Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Buying XFL Doesn’t Guarantee League’s Success
Buying the XFL is a source of joy for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.This is at least far more fascinating than the appearance of an anonymous hedge fund boss as the new face of the failed spring football season.Yet if the XFL can't attract better players, Johnson's off-field star power would mean nothing. Low scoring games and poor play keep repelling the crowds, What lives in the league's executive suite?
Johnson is the head of a consortium that has agreed to buy the XFL for $15 million, a news release suggests. His supporters, along with RedBird Capital Partners, include his ex-wife and business associate Dany Garcia.Citing the financial challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, the XFL filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 13. The XFL resuscitation of Vince McMahon was meant to be different from an inaugural season flop of the league back in 2001.
The president of the WWE claims he has invested $200 million in the relaunched league, handing a whopping $35 million deal to former commissioner Oliver Luck and filling the league office with seasoned executives.
Realized the excitement in Week 1. The XFL was an immediate ratings success in Week 1, attracting for its four games an average of 3.1 million viewers; but by Week 3, it was attracting an average of 1.61 million viewers per contest. In other words, within two weeks, the league lost half its audience.
By the 5th week- The last week before the coronavirus pandemic forced the upstart league to suspend operations — every XFL game drew about 1.5 million viewers.
Despite the insatiable appetite of our nation for football, competitive spring leagues have largely flopped over. American Alliance Football has achieved early ratings success, but only folded into its first campaign for eight weeks.
The XFL added many revolutionary innovations to its games, including an entertaining kickoff rule that required the kicker to boot the ball in the air and in play between the
20-yard line and the end zone, while the coverage team line up on the 35-yard line on the defensive side and the reception team line up on the 30-yard line.
This meant the kick-off will be a competitive match, And the risk of high-speed crashes was minimised. Telecasts from the team also featured players and coaches mic'd up.
Even those inventions did not suffice to overshadow boring football. Teams averaged only 20.5 points per game over five weeks, with 12 of 20 games slipping below the total predicted level. The overall quarterback completion rate was 58.6 percent, and in touchdowns only two pass-throwers hit double digits.
Johnson was an exciting wrestling hero, with his booming microphone order energizing sell out audiences. And though he was initially billed as a heel, the public latched on him, driving him to the superstardom.
"The Rock" brought the WWE into the new millennium, towards the end of the highly productive Attitude Era. Johnson is now one of Hollywood's most successful action motion picture stars.
In his statement announcing the purchase of XFL, Johnson says he plans to extend his achievements to the once upstart, and now bankrupt, league of football in the entertainment world. I intend to apply these callouses to the XFL with pride and appreciation for what I've created with my own two hands, and look forward to creating something special for the players, Supporters and everyone interested in football love, he said, via ESPN.
Although the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the economy of our country, the XFL appears favorably placed for the 2021 season's transition to a bubble model, if appropriate. MLB and the NBA see their Television ratings skyrocketing, as a country stuck at home for five months is desperately looking for fresh entertainment options. Yet MLB and the NBA are also the world's best leagues in baseball and basketball, respectively. The XFL, or any spring football game, is intrinsically second-rate — even without fan rituals incorporated into it.
Nevertheless, the initial success of the XFL ratings shows the interest there is in a second league of football.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert notes that the league plans to recruit younger and more versatile quarterbacks in 2021, rather than investing fairly significant sums of money on long-term NFL backups like Landry Jones and Matt McGloin, both of whom flopped last season. Best QB of the XFL was P.J. Walker, a former Indianapolis Colts practice squad QB who tossed in five games for 1,338 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Walker's with the Carolina Panthers now. Altogether almost three dozen players have entered into negotiations with NFL clubs.
Even if the XFL bounces back into a second season, those numbers show that holding and recruiting talent will still be difficult for the game.
Yet the XFL will grow a name beyond its promoter, whether it's McMahon or Johnson, with better play and talent enhanced.
"The Dome" is a magnet for the XFL right now.
Yet if the league under his stewardship is going to be a success, he'll disappear into the background and the players take centerstage. This is all hope.
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