Instead of buying the Panthers, Vince McMahon is just bringing back the XFL. On Wednesday, they announced the eight cities, and stadiums, that would make up its return to the public consciousness in the video above (fast-forward 36 minutes to hear the announcement).
Those eight cities are as follows:
- Dallas, where they'll play at Global Life Park in Arlington, Texas
- Houston, at TDECU (Texas Dow Employees Credit Union doesn't really roll off the tongue) Stadium in Houston
- Los Angeles, at StubHub Center in Carson, California
- New York, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Seattle, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle
- St. Louis, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis
- Tampa Bay, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa
- Washington D.C., at Audi Field in the District
For those who don't remember the lone season of the XFL at the turn of the century, it was run as a partnership between McMahon's WWE and NBC that fizzled soon after its arrival. Some believe it will work this time around, which might not be simply wishful thinking in an era where the president, while in office, tweets a video of him body slamming a television network whose coverage he doesn't like. The country is a WWE b-plot.
In that vein, McMahon says any player with a criminal record won't be welcome in the XFL, which is ironic considering his own sordid history. "We are evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are," he said when the league's re-imagining was first announced in January. "If you have any sort of criminal record or commit a crime you aren't playing in this league." Shame doesn't exist anymore, it seems.
McMahon also said that the current fractured media landscape split between old network and cable television and streaming services makes it easier for them to succeed when they don't have to worry about ratings. "Just look at technology and companies like Facebook and Amazon bidding for sports rights," he said. "Even if ratings go down, there's no denying that live sports rights continue to be valuable and continue to deliver."
