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Inaugural XFL Featured In Article Chronicling Failed Football Leagues

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Photo Credit: Getty Images / Jeff Gross

The New XFL is set to debut in 2020. However, the initial XFL season that debuted in the early 2000s did not have much success. Sports Illustrated has decided to feature this poor freshman effort by Vince McMahon in a new article that takes a look at all of the upstart leagues that tried to dethrone the NFL over the years.

The centerpiece of this article seems to be the AAF, which is another new incoming football league that will actually be run—or at least funded by—Charlie Ebersol. Charlie is the son of Dick Ebersol who worked very closely with the McMahon Family in the 1980s. Charlie also produced the ESPN 30 for 30 about the original XFL.

As far as what the article has to say about the XFL, the league, of course, gets taken to task for its WWF cameos and silly nicknames. However, there are also nice infographics that detail mistakes that all the different promotions have made including the XFL.

The AAF’s startup forefathers went to great lengths to try to edge the NFL. The Continental League (1965-69) went international, placing teams in Canada and Mexico while also opening up its rosters to minority players who might find it hard to get into the still mostly white NFL. The World Football League (1974-75) tried to dazzle fans, with singular names, bright vibrant colored jerseys (and footballs), and the far-less-scandalous-than-it-sounds “Dicker-Rod” to measure first downs. The USFL (1983-85) tried to out-spend the NFL, putting their money down to steal potential players and take the big league to court. The XFL (2001) tried to beat down the NFL with violent rules, WWE cameos and, of course, tough nicknames on the back of their jerseys. All of those leagues failed, but the NFL adopted some of their ideas.

RELATED: The XFL May Allow Fans To Tip Players

To view the full article click HERE.

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