urbanSTL

Here's more confirmation -- this from Kurt Hunzeker's Twitter account.


Kurt Hunzeker

@khunzeker

I


‘d every second of every day building this team with you, St. Louis. This victory lap is yours: A PROVEN AND GREAT FOOTBALL TOWN! Until we meet again.... #ForTheLoveOfSTLForever









St. Louis BattleHawks
9:32 PM · Apr 10, 2020·
Chopzilla99
@Chopzilla99
1h

Replying to
@khunzeker
and
@XFLBattleHawks
Kurt, is it done for good?


Kurt Hunzeker
@khunzeker
1h
I’m afraid so.

If one were to make a fall league with 8 non-NFL cities, what would they be? How’s this: St Louis, San Diego, Oakland, San Antonio, Orlando, Chicago (it could handle 2 football teams), and maybe Memphis, Sacramento , Salt Lake City, or Toronto.


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I think it's all going to depend upon what TV contracts, if any, can be negotiated.  The ratings were good, but not spectacular  -- even with the Top 2 markets LA/NYC.

The question then becomes, what cities would be large enough to attract network advertising interest?

Personally, I don't think we'll see the XFL back before 2022 -- if then.  The product was too good to go away forever, but is is good enough to return for a third attempt?

I don't anticipate the XFL itself will ever come back. McMahon has gotten burned twice on this venture, and even though the second time was due to a completely unforeseeable catastrophic pandemic, I just don't know if he's going to want to dump a bunch of money into a third go round.

We may see a spring pro football league emerge again someday, but it won't be the XFL. And it won't be anytime soon.

gary kreie wrote: ↑

Apr 12, 2020

If one were to make a fall league with 8 non-NFL cities, what would they be? How’s this: St Louis, San Diego, Oakland, San Antonio, Orlando, Chicago (it could handle 2 football teams), and maybe Memphis, Sacramento , Salt Lake City, or Toronto.


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A league with these cities dies after a year. There are only 4 cities that don’t have NFL that should even be considered for a secondary football league. STL, San Diego, and San Antonio are yes. Oakland is maybe. Everyone else no. Memphis and Salt lake had bad attendance for AAF. Salt Lake was the worst of everyone. Toronto has CFL.

If you want to include all those 4. Then you add Seattle, New York, Houston or Dallas, and DC.

You have to have major markets or no one cares enough to put them on real tv or talk about them. No one care about Memphis, Salt Lake, or Birmingham. That’s why other leagues died. XFL had a chance because it had big cities.

jshank83 wrote: ↑

Apr 12, 2020

gary kreie wrote: ↑

Apr 12, 2020

If one were to make a fall league with 8 non-NFL cities, what would they be?  How’s this: St Louis, San Diego, Oakland, San Antonio, Orlando, Chicago (it could handle 2 football teams), and maybe Memphis, Sacramento , Salt Lake City, or Toronto.


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A league with these cities dies after a year. There are only 4 cities that don’t have NFL that should even be considered for a secondary football league. STL,  San Diego, and San Antonio are yes.  Oakland is maybe. Everyone else no. Memphis and Salt lake had bad attendance for AAF. Salt Lake was the worst of everyone. Toronto has CFL.

If you want to include all those 4. Then you add Seattle, New York, Houston or Dallas, and DC.

You have to have major markets or no one cares enough to put them on real tv or talk about them. No one care about Memphis, Salt Lake, or Birmingham. That’s why other leagues died. XFL had a chance because it had big cities.

A football league that tries to operate in the fall directly in competition with the NFL never even gets off the ground, because no sane person would invest in such a venture. Also, Sacramento (#20) and Portland (#22) are both considered larger TV markets than St. Louis (#23).

https://mediatracks.com/resources/niels ... ings-2020/

jshank83 wrote:

gary kreie wrote: ↑

Apr 12, 2020

If one were to make a fall league with 8 non-NFL cities, what would they be? How’s this: St Louis, San Diego, Oakland, San Antonio, Orlando, Chicago (it could handle 2 football teams), and maybe Memphis, Sacramento , Salt Lake City, or Toronto.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A league with these cities dies after a year. There are only 4 cities that don’t have NFL that should even be considered for a secondary football league. STL, San Diego, and San Antonio are yes. Oakland is maybe. Everyone else no. Memphis and Salt lake had bad attendance for AAF. Salt Lake was the worst of everyone. Toronto has CFL.

If you want to include all those 4. Then you add Seattle, New York, Houston or Dallas, and DC.

You have to have major markets or no one cares enough to put them on real tv or talk about them. No one care about Memphis, Salt Lake, or Birmingham. That’s why other leagues died. XFL had a chance because it had big cities.

Maybe the CFL could take another shot. Maybe not with enough teams to create their own division but there’s no reason the four biggest non NFL cities couldn’t join an already established CFL division and make a go at it. I know they weren’t so successful the first time around but neither was the XFL. And they did manage to spawn a couple new NFL franchises as a result.


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Article on the XFL bankruptcy filing.

Article

I think Frankrider is onto something and sounds like a legit way for CFL to expand as well as build a secondary market in non NFL US cities where you do got some desired for any kind of pro league like St. Louis.   It also helps in keeping a talent pool busy and in playing form for players cut from preseason rosters and or injured players that not make it back on the rosters but can get a second chance at CFL.

Still surprised a bit on the bankruptcy if the league was supposedly funded for three years.    So you take a hit, play the next season for some of the yardage you loss and then see if you have enough to move the chains on the third years..  Actually thought the idea of going all in 3 years was a good way of saying that we are giving ourselves three attempts before punting.  Obviously the league tried a running play up the middle and got stuffed for a loss.   Or maybe it was a play action pass hoping for a decent gain or even big yardage on first down but Covid-19 called it with a blitz up the middle for a quarterback sack

I will give up on my lame football metaphors 

I can’t imagine how a merger with the CFL would work. Their field is 30 yards longer. Where would teams (more specifically STL) play?

Received my refund today from XFL (or at least my credit card company notified me via email).   I was surprised this came through so fast.  I am sad to see them leave.  I really enjoyed the excitement of the league and the home games I attended.  

The XFL is officially up for sale. https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/the-xfl ... -july-6th/

I'm hoping a buyer with deep pockets and a love for football takes charge and brings this back...but not Stan K.

...and the buyer could be...Vince McMahon.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... y-the-xfl/

framer wrote: ↑

May 23, 2020

...and the buyer could be...Vince McMahon.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... y-the-xfl/

It would seem that Vince McMahon took a play out of Trump's bankruptcy playbook.

Am I the only one that seems incredibly excited for this? The XFL had representatives talk to Seattle, St. Louis, and Houston about reinstating their leasing agreements, which makes it sound like the XFL will be back in 2021, or maybe 2022 depending on how long it will take to get bums back in stadium seats.

Hope the rumors are true and they ditch the underperforming franchises in cities that don't care about them. Move Dallas to San Antonio, NY Guardians to Birmingham, and LA to San Diego or Portland.

^Seattle, St. Louis, and Houston were the only cities that were contacted about their stadium leases because I believe NY, Tampa, and LA were going to move to San Antonio, Orlando, and Oakland/Sandy Eggo respectively. Dallas and DC may also be contacted by XFL representatives soon regarding their leases. I'm gonna say Dallas and DC are gonna stay where they are because they had decent team and following.

Side note, if NY, TB, and LA do move, I wonder if their identity will change too. Maybe San Antonio can bring back the Commanders haha.

^This all sounds like remarkably positive news in the middle of the grim. No need to talk leases if there won't be a league. So . . . Fingers crossed.

The new buyer sadly won’t be McMahon.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.c ... atform=amp

But apparently it could be Fox/Disney?

-RBB

rbb wrote: ↑

Jun 01, 2020

But apparently it could be Fox/Disney?

-RBB

The forward slash and the wording of that article suggest that Fox and Disney are the same company. They aren't.

Unless...maybe he is implying that the XFL would be owned by a joint venture between them, which might make sense, especially since they split the broadcasts this (half) season between them...

urbanitas wrote: ↑

Jun 02, 2020

rbb wrote: ↑

Jun 01, 2020

But apparently it could be Fox/Disney?

-RBB

The forward slash and the wording of that article suggest that Fox and Disney are the same company. They aren't.

Unless...maybe he is implying that the XFL would be owned by a joint venture between them, which might make sense, especially since they split the broadcasts this (half) season between them...

I took it as a joint venture.

^That would make sense. They've shown a willingness to work with Fox before. And they did buy 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios.) It wouldn't strike me as completely improbable that one of these days Fox Sports could end up spun off in similar fashion, sold, and rebranded. But for now a joint venture would make sense.