ARLINGTON, TX. -- When The Rock speaks, people listen, and Dwayne Johnson had plenty to say when re-introducing the XFL to the world on Saturday.
(via Arlington Renegades PR)
When the XFL "folded" in 2020, they were dealt a terrible hand. The league was blossoming, with fans from all around the world providing incredible ratings to the league, but unfortunately that was not enough to keep the league going during a global pandemic.
And then here came The Rock. When Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital bought the XFL, no one really knew what to expect. I have seen plenty of "pro" football leagues that had little innovation, little money and little talent.
That is not the XFL.
Johnson and Garcia have built a pool of incredibly talented players, coaches and executive staff to provide one of the most entertaining on-field products I have seen in a while.
When you watch the NFL, you watch it because the best offensive line is facing off against the best quarterback in the NFL for the Super Bowl. Obviously, the XFL does not have Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow, so they have to get creative.
And creative they have gotten. The XFL has provided exclusive access to coaches, players and even Dean Blandino in the referee command center. Every decision on the field, no matter who makes it, is available to the fans watching from home. And by the way, all the games are streamed on either FS1, ESPN or ABC, which makes them extremely accessible to the average sports fan.
A good football broadcast is fun and all, but what really matters is the play on the field, and so far the play on the field has exceeded expectations. On the first day, Luis Perez struggled at the quarterback position for the Las Vegas Vipers, which led to some concerns about the QB position.
However, former Alabama QB A.J. McCarron showed on Day 2 that there is some real talent at the quarterback position in this league. With 3 minutes left, McCarron and the St. Louis Battlehawks used both the 3 point conversion and the new onside kick rule to erase a 15-3 deficit in moments.
After posting the highest attendance in the league during the first week of action, Garcia and Johnson announced that San Antonio would be the home of the 2023 XFL Championship game. They say football is king in Texas, and the fans have showed out so far for their 3 teams in the Lone Star State.
Time will tell what the XFL truly has to offer, but with former NFL talent like Hines Ward and Rod Woodson coaching, and players like Marquette King and Josh Hawkins on the field, there is no longer any validity to question the legitimacy of the XFL in 2023.
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