Vince McMahon announced plans for a new XFL on Thursday afternoon, with his second attempt at establishing a professional football league rivaling the NFL to launch in 2020.
McMahon, who is most known for his role as CEO of the WWE, didn't offer up a ton of details in his announcement, but he did lay the basic groundwork of to expect from the league. It will launch with eight teams playing a 10-week season, with four of those teams ultimately making the playoffs.
Unlike the first version of the XFL, which played just one season in 2001 before folding, the 2.0 XFL will include no WWE crossover on either the management or talent side.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of the new XFL revealed on Thursday were the rules regarding player behavior. McMahon declared that there would be no room for politics or social issues in the league. This, obviously, is in contrast to the NFL, which has dealt with plenty of controversy over the past few seasons regarding the activism shown by many of the league's athletes, especially when it came to kneeling during the national anthem.
"People don't want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained," McMahon said. "We want someone who wants to take a knee to do their version of that on their personal time."
McMahon also said that the league would not accept players who have a criminal record, noting that the league would place an emphasis on evaluating "the quality of human being" a player is before signing them.
The behavioral rules seemed to get the most play on social media. Some people thought it was a great idea.
Vince McMahon says XFL will have nothing to do with politics or social issues and all players will stand for national anthem. Good start.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 25, 2018
By the NFL allowing the anti-cop, anti-American players to disrespect our National Anthem, they have invited their own demise. Vince McMahon is bringing back the XFL 😃 #XFL2020 #RIPNFL
— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) January 25, 2018
Others mocked the rules and poked fun at the perceived target demographic.
RULES OF NEW XFL
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) January 25, 2018
- National Anthem plays for entire game
- Referees replaced by off-duty cops
- The only penalty is Disrespecting the Troops
- Every team is called the Heterosexual American Patriots
The XFL is for that loud but insignificant segment of Americans who have no problem with CTE but love to call players “disrespectful thugs”.
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) January 25, 2018
The XFL is going to play the National Anthem twice just in case you didn't hear it the first time
— Kofie (@KofieYeboah) January 25, 2018
The most important position in the XFL is alt-right tackle
— MLB Insider Dinger (@atf13atf) January 25, 2018
I will be taking a knee during the Limp Bizkit song played before every XFL game.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) January 25, 2018
If the XFL is looking for a commissioner, Steve Bannon is available
— Zito (@_Zeets) January 25, 2018
Some people found the employment rules to be just a little too strict
The XFL the most exclusive employer in the US tbh. Have a DUI from 15 years ago? Nope. Can’t play for us. Have a shoplifting charge from when you were 18? Sorry, nope.
— Ian Kenyon (@IanKenyonNFL) January 25, 2018
McMahon says even a DUI is disqualifying for participation in the XFL.
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) January 25, 2018
I wouldn't even have friends if I employed the same standards.
Of course, there's plenty of time between now and the league's inaugural season, meaning there's plenty of time for the rules to change or for the reactions to those rules to change. Either way, it's clear that Vince McMahon wants to Make The XFL Great...Again?
