What Does ‘X’ In XFL Stands For? Know More!
Given that two spring leagues will be holding games throughout the NFL’s offseason, fans won’t have to worry about experiencing football withdrawal after the 2022 NFL season is done. The USFL’s second season kicks up in April, while the resurrected XFL is returning after a two-year absence. Six days after the Super Bowl LVII, on this Saturday, Feb. 18, the XFL will begin play.
Before this weekend’s games, here is all you need to know about the current XFL.
XFL Brief History
The XFL, the most recent effort to launch a spring league, will begin play in the spring of 2023. Eight clubs will compete in the league, which will include a 10-week regular season and a three-week, three-game postseason to choose a winner.
The XFL played one season in 2001 before trying a resurrection in the spring of 2020, making this officially the third edition.
First kickoff of the XFL 2023 season – Sat. Feb 18th at 2pm CST. Are you ready for it.. ? 💥⚡️@DanyGarciaCo#XFL2023 | #KickoffWeekend pic.twitter.com/r3qCxb9brO
— United Football League (@TheUFL) February 17, 2023
The XFL was first established in 2001 as a collaborative venture between NBC and WWF, led by Vince McMahon. Despite a strong start, the league only lasted one season as a result of low viewership. The league made a comeback in 2020 under McMahon’s leadership, but after just five weeks of operation, COVID-19 forced the league to shut down once more. The league had to sell after filing for bankruptcy.
The league was later purchased out of bankruptcy by a company led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for $15 million, with the goal of having it return in 2023. Each XFL club will practise in Arlington, Texas, and will only travel on game days as a cost-cutting strategy.
🚨 IT'S GUARDIANS GAME DAY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Z3Lzf6kG0O
— Orlando Guardians (@XFLGuardians) February 18, 2023
The XFL was promoted as a “extreme” NFL substitute. McMahon wanted to increase the amount of trash-talking in the game so that it was more like it was in the WWF. Also, the NFL was cracking down on needless roughness at the time the league was marketing its product as “genuine” football, which included intense, violent collisions.
What does XFL stand for?
Why is that? Here is an explanation from Brett Forrest, as featured in his book, “Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV’s Biggest Fiasco“:
Vince McMahon — bumpkin billionaire, overworker of eyebrows — was about to reinvent football. So he schemed, when he announced a new pro football league in February 2000. It was called the XFL. The letters, McMahon was quick to point out, didn’t stand for anything. It wasn’t the Xtreme Football League or the X-rated Football League, although those were dual implications of the ubiquitous twenty-fourth letter, which the American public had come to recognize as the default signpost for ‘aggressive.’ No, this was just XFL.
🗣 THIS. IS. THE. XFL.
Familiar names to keep an eye on with the #XFL set to return this weekend! pic.twitter.com/46WgHi7drl
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 17, 2023
Despite this, many people believed that the “X” stood for “Xtreme” over the years. Yet according to reports, it is exactly what Vince McMahon, the XFL’s founding owner, wanted it to be. After all, the on-field product was considered to be more aggressive and intense than NFL games, so that branding made sense.
Yet, the “Xtreme Football League” already existed when the XFL was established. According to Our Sports Central, the Xtreme league was established in 1999, and its debut season was scheduled to begin in 2000.
The Xtreme Football League never launched, as it eventually merged with the Arena Football League. Even still, the XFL kept its acronym ambiguous, opting not to refer to itself as the Xtreme Football League.
GAME DAY MOOD💥⚡️
Get the schedule saved ASAP 👇https://t.co/I2qPUTo2CK#XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/w6WoN0suPe
— United Football League (@TheUFL) February 18, 2023
Another popular theory is that the XFL stood for the “Xtra Fun League.” It is true that McMahon himself once referred to the league as such.
Yet even while it could have been the league’s informal nickname, it wasn’t the definition of the term. Before starting to play again, McMahon kept onto the XFL’s trademark and branding rights for over 20 years, but he never considered giving the X a deeper meaning.
XFL is still a pointless term. As a result, supporters are free to interpret the three-letter league name anyway they see fit.
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