8 Potential Landing Spots for XFL Franchises
By Rocky Davis
Vince McMahon recently announced the return of the XFL, set to take place in 2020. The league miserably failed in its only 2001 season due to McMahon trying to tie in professional wrestling. This time, the story’s different; McMahon, during the XFL 2020 press conference, stated that this league will be for the fans. That being said, there would be less commercials, no halftime, shorter games, less penalties and a complete football fan experience. However, no cities for the 8 franchises have been revealed yet. Fans across the country have taken different approaches to possible locations. Would they use major sports hubs? Would they use places with no or little professional sports? Here are 8 possible points of interest for XFL franchises.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha should most definitely be a point of interest for Vince McMahon and his company. The only sporting event that occurs here is the College World Series for baseball, since the city lost their UFL franchise back in 2012. Even though the UFL had just 4 teams and was highly unsuccessful, the Omaha Nighthawks drew in great numbers of fans each game. The 2010 U.S. Census counted the total population of the city as 408,958, and a considerable amount of them would buy into the idea of another professional football team. TD Ameritrade Stadium most definitely has multi-purpose capability and would be a great stadium for a possible XFL team.
St. Louis, Missouri
Now that the Rams have moved back to Los Angeles, football fans in St. Louis don’t necessarily have a professional football team to root for. The Dome at America’s Center is a great venue for the sport and the capacity of nearly 70,000 was filled plenty of times during the 20 year tenure of the St. Louis Rams. The idea would definitely sell as the revenue of the Rams organization from 2000–2015 increased every year, eventually reaching $317M in their final year in Missouri. The people of St. Louis wouldn’t let the XFL go to waste.
Birmingham, Alabama
Legion Field is a historical venue in a city with no professional sports… Well, unless you count minor league baseball (Birmingham Barons) and minor league hockey (Birmingham Bulls). Alabama thrives on its NCAA programs when it comes to sports, so would a pro team here be logical? The answer is yes. Fans from all over the state would make trips to Birmingham for games in a city that is developing rapidly. It may seem like there aren’t many football fans in this area when you look at UAB’s attendance, but Legion Field is off campus in a football program that is consistently subpar. The Birmingham population in 2010 was just over 200,000 but the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan area accounted for roughly 1,128,000.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a developed city with the proper infrastructure, a sports fanbase, and a venue to use with Orlando City Stadium. The city is a massive tourism hub, home to Disney World and Universal Studios. In 2017, through 6 months, 60 million tourists had visited Florida. This is an important factor because visitors who are sports enthusiasts are likely to attend a sporting event while in town. The Orlando Magic and the 2015 born Orlando City SC have been fairly successful, and a new XFL concept would attract fans of those teams, and sole football fans.
Columbus, Ohio
The XFL should try to have teams in as many US regions as possible, and establishing a franchise in Columbus would be a great way to expand up north. Mapfre Stadium, home to the MLS’ Columbus Crew, seats about 20,000 and is relatively new. The capacity is a reasonable amount for a new league and newer stadiums are always prime for the fan experience. There are NFL teams in two major Ohio cities, Cincinnati and Cleveland, but Columbus has just the Crew and the NHL’s Blue Jackets. Football fans in Columbus have to make about a 2 hour commute for either current pro football team, but fortunately does have the Ohio State Buckeyes program. With an XFL franchise, the NFL wouldn’t have to compete to win over those fans and the city of Columbus would have a new form of entertainment.
Portland, Oregon
Portland’s football history was short lived after losing its Arena Football League team which ran from 2013–16. The city and state have the fans; their MLS team, the Timbers, placed in the Top-10 in terms of team value. Additionally, the Portland Trailblazers seem to have a solid base of support each season. The Timber’s stadium, Providence Park, is also seeking renovation for more seating, which is a plus for the city and the XFL if they decide to place a franchise here. Portland is a growing city with over half a million residents, who are mainly middle to upper class with disposable incomes. The more disposable money leads to more ticket sales overall.
Memphis, Tennessee
The Memphis University Tigers college football team has kind of burst onto the scene in recent years. Being a non-power 5 ranked team in back-to-back years has definitely attracted a fan base in Memphis. The city is home to the Memphis Grizzlies, but living in the south, the fans need some football. Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium seats 61,000 which may be a lot to start out, but there is also a possibility to use Autozone Park, home of the Memphis Redbirds (AAA Baseball). Since the Grizzlies aren’t necessarily an elite team in the NBA, the XFL would give this city a sport to keep them entertained through the back half of NBA season.
Oakland, California
By 2020, Oakland will no longer be home to the NFL’s Raiders. The relocation of a franchise to Las Vegas gives way for the XFL to perfectly time their entrance to the Bay Area. Oakland is a major city in sports history, and adding an XFL team to the crazy fanbase that was Raider Nation would be an intelligent financial move. Though stands wouldn’t be full, the Alameda Coliseum is a great venue for professional football. Sure, current Raiders fans could make the trip to Vegas, but there wouldn’t be many season ticket holders. Oakland would be a great choice for the XFL, and the city could possibly become the face of this league.
These 8 cities are just a few possibilities. Who knows, maybe the XFL will directly compete with the NFL and place teams in historical sports cities where the money is; like New York, Boston, Los Angeles, etcetera? We will have to wait and see over the course of the next two years, and plans for this league are definitely subject to change.
