Let’s rewind the clock to early 2020. Life was simple and carefree. Another football season was coming to an end, yet this spring, we had the interesting promise of the return of the XFL to look forward to. Organizations had come and gone for years prior to the relaunch of the XFL. Everyone sees how lucrative the sport of American football can be, and they want their piece of the pie. Spring football is something that isn’t exactly new to America, but try as they may, leagues just weren’t able to stick around. No one could capture the fervor of the NFL. But, that spring….when the XFL returned to grace our television sets, they got a little mojo going.
The first weekend of the season was awesome, but what do you do for an encore? Well, it stuck – due to a fun brand of football, some highly creative social media teams, and passionate fans that saw the XFL as a chance to just flat out have a good time, the XFL looked like it had a little momentum going for it. It was fun, and it scratched our itch for more competitive football. Quarterback PJ Walker parlayed that spring into a run with the Carolina Panthers. Who can forget the legendary beer snake we saw towering up the side of a stadium? The XFL was back! And, then covid happened, and all of the rumblings of the sports world stopped. The XFL had to close its doors just like everyone else, and we may never know what could’ve been had they been able to finish that successful first season out.
But folks, after three long years, a change in ownership, and a brand refresh, the XFL is BACK! Not wasting any time in between action, the following games kick off beginning TOMORROW:
- 2/18: Vegas Vipes @ Arlington Renegades, 2PM CST on ABC
- 2/18: Orlando Guardians @ Houston Roughnecks, 7:30PM CST on ESPN/FX
- 2/19: St. Louis Battlehawks @ San Antonio Brahmas, 2PM CST on ABC
- 2/19: Seattle Sea Dragons @ D.C. Defenders, 7PM CST on ESPN
There’s plenty to get excited about for this relaunch – names like Bob Stoops, Wade Phillips, and Hines Ward are all coaching XFL teams. They’ve got players in the league that fans will know – names such as Josh Gordon (Titan up), AJ McCarron, and Martavis Bryant. Jordan Ta’amu is back in the league after a good season with the Battlehawks in 2020. I scouted RB Abram Smith at the 2022 Senior Bowl and thought he’d have a chance to be a factor in the NFL, but it didn’t pan out for him with the New Orleans Saints. Now, I think he can be a bruiser in the XFL. I’m stoked about all of this, but ultimately, I’m rooting for Cole McDonald with the Houston Roughnecks – may our Hawaiian prince get the shot the Titans never gave him.
I don’t know if I’m ready and willing to fully commit to another weekly recap article like I did that spring in 2020. My life situation is a lot different than it was three years ago. But, I’m rooting for this league to recapture the momentum it had nonetheless. They’re path back to that begins tomorrow, and I’ll be tuning in this weekend.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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