The XFL Is Actually Fun, You Guys
If you’ve clicked on this blog, I’ve already got you further than I expected. For whatever reason, the XFL hasn’t jumped out to solid ratings like it did in its last two iterations. But I’m here to tell you, it should. Because what the XFL is doing now is what the NFL will (and should) be doing in a few years.
Korked Bats hyping the XFL isn’t anything new. We were big on the XFL 2.0 just three years ago (shout-out to that engaged couple, hope their relationship lasted longer than the league). Hell, personally I’ve been in on the league since XFL 1.0 (shout-out Tommy Maddox). I might be the only person you know who played XFL Fantasy. I was certainly not the He in He Hate Me, because I Loved Him and everything about the XFL. It also helped that first iteration of the league launched at the height of my Attitude Era love for the WWE.
And look, my love for the XFL wasn’t just rubbed off adoration from my passion for watching Mankind, D-Generation X, and Sable (hubba, hubba). Sure it may have started there, but by actually watching the sport, I noticed they did so many things different from the boring and safe NFL. And many of the things they introduced in their first broadcasts are now mainstays in NFL broadcasts today.
The XFL gave us:
- the first ever skycam
- cameramen walking on the field for the first time
- in-game interviews
- football in both Los Angeles and Vegas
And now they’re continuing their innovation with things that would be unheard of in NFL broadcasts… at least for now. Like in-game interviews with players and coaches, mic’d up players AND coordinators, scorebugs that provide betting lines, and most importantly, full transparency into their replay booth.
Titans fans sure would appreciate this after the non-fumble fumble by Josh Dobbs that cost them a division title. No way they reviewed such a pivotal play in such short amount of time. PEOPLE DON’T FORGET, ROGER! But I digress.
Plus, I don’t know if you know this, but the X in XFL stands for X-treme. Which is exactly what this league is. I mean, AJ McCarron and Ben DiNucci squaring off in a Week 2 Thursday Night matchup? NOTHING SCREAMS X-TREME QUITE LIKE THE NOOCH! A game in which, I watched. And let me tell you, it was fun as hell. I’ve never done cocaine, but I no longer need to after last night. It was like snorting a bump while watching a Jet Li movie and listening to The Chemical Brothers. The most fun I’ve had watching a Thursday Night football game since the Titans and Jaguars rocked Color Rush Unis wearing baby blue and baby poop.
Why do I keep referencing the Titans and Jaguars in this XFL blog? Well, I think that kinda answers itself. But the XFL game I watched last night was hella fun, and with the XFL’s scoring system – going for your choice of 1, 2, OR THREE (!) after touchdowns – makes fewer games out of reach in the closing minutes. Just ask the St. Louis Battlehawks (KaKaw!). They trailed 15-3 with 90 seconds left in Week 1. And they won that game. Without Patrick Mahomes, either. Imagine the rush you felt watching that Bills-Chiefs Divisional Round game from last year, and just mix in AJ McCarron. Oh hell yeah. I can already feel your veins pulsating. And in last night’s AJ McCarron special, there were like 3 lead changes in the final 7 minutes too. CHOP IT UP ONTO A MIRROR!
And look, I know… The XFL, in its first week, did not do well in the ratings department. Leading many to dawg on it and not give it a chance. Popular opinion still plays in people’s TV choices. But trust me, the XFL is worth the watch. When football went away after the Super Bowl, we all got sad. Our football high was gone. And here the XFL is offering us not just a needle, but a rubberband to tie our arm with. And you wanna turn them down? Why? One… Is this or is this not the XFL? Yes, it is. Two… Do you or do you not currently have a pulse? Yes, you do. Let’s watch some XFL.
