The announcement that the XFL was coming back in 2020 brought plenty of excitement to fans looking for an alternative to the current NFL product. Now, it appears that the league is looking at where to put teams when the XFL returns in over a year. Syracuse, New York, is among the cities trying to campaign to have a team hosted there. They've even started their campaign with another great video to explain their reasons for bringing Football to the area. However, they're also competing with a number of other cities to become one of the eight XFL teams.
Syracuse launches new promotional video
There's no question that Syracuse is among the areas that love their sports. The Syracuse Orange basketball and football teams have loyal fans always cheering on their college sports squads at games. I think those loyal fans would most likely become loyal fans of a team in the new XFL football league when games begin in 2020. In addition, with the Buffalo Bills a bit over two hours away, I think it could sway some of those fans to try the new league's brand of football. To assist with their "#XFLToCuse" campaign, Will Scott released an official hype video (below) with soundbites and clips to show why the city of Syracuse deserves a team.
Scott is a talk show host and reporter who works with Z89 sports and WERW Radio, among other organizations.
He released an original hype video back in February, in which he went over the talking points of why Syracuse is ideal to land XFL football. In what may be a good early sign, the official XFL Twitter page even tweeted out Scott's recent campaign video with a caption saying, "Love the enthusiasm!"
Other teams being considered
In total, the XFL will be reviewing 30 different city applications for XFL team consideration.
KSAT 12 News reported an XFL application was sent for the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The official XFL Twitter page also posted a few photos showing off that invitations to submit a proposal have officially been sent out to cities as of June 6.
The invitations to submit a proposal have gone out to interested #XFL
— XFL (@xfl2020) June 6, 2018
markets and stadiums. We can’t wait to review all of the applications and
pick the eight cities where we will kick off in 2020! 🏈🏟️ pic.twitter.com/SOLzgsfTJ3
Just scanning the comments on that XFL Twitter post shows that fans from all over are trying to campaign for their cities.
St. Louis, Missouri has a high number of likes and comments. Other cities mentioned are Portland, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Columbus. Speaking of Columbus, it appears that either a fan or city officials are using social media to campaign as well. There's an XFL to Columbus Twitter account (@ColumbusXFL) that has been active in their promotional efforts and discussion of bringing a team to the Ohio city.
XFL relaunch details
WWE's Vince McMahon, who also set up Alpha Entertainment LLC for XFL purposes, announced earlier this year that the league will return in 2020. The relaunch of the XFL is expected to happen in January or February of 2020, with eight teams in the league. They've recently appointed a commissioner too, as Oliver Luck will start out presiding over the league.
McMahon has promised more of a focus on football, and specific rules to try to eliminate some of the issues the NFL has been facing in recent times. Among them are players kneeling or refusing to participate in the national anthem before games, as well as strict policies on who can participate in the new XFL league as a player.
Also of note from McMahon's press conference earlier this year, was his presentation about where the league's teams would be located. While he didn't rule out specific cities, he also suggested the league wanted teams in "existing NFL markets." Hopefully, with strong promotional efforts, cities like Syracuse, Columbus, and other non-NFL areas can get XFL teams for the 2020 season.