50 GMT -6
www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/mcmahon-plans-spend-500-million-over-first-three-years-xfl-260681MCMAHON PLANS TO SPEND $500 MILLION OVER FIRST THREE YEARS OF XFL BY JOSEPH CURRIER | @josephcurrier | JUN 29, 2018 5:48 PM More details have emerged on the finances of Vince McMahon's XFL revival. ESPN's Darren Rovell reported today that McMahon has informed insiders that he expects to spend "closer to $500 million" over the football league's first three seasons, which would be more than $160 million per year. That $500 million number is in comparison to the $100 million in WWE stock that McMahon sold last December to fund Alpha Entertainment LLC. Alpha Entertainment has been positioned as a separate entity from WWE since the announcement of its formation and the official relaunch of the XFL. "People were focused on the $100 million, but the truth is that doesn't even get us to the 20-yard line," XFL CEO and commissioner Oliver Luck told ESPN. Luck noted that salaries for players and coaches will be their biggest cost, with salaries expected to be near $75,000 annually per player -- though more well known athletes will earn more than that. Luck also said that they'd be spending over $10 million a year on a "broad-based insurance program" to cover the players' injuries. Luck was announced as the XFL's CEO and commissioner earlier this month. He's an experienced sports executive and most recently worked as the NCAA's executive vice president of regulatory affairs. The first season of the XFL revival is scheduled to begin in early 2020. They'll face competition from Charlie Ebersol's Alliance of American Football, which will be launching on CBS Sports in 2019.
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