The second week of the XFL came and went but not without a few good bookends. The Sea Dragons and the Battlehawks proved to be the weeks most competitive matchup while the Renegades and Roughnecks revitalization of the Texas Throwdown proved to be a moderate closer. With week two in the books, I want to give you my take on what the XFL actually is and why it’s important.
The XFL is a league of passion, grit, and hunger as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson likes to say. What I like to say? It’s not the NFL. That’s certainly not a dig but it is something both fans and non-fans of the league need to remember. In the age of social media, people tend to type their thoughts and click submit before really thinking them through. That’s been all too true about spring football. With the launch of XFL 3.0 and opening weekend numbers that didn’t match those of 2020, the boo birds were quick to come out on Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media.
“There’s too many turnovers.”
“This is mediocre football at best.”
“This is the equivalent of the NBA G-league.”
“There’s a reason why these players aren’t playing in the NFL.”
Those few quotes are just some of what I’ve seen put out there over the last week or so. In life, like in football, people tend to be competitive. Without even realizing it, the things we say and do tend to come off in a competitive manner. Many fans who support an NFL team tend to react to new forms of football in defense mode. Rather than be excited about more football, they see the flaws in the game and make comparisons to what they are accustomed to seeing. Because of that, they’re quick to tear it down without thinking about what it really is and what it really means.
The X in the XFL stands for the intersection of dreams and opportunities. Yes, the XFL is viewed as a developmental league but it also represents a second chance for many of its players. Perhaps those players were on the cusp of making an NFL roster but got cut, perhaps they’ve been out of the game for a period of time and they’re trying to get back in, perhaps they backed up a starter in the NFL for a number of years and want to actually play—this league means a lot to its players and it became very evident on Thursday night following the Battlehawks second straight fourth quarter comeback when quarterback, AJ McCarron said, “being a backup is a great gig and I love it, but I also love playing and I’m just so thankful to the XFL…”
I tweeted Sunday night, “I love the turnovers in the XFL. They’re frequent and provide a realness to the player 54 mentality. These guys are B players looking to be A. Expect mistakes. That’s what makes it fun. It’s not the NFL... and that’s what I like about it.”
The so called “sloppy” football that most people point to when in defense mode about the XFL is what makes it great. The XFL is a place for the B player to try to become the A player. That’s what it is and that’s why it’s important. The sloppiness that the critics point to is a direct result of the players in this league not being NFL players, it’s a direct result of this league not being the NFL. That’s what makes this league great. There is a realness to it, a visual to show how difficult the game actually is. Its player 54 out there, not player 53, certainly not players 1, 2, and 3—no, it’s player 54 and they’re going to make mistakes—many of them. Instead of tear it down, we should embrace it, and enjoy it for what it is.
Real football.
Five of the eight XFL games this season have been exciting and relatively close games. Most of all, they’ve been entertaining. I’m as big an NFL fan there is and I have to say, I’ve sat down and watched all eight games, attended one in person, and I thoroughly enjoy it. I’ll go as far to say, with the rule innovations and its pace, I’m much happier sitting through an XFL football game than an NFL football game. That’s not saying I don’t like the NFL, I do and that’s the point—I can support both but, as of this moment, the game pace, the rules, and the realness to the game keep me entertained.
Let's embrace it for what it actually is and why it's important.