Players did not receive any fringe benefits, and had to pay for their own [insurance]. ===Jersey nicknames=== The XFL allowed its players to wear a nickname on the back of their jersey, as opposed to the legal last name most professional sports leagues have required since the 1960s.
After outrage from Birmingham residents who noted that Birmingham had a history of notorious "blasts", including the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 and Eric Rudolph's 1998 bombing of a local abortion clinic, the XFL changed the name of the Birmingham team to the more benign "Birmingham Thunderbolts" (later shortened to "Bolts"). Contrary to popular belief, the "X" in XFL did not stand for "extreme", as in "eXtreme Football League".
(The "no fair catch" rule was one of the most heavily hyped rule differences in the XFL and a central part of the league's marketing campaign, and like the above "no yards" penalty, fair catches were not recognized in Canadian football.) For the initial weeks of the season, the XFL forbade all players on the kicking team from going downfield before a kick was made from scrimmage on that down, similarly to a rule the NFL considered in 1974.
All of the XFL's markets except Las Vegas had hosted teams in the United States Football League in the 1980s; Las Vegas, along with Birmingham and Memphis, had hosted short-lived CFL teams in the 1990s. The XFL chose unusual names for its teams, most of which either referenced images of uncontrolled insanity (Maniax, Rage, Xtreme, Demons) or criminal activity (Enforcers, Hitmen, Outlaws, and the Birmingham Blast).
All of the XFL's markets except Las Vegas had hosted teams in the United States Football League in the 1980s; Las Vegas, along with Birmingham and Memphis, had hosted short-lived CFL teams in the 1990s. The XFL chose unusual names for its teams, most of which either referenced images of uncontrolled insanity (Maniax, Rage, Xtreme, Demons) or criminal activity (Enforcers, Hitmen, Outlaws, and the Birmingham Blast).
Vince McMahon's original plan was to purchase the Canadian Football League (after the CFL initially approached him about purchasing the Toronto Argonauts) and "have it migrate south," while NBC, who had lost their long-held broadcast rights to the NFL's American Football Conference (AFC) to CBS in 1998, was moving ahead with Time Warner to create a football league of their own. The concept of the league was first announced on February 3, 2000.
After outrage from Birmingham residents who noted that Birmingham had a history of notorious "blasts", including the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 and Eric Rudolph's 1998 bombing of a local abortion clinic, the XFL changed the name of the Birmingham team to the more benign "Birmingham Thunderbolts" (later shortened to "Bolts"). Contrary to popular belief, the "X" in XFL did not stand for "extreme", as in "eXtreme Football League".
When the league was first organized in 1999, it was originally supposed to stand for "Xtreme Football League"; however, there was already a league in formation at the same time with that name, and so promoters wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the "X" did not actually stand for anything (though McMahon would comment that "if the NFL stood for the 'No Fun League', the XFL will stand for the 'extra fun league'").
The other Xtreme Football League, which was also organized in 1999, merged with the Arena Football League's minor league AF2 before ever playing a single game.
Vince McMahon's original plan was to purchase the Canadian Football League (after the CFL initially approached him about purchasing the Toronto Argonauts) and "have it migrate south," while NBC, who had lost their long-held broadcast rights to the NFL's American Football Conference (AFC) to CBS in 1998, was moving ahead with Time Warner to create a football league of their own. The concept of the league was first announced on February 3, 2000.
It could mean anything." ==Draft== The only main draft for the league took place over a three-day period from October 28 to October 30, 2000.
The blimp needed $2.5 million in repairs, the sailboat and restaurant had only minor damages. Before the season started, a fictional XFL game appeared in the 2000 film The 6th Day, set in 2015. ==Legacy== NBC continued airing professional league football beyond the demise of the XFL, starting with the Arena Football League television coverage from 2003 to 2006.
The XFL was a professional American football league that played its only season in 2001.
The league ceased operations entirely in May 2001.
Its closure was announced just a few weeks after the league's season championship game, in which the Los Angeles Xtreme defeated the San Francisco Demons, on April 21, 2001, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Despite its short-lived existence, the XFL did pioneer several on-air technologies that would later become commonplace in football telecasts, such as aerial skycams, and on-player microphones.
In the East, New York and Chicago both were hampered by slow starts and ineffective starters before making personnel changes that improved their play, while Orlando, under quarterback Jeff Brohm, who owned the league's highest QB rating at 99.9 during the 2001 XFL season, soared to first place, winning its first six games before Brohm suffered a career-ending injury and the team regressed (the team went 2–2 in his absence).
The opening night drew a 9.5 Nielsen rating. The opening-week games actually delivered ratings double those of what NBC had promised advertisers (and more viewers than the 2001 Pro Bowl).
in 2001 (the only retractable roof stadiums complete at the time were used exclusively for Major League Baseball; the first retractable roof stadium for NFL use was not completed until Reliant Stadium opened for the expansion Houston Texans in 2002).
This was similar to the CFL, which had a comparable 40 man roster limit in 2001.
McMahon found these terms unacceptable and he announced the XFL's closure on May 10, 2001.
The fact that the league was co-owned by NBC made ESPN (which was part of the same corporation as ABC) and Fox Sports Net (owned by Fox TV) disinclined to report on the XFL, though Time Warner properties such as Sports Illustrated, as well as the Associated Press, devoted coverage to the league (Sports Illustrated even featured the XFL on the cover of its February 12, 2001, edition, albeit with the description of it being "sleazy gimmicks and low-rent football").
The incident occurred a month before the opening game on Tuesday, January 9, 2001.
in 2001 (the only retractable roof stadiums complete at the time were used exclusively for Major League Baseball; the first retractable roof stadium for NFL use was not completed until Reliant Stadium opened for the expansion Houston Texans in 2002).
Giants Stadium would have a next generation artificial surface installed in 2003; Soldier Field was renovated extensively in 2002 but retained its grass field.
Other problems included the scantily-clad cheerleaders, trash-talking announcers, and the lack of penalties for roughness. The XFL ranked No. 3 on TV Guide's list of the TV Guide's worst TV shows of all time in July 2002, as well as No.
It debuted at Doc NYC November 11, 2016, and premiered on ESPN on February 2, 2017. ==Notable players== Notable players included league MVP and Los Angeles quarterback Tommy Maddox, who signed with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers after the XFL folded (Maddox later became the starting quarterback for the Steelers in 2002 and led them to that year's playoffs, as well as continuing to start for them into 2004).
Giants Stadium would have a next generation artificial surface installed in 2003; Soldier Field was renovated extensively in 2002 but retained its grass field.
The blimp needed $2.5 million in repairs, the sailboat and restaurant had only minor damages. Before the season started, a fictional XFL game appeared in the 2000 film The 6th Day, set in 2015. ==Legacy== NBC continued airing professional league football beyond the demise of the XFL, starting with the Arena Football League television coverage from 2003 to 2006.
In 2006, NBC returned to coverage of NFL games with NBC Sunday Night Football, eventually adding Thursday Night Football to its coverage in 2016. The XFL's racier-than-average cheerleaders helped inspire the Lingerie Football League (now Legends Football League) and the "Lingerie Bowl" from 2003 to 2006.
It debuted at Doc NYC November 11, 2016, and premiered on ESPN on February 2, 2017. ==Notable players== Notable players included league MVP and Los Angeles quarterback Tommy Maddox, who signed with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers after the XFL folded (Maddox later became the starting quarterback for the Steelers in 2002 and led them to that year's playoffs, as well as continuing to start for them into 2004).
Lastly, Las Vegas Outlaws DB Kelly Herndon played in Super Bowl XL with the Seattle Seahawks in 2005, where he is remembered for intercepting a pass and returning it a then-record 76 yards.
The blimp needed $2.5 million in repairs, the sailboat and restaurant had only minor damages. Before the season started, a fictional XFL game appeared in the 2000 film The 6th Day, set in 2015. ==Legacy== NBC continued airing professional league football beyond the demise of the XFL, starting with the Arena Football League television coverage from 2003 to 2006.
In 2006, NBC returned to coverage of NFL games with NBC Sunday Night Football, eventually adding Thursday Night Football to its coverage in 2016. The XFL's racier-than-average cheerleaders helped inspire the Lingerie Football League (now Legends Football League) and the "Lingerie Bowl" from 2003 to 2006.
Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI along with winning the 95th Grey Cup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2007.
In 2010, TV Guide Network also listed the show at No.
A revival of the XFL would air either on traditional TV or the WWE Network, and would be toned down compared to its original incarnation due to CTE concerns in football that surfaced in the early 2010s.
The blimp needed $2.5 million in repairs, the sailboat and restaurant had only minor damages. Before the season started, a fictional XFL game appeared in the 2000 film The 6th Day, set in 2015. ==Legacy== NBC continued airing professional league football beyond the demise of the XFL, starting with the Arena Football League television coverage from 2003 to 2006.
In July 2015, the XFL's first trademark extension was granted. On December 15, 2017, it was reported that McMahon was seriously considering a revival of the XFL.
Two XFL stadiums (Giants Stadium and Soldier Field) were also then-current NFL stadiums, while two others (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium) had previously hosted NFL games; the NFL would return to the Coliseum when the Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016.
In 2006, NBC returned to coverage of NFL games with NBC Sunday Night Football, eventually adding Thursday Night Football to its coverage in 2016. The XFL's racier-than-average cheerleaders helped inspire the Lingerie Football League (now Legends Football League) and the "Lingerie Bowl" from 2003 to 2006.
It debuted at Doc NYC November 11, 2016, and premiered on ESPN on February 2, 2017. ==Notable players== Notable players included league MVP and Los Angeles quarterback Tommy Maddox, who signed with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers after the XFL folded (Maddox later became the starting quarterback for the Steelers in 2002 and led them to that year's playoffs, as well as continuing to start for them into 2004).
NBC in particular switched back to the XFL camera angles in 2017, when traditional cameras were too far away to cut through thick fog and smoke on some of the Sunday Night Football games that year; response was so positive that the network opted to use two of its Thursday Night Football games to experiment with intentionally broadcasting most of the game through that angle. ===Broadcast schedule=== At the beginning of the season, NBC showed a feature game at 8 p.m.
It debuted at Doc NYC November 11, 2016, and premiered on ESPN on February 2, 2017. ==Notable players== Notable players included league MVP and Los Angeles quarterback Tommy Maddox, who signed with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers after the XFL folded (Maddox later became the starting quarterback for the Steelers in 2002 and led them to that year's playoffs, as well as continuing to start for them into 2004).
In July 2015, the XFL's first trademark extension was granted. On December 15, 2017, it was reported that McMahon was seriously considering a revival of the XFL.
On December 22, 2017, McMahon sold $100 million worth of WWE shares, which required notification to the U.S.
NBC Sports has retained this policy for other sports it runs in Saturday night time slots since the XFL's closure; in 2018, a National Hockey League telecast was cut off under similar circumstances. In the face of declining ratings, NBC and the XFL aggressively promoted that the week 6 game between the Orlando Rage and Las Vegas Outlaws would feature a behind-the-scenes visit into the locker room of the Rage's cheerleaders at halftime.
WWE shares did in fact decline slightly due to the report, with Citigroup downgrading WWE shares from "buy" to "neutral". On January 25, 2018, Alpha Entertainment announced a new incarnation of the XFL which begin play in 2020.
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019 adopted this "no extra point kick" rule from the original XFL, albeit making the scrimmage play conversion two points as in other levels of the game.
WWE owner Vince McMahon maintained control of the XFL brand after the league ceased operations, despite many, including McMahon himself, considering the original league to be a "colossal failure." However, McMahon did not give up on the idea of a professional spring football league, and launched a new iteration of the league in 2020.
The second iteration of the XFL's inaugural season was aborted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the league suspended operations and filed for bankruptcy in April 2020, with McMahon relinquishing the XFL brand in a sale to his former WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia that August. ==Founding== Created as a 50–50 joint venture between NBC and WWE-owned subsidiary WWE Properties International, Inc.
WWE shares did in fact decline slightly due to the report, with Citigroup downgrading WWE shares from "buy" to "neutral". On January 25, 2018, Alpha Entertainment announced a new incarnation of the XFL which begin play in 2020.
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