XFL Suspends Operations, Unlikely to Return in 2021

The return of the XFL was short lived because of the COVID-19 Pandemic sweeping across the world. League officials maintain hope for operations to resume in the future.

The XFL CEO Jeffrey Pollack held a 10 minute conference call this morning informing employees that the league is laying off majority of its staff and suspending all operations.

The XFL has suspended all operations and currently has no plans to return in 2021, sources tell @SeifertESPN and @FieldYates. https://t.co/64GOcCL9J8

— ESPN (@espn) April 10, 2020

ESPN's Field Yates reports this morning that the XFL’s comeback attempt is all but over. The “XFL 2.0” took a different shape than the XFL that debuted in 2001.  The original XFL was formed by WWF Chairman Vince McMahon as a blend of WWF (now WWE) and football. However, the league never escaped the notion it was “sports entertainment” rather than true professional sports.  The league’s lack of player talent and WWF style gimmicks forced the league to fold after it’s inaugural season.  Vince McMahon later said that the league was a “colossal failure” after one season in 2001.

In January 2018, McMahon announced a “new incarnation” of the XFL, one that did not mirror the XFL of old.  This included keeping the leagues management and and operations separate from the WWE.  The league would begin play with a 10-week season debuting in early 2020.

Oliver Luck, father of former #1 overall pick Andrew Luck, became the commissioner of the XFL in 2018 leading a group of staffers and executives for nearly two years through product development and innovative rules to create a new alternative for football fans.

XFL viewership in Week 4 (four games across ABC, Fox, ESPN2, FS1) was down 14% from Week 3

Week 1: 3.12 million
Week 2: 2.05 million
Week 3: 1.61 million
Week 4: 1.38 million

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) March 3, 2020

The XFL's rebirth drew a viewing audience of over 15 million its opening game of the season, however viewership continued to fall over the next few weeks before the league canceled its season because of the COVID-19 outbreak on March 12th. At the time the league pledged to return after halting the season. Now it has taken a complete 180.

According to a prominent former XFL staffer who was on the call, Pollack stopped short of saying the league was going out of business. But the strong implication was clear. “It’s done,” the staffer said. “It’s not coming back.” - ESPN's Report

The The New Orleans Saints signed the XFL’s leader in interceptions CB Deatrick Nichols to a one-year deal in March.  Nichols snagged 3 interceptions in 5 games for the Houston Roughnecks, who were the last remaining unbeaten team in the league.

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