The XFL was just five weeks into its 2020 reboot when the United States’ national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic forced it to shut down, and it appears the likelihood of a return for the young league is low. Konnor Fulk of XFL News Hub reported on Friday that the league has “terminated” all of its employees except for a “skeleton crew” of league executives.
https://twitter.com/KonnorFulk_XFL/status/1248644516434845696
A message on the schedule page of the XFL website still says, “Currently, the XFL will not be playing its regular-season games. However, all players will be paid their base pay and benefits for the 2020 regular season. All XFL ticket holders will be issued refunds or credit toward future games. The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years.”
Understandably, year one was likely pretty low on revenue for the XFL. Like many fledgling sports properties, TV broadcasters aired the games for free, and attendance was meager. Vince McMahon has been determined to keep WWE going through the pandemic, taping matches (and WrestleMania) in the company’s Florida performance center to keep with its typical schedule, but football is a different beast, with more players, larger crowds and no centralized location to play in.
Maybe keeping league executives in place means McMahon maintains some degree of optimism about the XFL coming back, but it’s not looking good right now.
