There was something fitting about the Arlington Renegades — a team that failed to finish over .500 in the regular season — winning the XFL championship Saturday over the D.C. Defenders. Over three iterations of the scrappy, upstart football league, the XFL has tried to defy the conventions and break the norms that fans of the sport are accustomed to seeing in the NFL.
That sense of experimentation can be traced back to the 2001 version of the league — remember “HE HATE ME”? — and to the 2020 and 2023 versions, which introduced innovative rule changes.
So naturally, this weekend’s title went to a team that was 4-6 in the regular season — a team that won it all by beating a Washington squad that finished 9-1 (or 10-2, counting the postseason).
“Arlington took it to us,” Defenders coach Reggie Barlow said after his team’s 35-26 loss.
The end result put a cap on what turned out to be a successful year for the XFL. For one, they made it through the entire season — which is more than what the second iteration could claim after the pandemic forced the league to abruptly fold. And unlike the first two versions of the league, the XFL — barring an unforeseen setback — will return in 2024.
The league advertised season tickets were on sale during the championship broadcast, and owner Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has said the plan is for the XFL to continue.
“What this first season of the XFL has proven to us as owners, to the football community whom we embrace because we love the game of football — it has proven that we can do it,” Johnson said in an ABC interview before kickoff. “We can do this. We can create, in time, day-by-day, the best spring football league in the world.”
Not every aspect of XFL 3.0 was a success. Television ratings were down and attendance figures were down. The XFL reportedly averaged 561,000 viewers per regular-season broadcast, while ESPN reported that the league saw a 23% dip in attendance from the 2020 league. This year’s XFL averaged 14,398 fans per game. “We have a ton of work to do,” XFL chairwoman Dany Garcia told ESPN.
But strides were made elsewhere. More than 50 of the league’s players drew invites to NFL camps, leading to signings like Seattle quarterback Ben DiNucci landing with the Denver Broncos. Johnson has said that he hopes the XFL will serve as a springboard to the NFL, even if it doesn’t have an official partnership with the league. For that to come to fruition, players will have to make the leap from league to league.
Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera said Friday that he thinks value can be found in spring leagues like the XFL and the USFL.
“The good part of it is these guys have film and quality film for us to take a look at,” Rivera said. “We’ll get a chance to see where some of these guys are and how good some of ‘em move. … Some of these guys are talented and (some) just need an opportunity.”
Of course, that presents a challenge for the XFL: How does the league create a viable product for the long term if rosters are dramatically turning over from year to year and the biggest names don’t stick around?
Earlier this month, Barlow compared the dynamic to college. As a former coach at Virginia State, Barlow was used to recruiting players and watching them leave.
“You hate to lose them, but you’re glad you were able to help them with this platform,” Barlow said. “We’re pulling for all our guys that should get opportunities to get signed on with an NFL team.”
Beyond the players, the XFL has tried to innovate with creative rule changes and all-encompassing access for viewers. For the latter, referees are mic’d up during games and viewers can hear vice president of officiating and rules innovations Dean Blandino review calls and communicate with officials in real-time. Blandino pointedly said in an interview with ESPN earlier this year that he felt the NFL was “not interested” in a similar level of access.
The NFL, though, has shown a willingness to adapt to some of the league’s ideas — to an extent. Both the XFL and the defunct Alliance of American Football have used the concept of a “sky judge,” an additional referee who can overturn or assess calls that were made (or not made) on the field. The NFL hasn’t fully implemented this idea, though there have been instances over the past few years when calls are quickly corrected without the use of a coaching challenge.
Regardless, Johnson and Garcia have said they feel the XFL is in a position to build off this past season.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. This league isn’t going to be built in a day,” Johnson told USA Today. “It’s day-by-day, year over year.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.