Vince McMahon's XFL gets a rival from an unlikely source

[cero2k]

Source: f4wonline.com



Before Vince McMahon's XFL officially kicks off in 2020, they already have a rival that isn't the NFL. And, in a twist, a driving force behind it is someone McMahon knows fairly well.

On Tuesday, news broke that Charlie Ebersol -- producer of the XFL ESPN 30-for-30 and son of longtime NBC Sports executive Dick -- will be heading up another new pro football league, already armed with a TV deal and set to kickoff in 2019.

The Alliance of American Football has several major backers including the majority owners of Barstool Sports and the Founders Fund which includes Peter Theil, the man who secretly funded Hulk Hogan's succesful lawsuit against Gawker Media. The season will begin in February 2019 and will conclude in April with games on both CBS and CBS Sports Network.

Dick will be be on the league's board. He was a major part of the XFL's lone season and historically was a champion for then-WWF programming on the Peacock Network. There was no indication he would be involved with the new XFL, but given McMahon's history with him, that was a likely association in some aspect.

Because of the nature of the league, it will be a direct competitor to McMahon's XFL which was officially announced in January for a 2020 return. How this will affect the player pool, potential sponsors, and more will be an interesting story to see play out over the next two years.

[Big Red Machine]

So basically, the AAF is going to make the XFL DOA.

[XIV]

So basically, the AAF is going to make the XFL DOA.

XFL is literally dead before rebirth.

[Bob-O]

On Tuesday, news broke that Charlie Ebersol -- producer of the XFL ESPN 30-for-30 and son of longtime NBC Sports executive Dick -- will be heading up another new pro football league, already armed with a TV deal and set to kickoff in 2019.

Dick will be be on the league's board. He was a major part of the XFL's lone season and historically was a champion for then-WWF programming on the Peacock Network. There was no indication he would be involved with the new XFL, but given McMahon's history with him, that was a likely association in some aspect.

Given the relationship here, I'm wondering who thought of it first. There had to be consultation between the McMahons and the Ebersols before one of them decided "f*ck that guy, we can do that ourselves!" - just because Vince announced it first, doesn't mean he thought of it first... remember, the AAF is PLAYING BALL in less than a year! They didn't just throw this together overnight, they seem to have everything figured out, while the XFL was a video package of buzz words and good intentions. The XFL, in hindsight, was Vince saying "Yeeeah. You like that video? I've got some money set aside, give me two years and I'll see what I can do!"

But, I'm not counting out the XFL just yet. An off-brand NFL, which I will personally defend out of a love of football, is going to be a tough sell to a lot of people. A working relationship between the two leagues, leading to a Superbowl type thing, could save them both. Competition is a good thing, especially here, where it will make both leagues seem more relevant instead of NOTNFL 1 and NOTNFL 2. It'd be something for the fans to buy in to with the looming notion in the back of our minds that these teams are going to be made up of people not good enough to play in the NFL. Make it about the brands.

But, that's just fantasy booking right there. If they don't work together, the XFL is DOA, if it even A's...