From the moment Vince McMahon yelled “This is the XFL!” back in 2001, he had fans cheering at a fever pitch. Unfortunately, McMahon’s attempt at creating his own football league lasted just one season, and just like the USFL before it, the idea of a professional football league going up against the NFL was put back on the shelf. 18 years later, the WWE founder is ready for a relaunch of the XFL, and this time it looks like it may be here to stay. There are even cities and stadiums ready to go.

Press conference

According to an ESPN report, McMahon announced on Wednesday that the league will return in 2020, with eight teams to start.

The sports network indicates that Los Angeles, the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, and Dallas were among the eight cities chosen to be the home sites when the XFL launches its inaugural season in February 2020. The rest of the team and city locations have also been reportedly leaked.

XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck revealed that there will also be franchises in Houston, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington when the league kicks off the weekend of February 8. The timing is interesting for Week 1 of the new XFL season. They will debut on the heels of Super Bowl 54, which actually is a smart idea. Die-hard football fans never want the season to end, so the timing is great, but will the fans have interest?

XFL betting odds, fantasy possibilities

Vince McMahon has said numerous times that he would love for fans to be able to wager on his league. That right there will draw interest from fantasy players and gamblers alike. We live in a much different world than when the XFL made its first attempt back in 2001. The advancements to the internet and cell phones have changed the way people communicate by leaps and bounds since then.

Sports has changed a lot as well.

Fantasy sports and wagering on games have made tremendous strides since the millennium and if the XFL wants to really make a run at succeeding, they need to get on board. Following the press conference for the media on December 5, it seems like McMahon is covering all his bases.

During the conference, XFL commissioner, Oliver Luck, mentioned that a state of the art app will become available for all things XFL, including stats, schedules, scores, and more.

This will be key for this league as millions of folks solely communicate through their cell phones nowadays. If the product is good and legit, Vegas will be all over it.

Top salary players

So are you a former athlete who may want to give the XFL a try? You may have your chance. Commissioner Luck said teams are going to be scouting and holding open tryouts soon. A supplemental draft in the summer of 2019 is also on the agenda. Luck mentioned that there are hundreds of guys out of college who may not have made it to the NFL but still have football in their blood. In the XFL, they can get their shot at playing pro.

With Darren Rovell reporting that the top XFL players will earn $250,000 in year one, it seems that if the league succeeds, the chance to make more money in years to follow are very realistic.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED