It’s a sad day for football fans.
The XFL reboot was a breath of fresh air and appeared to be thriving in its infancy. But like many other sports leagues, the XFL was forced to shut its doors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, the fledgling league merely delayed their games, hoping the virus outbreak would subside. Eventually, they canceled the second half of the 2020 season, including the championship game. The eight XFL teams were able to complete five games of their 10-game schedule before the coronavirus shutdowns.
The league assured fans that they had the money to operate for several seasons and that they would return in 2021. It appears with the temporary loss of revenue and interest waning, the decision-makers decided against moving forward with the league.
On Friday, XFL COO Jeffery Pollock held a conference call, explaining to employees that the had league decided to cease operations and would be laying them off. No specific reasons were provided, but it’s easy to connect this to the global coronavirus pandemic. It’s clear that the profitability just wasn’t there for the league, especially during the current uncertain times.
The XFL did give several players an opportunity to showcase their skills and earn opportunities in the NFL, proving its worth from a football standpoint. That list of players includes new Kansas City Chiefs QB Jordan Ta’amu, who played for the St. Louis BattleHawks, and will compete for an opportunity with Kansas City in 2021.
Now that another spring football league has folded, it begs the question: Will we ever see a spring football league again?