Sports this year has been heavily disrupted by COVID-19, and we’re in the middle of some interesting results from that.
The future of the XFL isn’t entirely certain after the league was forced to suspend its season due to the virus, but there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for it as it’s supposedly getting bought out of bankruptcy by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Johnson is part of a team buying the league for only 15 million. It’s a relatively cheap price considering the value of more established leagues. But it remains to be seen how The Rock will actually handle his newfound position.
Dana White’s idea for the league
UFC executive Dana White is outspoken on a lot of things, and apparently, the XFL is one of them. While talking to TMZ Sports, he offered some advice to Johnson for running the league. His main idea? Get things moving again soon, and take advantage of the lull in other sports.
“If I was The Rock, I would try to get that rolling as fast as I could. I’d try to get that on television ASAP. I guarantee you there’s a ton of networks that would do it,” White said enthusiastically.
He continued by saying that the XFL could take attention away from leagues whose athletes don’t want to play. That’s increasingly a concern in the NFL, which is on shaky ground as far as its handling of the current pandemic. Multiple players have already opted out of the season on the Giants, and other players around the league have joined in opting out.
“Don’t be surprised if The Rock slides right into that slot with some great programming. ‘Cause let me tell you what, people are dying to watch live sports right now,” White stated. His own league, the UFC, has continued to operate through the pandemic. It’s gone relatively well so far, even with some matchups needing changes because of it, and the loss of ticket sales from fans attending the events.
White is willing to use his own experience on the subject to help out Johnson with the XFL.
“I’m actually gonna call him today and walk him through what I think he needs to do on the COVID side of this thing. And, I have some ideas for him.”
A plus for New York sports
Sports fans in the New York area should be happy about Johnson’s acquisition of the league. It means that the New York team in the XFL, the Guardians, has a chance to survive into the future. The Guardians had a winning record at the time of the season’s suspension, but obviously the continued existence of the team depends on having a league to play in.
It’s not clear what form the XFL will take in the future, and what new changes will happen, but it doesn’t look like the league is going to go away entirely.
The team has some Giants DNA with Kevin Gilbride serving as the first and current head coach, so there’s some reason for fans of the New York Giants to care about the fate of the Guardians. Also, the team shares a stadium with both the Jets and the Giants.
And with new ownership for the league, the Guardians might just be able to take the field again in a renewed XFL.