With the NFL playoffs coming to an end, football fans are excited about the return of the XFL.
“I’m ready for the season to start and more football,” freshman Robel Asefa said.
While some students may be excited for XFL, others may not be as interested but are happy that there is more football to watch.
“It’s not that interesting to me,” freshman Moe Ibrahim said. “But I like that, thanks to the XFL, there’s more football to watch after the NFL season is over.”
The XFL is a televised football league, similar to the NFL, but has some rules that are changed to make the game more fast-paced and unique.
There are many ways that the XFL has changed the rules to make football faster paced.
First, they set down the play clock to 25 seconds, unlike the NFL, which has a 40-second play clock.
In addition to shortening the play clock, the XFL had also shortened the halftime to be 10 minutes long.
The XFL has also made many other various changes to the rules of football that have made the game more unique and enticing.
Teams can go for 3 point conversions after scoring, there can be two forward passes behind the line of scrimmage.
The XFL officially debuted in 2001 and initially had good reviews, but eventually declined later on in the first season as fans lost interest.
Some causes of the loss of interest were poor quality commentators and performances of the teams.
Something that may be a boost to the XFL’s popularity in the D.C area is the addition of a new Washington based team. The D.C defenders exploded on the scene with the hiring of Pep Hamilton as the head coach. The team has also made history by winning the first game in XFL history. There are 8 teams in the XFL that play.
However, there is now an additional team called “Team 9” that includes a roster of players in different positions that can be used to fill up roster spots on other teams in case of injury.
“I think that the addition of Team 9 is good,” freshman Malcolm Kent said. “When there’s a missing player from another team’s roster because of an injury or something like that, other players who want a chance at the spotlight will have the opportunity to play and to prove themselves on the field.”
It seems like football fans are excited and intrigued by the XFL and the season is only getting started. This alternative to the NFL has fans thrilled and optimistic about it.
XFL games are showcased on Saturdays and Sundays on ABC, Fox, ESPN, and FS1.