Five Things We Want From the XFL

The XFL is making a comeback like a zombie from The Walking Dead. Instead of infecting you with a deadly virus, the XFL is looking to infect you with patriotism and love for football. Vince McMahon's new project aims to take some of the viewers that the NFL has been losing over the last couple of years. Protests, changes to the rules & politics have discouraged some fans from watching the NFL. One of the ways that McMahon looks to vulture some of these fans is to "eliminate" politics from football. In the new XFL, the players will be required to stand for the National Anthem & any type of protest will be done on the player's personal time. This, making the game faster, & fan participation are some of the changes that McMahon promises that would make football great again. But what are some actual changes that the average NFL fan, or even just a TV fan, would like to see on the XFL? Here are five things that the XFL could do to make me want to watch their games:

1) Hometown Hero Competition

According to reports, the XFL will have eight teams with rosters of 40 people instead of the traditional 53-person rosters in the NFL. These rosters are probably going to be comprised of former NFL players, un-drafted college athletes, CFL players and others. Make it an Invincible moment and give at least one spot to a local boy. The eight teams should hold a competition with local talent and award the final winner a spot on the roster. This would engage the cities and make the communities feel some type of bond with these new teams. The XFL connection with the WWE and its streaming services would make it possible to stream the competition and it would build an audience for the teams. Not only would this build an audience for the XFL but the story lines would write themselves... and who doesn't love a good underdog story? Besides the Patriots. (See Super Bowl LII).

The kick return is one of the most electrifying plays in the game of football. It is also one of the most dangerous plays in the game. The NFL has taken some measures to reduce the danger of this play and to secure the safety of the players. Unfortunately, these changes have drastically reduced the amount of kick return yards and kick return TDs. The kick return play is a special type of play that can swing the momentum of any game and it would be special to see it happen more often without sacrificing the safety of the player's health. The NFL moved the placement of a fair catch from a kick return from the 20-yard line of the receiving team to the 25-yard line. This was done in order to entice players & coaches to take the fair catch instead of trying to return it for a bigger gain which could cause a turnover or even an injury.

An alternative option to this would be less players on the field for a kick return. Instead of each team having 11 players on the field, each team should have six or seven players. This would open up the field more and increase the opportunities for teams to score on a kick return. This could create for more highlights and it would make the special teams and their returners key players of the game. More scoring, more highlights, more fun.

3) Halftime Shows

Vince McMahon has discussed how he wants to increase the speed of the games. One of the suggestions to reduce time is to cancel the halftime show and entertainment. This would be extremely wrong for the XFL. Your typical XFL audience is looking to be entertained. If they wanted to watch top-notch football, they would be watching the NFL. Don't take the halftime show away, embrace it. One of the key factors for the XFL is the fan participation. Have the fans choose their halftime entertainment. It could vary from local bands to fun competitions among the fans. The main point is community engagement. The XFL is as much about football as it is about showmanship and entertainment. Most people wont buy tickets to the XFL solely for the quality of the football game but they will buy them based on how entertaining the experience could be. The halftime show can sell more tickets than a silly nickname on a jersey.

4) What in the world is a catch? (Define Rules)

If you were to look for the definition of a "catch" in the NFL dictionary, you wouldn't have any idea of what's a catch is. The NFL has been changing the definition of what a catch is over the past couple of years and this has caused some questionable, if not, controversial plays to happen. This has caused fans to question the legitimacy of the NFL. Fans, players & even referees have had a hard time defining what a "catch" is and this has angered people everywhere. The XFL has to do something about some of these rules that not only consume time but it also raise questions about legitimacy. Of course the fans want the ref to get the call right but they also don't want every single play analyzed like some type of crime scene. If it looks like a catch, sounds like a catch, and both his feet are in bounds, let's just say is a catch.

5) Professionalism

There are a lot of reasons why the XFL failed in its first season. In my opinion, the main reason was its lack of direction and professionalism. This was supposed to be a legitimate league but the players weren't taking it seriously. The fans didn't care for the game because, although it was fun to watch, it felt staged and lacked realism. This could have been because the players' lack professionalism. From the silly nicknames to the altercations on and off the field, it all felt fake. If the XFL is to succeed this time around they need to build some legitimacy behind their games, their players and their brand. If the players want to go by their nicknames its fine, but make the nicknames something more pleasant to see than "Deathblow" or "He Hate Me." Have players and coaching staffs address the media with decency and honesty. Don't censor the players but have the awareness that you are seen as a professional athlete and you need to interact in a professional manner.

These are some of the changes that I would like to see the XFL include by 2020. Their opening day still far away but they're sure to make noise when they come back. What are you looking forward from the XFL and would you watch it when it premieres?