New XFL is a joke and FSU alums should stay far away

The XFL is going to try a second go around starting in 2020 – and anyone who played for the Seminoles should reject playing in it at all costs.

In the first months of 2001, the football world was turned upside down with the debut season of the new XFL – a creation from wrestling mogul Vince McMahon and the folks at NBC Sports. It was a league of aggressive action, not a lot of good football, loads of hot women wearing next to nothing and 10 former FSU football players dotting the eight teams.

The experiment would last just one season as the league folded quicker than most Royal Rumble matches in the WWE. Now, as a high school male during that season I love everything about it – however, that sentiment was not shared by many others and McMahon had to tuck his tail between his legs and admit defeat.

Well, it appears that the defeat only lasted for 17 years as McMahon announced on Thursday the creation of the new XFL – this time taking two years to set up the league while planning on keeping some of the same things (eight teams, higher payouts for winning).

At the same time, the gimmicks that came with the first league – races for possession, no fair catches, those cheerleaders – will not be following McMahon this time around. Instead, the man who is financing it himself and will own every team (cause that’s not weird) is calling this one “family friendly”.

Some of those “family friendly” plans include not allowing players to protest the national anthem or use the league as a political forum while also banning any player who has a criminal record – telling reporters (via ESPN) that “If Tim Tebow wants to play, he can very well play.”

I’m not going to get into the politics of those rules (the league being created conveniently amid criticism toward the NFL from McMahon’s longtime friend, President Donald Trump) but more about what this version of the XFL is about.

All McMahon is trying to do is stroke his ego when it comes to avenging the massive disappointment the first version of the XFL turned out to be.

"“I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one,” McMahon told ESPN in an exclusive interview. “A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, ‘You were the one who screwed this up,’ or ‘You made this thing a success.'”"

When the first version came out in 2001, it was at least about shaking up the status quo of football that some found boring – and while the league didn’t survive, it became memorable and had plenty of positive moments that live on. Heck, if it had been planned out more, the XFL could have continued the first time around.

This time, McMahon is using a divisive time in our country to try and capitalize on it – all while trying to wipe away the first failure.

With those things mind, I would have a piece of advise for those associated with the Seminoles. For those who once played for the Noles, I would stay as far away as possible. The first incarnation was at least about giving players a chance – this one is only about rebuilding the one major failure in McMahon’s career.

To the school and city of Tallahassee, I would advise not even thinking about bidding on being one of the eight cities. McMahon said all cities would be considered, by the capital city needs to avoid this at all cost.

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This water down version of the XFL has all the looks of being even a bigger joke than the first one – and anything tied to FSU needs to be nowhere near it when it fails for a second time.