Rumour has it Paul Godfrey is enquiring about moving the team to a the SkyDome for next season
Is that a rumour that you just made up, or is there some source for it?
Itâs a joke. False alarm 
(as far as I know)
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Your point on the known deal between RedBird and the NFL has some merit, but I donât see it as relevant to the situation in Las Vegas as involves the otherwise antagonistic Raiders to both those parties.
There has to be some financial game-changer for the Raiders to have this unprecedented change of heart you continue to advance.
And câmon, âthey have not refunded fans yetâ means ZERO. For one thing, thatâs Las Vegas. The house only parts with its money when it must do so, and theyâll ride that out as long as they can get away with it before any litigation. Las Vegas is not the only city where just that is the dominant way business is done, but thatâs normal there once you have parted with your money. You will not be sitting on your hands assured of any refund there unless and until time passes and enough people kick up some stink.
The XFL is just taking advantage of the time they have to issue those refunds. That reality indicates ZERO about this mythical change of heart.
Barring miracles, the Las Vegas choice was a mistake day zero and should be in the distant mirror gone for good.
Woe to any other niche league not affiliated with one of the existing leagues or big casino and hotel firms trying to start up in Las Vegas. You are either in tight with the local establishment, which means they have a piece of your action directly or indirectly, or you will have a harder time, much as did the XFL. Thatâs not much different at the core than when organized crime ran things more behind the scenes, not that their descendants have totally left the scene mind you and are not in seats of power in the area to this day, but itâs the same grinder methodology at work for any given new racket in town.
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Like with Darnell Sankey today returning to the CFL, watch the player movement now with the Disney and ESPN fiasco still in progress even after they finally put a lid on the Charter Spectrum crisis.
What the players do will tell us more about the real feeling on the ground about the risk at hand for the XFL given the predicament at ESPN, which I also pointed out above months ago.
The situation for a player in the XFL with other options is akin to that of a landlord in a smaller area in which a major employer of one or few in the area is closing its location. Any associated tenants on lease coming up for renewal are probably not going to pay through the lease and just skip town.
Why would any XFL player, getting some kind of professional or elder advice, bet on ESPN to come through for the XFL now?
Meanwhile, we await some harder evidence of the XFLâs arrangements in such regards beyond the usual lofty proclamations about the league.
I wish the XFL had a better media partner, for as a brand and for the football it could stand on its own unlike that trash hub league.
Right now itâs like watching its slow death as the media silence is anything but golden.
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On rare occasion, the Spring Football Echo Chamber does get it right.
Otherwise the silence about the plans for 2024 season in the news for months now is not golden. The 2024 season kicks off in about six months, but players have to be assembling and training together by the turn of the year.
I had not heard of this possibility about the team in Houston until now, and this report was in July well before the recent news about the already anticipated relocation of that awful team and venue in Las Vegas. Given the training facility used by teams in Arlington, Texas, there would be minimal affect there I would think.
Woe to the XFL though if they start going down the road of hub league, for one trash hub league is already one too many and a farce.
The XFL has enough on its plate already given the ESPN mess that is getting worse now, so adding another team for relocation for the 2024 season is yet another financial hurdle.
And then there are these initial dominoes falling next week.
Basically, though attempted to spun differently by the author who is basically also a director of the Spring Football Echo Chamber, this news is the same as the first wave of layoffs for any given company with 100s of employees.
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More players are voting with their feet already:
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Yeah the only issue is that the CFL only has 200 slots - but it is interesting that they are lining up for a shot at the CFL.
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The Roughnecks will be moving to Rice Stadium. A bit antiquated, but if itâs good enough for the college team itâll be good enough for the XFL. Vegas is still a question mark,. although some season ticket holders seem to think Allegiant stadium is in for next season. The vipers also recently updated their social media page, not something that typically happens if thereâs uncertainty around the team. Look at the Michigan Panthers situation in the USFL. Their socials went dark and theyâre the only team from last year that isnât currently selling season tickets. I actually expect the Panthers to stay in Detroit, I just donât think Ford Field is too keen on hosting hub games with 500 fans in the stands.
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From what I have read Rice Stadium is a worse stadium but a much better part of town. I read that the UH Stadium is in an economically disadvantaged part of town, no bars or places to eat near the stadium. Rice Stadium is the flip side of that with bars and restaurants places to eat etc and a little easier to get to. Donât know if any of that is true but that is what a couple of people said about the move to Rice Stadium for next year.
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The NFL Gorilla Moves Further Into The Seat, Part II: They Are Who We Thought They Were
âWhere is Part I,â you might ask? Part I is posted in the USFL thread.
The timing of these two public discussions is NOT a coincidence. These public discussions are all orchestrated by the NFL as they are for most sports leagues.
The following discussion follows a post about Troy Vincentâs comments, as cited in an article by Jim Trotter from The Athletic in this thread three weeks ago.
The timing right as the NFL season has begun is rather curious.
Between the two public discussions, the figures involved, and especially the timing, Iâm seeing sharks circling here smelling the blood of opportunity.
Vincent emphasized the supportive stance the NFL maintains toward spring leagues like the XFL. Contrary to the perceived notion that the NFL prefers to monopolize football, Vincent explained that spring leagues foster a breeding ground for nurturing talent, not just in terms of players, but encompassing the entire ecosystem including coaches, support staff, video trainers, and more.
Ah yes, before they profess with their real intentions for action, they often confess.
âOh no, no monopolization interest here! Not even the NFL huh huh.â
What gaslighting! Do YOU believe him, as would the Spring Football Echo Chamber of course? If so, why?
Reflecting on the XFLâs debut year, Vincent hailed the leagueâs successful stint marked by high scores and efficient gameplay, resulting in a good viewer experience. Vincent also expressed enthusiasm for the future, envisaging an ongoing relationship nurtured through shared learning and mutual growth.
Here by contrast I do believe Vincent. They know opportunity at a discount when they see it of course.
The NFL does NOT have to buy the XFL, and the NFL is unlikely to do so for reasons cited previously.
The NFL only has to move into a position of majority or otherwise dominant control, much like with the Trash Hub League already.
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@Paolo_X - I have stated before that I think these leagues are where the G-League was at in 2001 to 2005 time frame. I donât disagree with you in regard to the NFL taking over the XFL or owning it - but I think there are back channel mechanisms in place for this to happen or for the NFL to keep the XFL afloat through Redbird Capital.
The NFL and Redbird own EverPass Media - I donât know what amount of money is going to flow through that joint venture but I would bet that creative accounting would allow for the NFL to send funds into Redbird/XFL and it would not even be a rounding error in the NFL universe. Same goes for NFL and Fox/USFL I am sure there are creative accounting mechanisms in place to keep the USFL alive for a couple of years. Moose and Jerry are pals - no way Moose says anything without careful thought being put into it and it being vetted by the powers that be.
I really donât see the NFL taking full ownership MLB style due to the CTE head trauma litigation threats that are out there. So the NFL could have a firewall in place and proxy ownership through Fox/Redbird to keep them out of the courts over the next few decades.
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Along the lines of your thinking as to one way such an endeavour will be facilitated financially, I agree as well.
And as if on cue hereinafter those discussions with Troy Vincent and with Daryl Johnston respectively last week, here we are already.
In the end should this all go forward for the 2024, at the very least we can see the end of that Trash Hub League concept and especially the hot air from all those who backed it and were still clinging to it after that Trash Hub League tried to claim it was starting slow and all that propaganda.
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@Paolo_X - totally agree with you on the scripted NFL content from Troy Vincent and with Daryl Johnston. There are not accidents in business or politics.
From our buddies at ChatGPT
- âBehind every so-called accident in politics, youâll find the fingerprints of calculated ambition.â
- âIn the world of business and politics, what appears as chance is often a choreographed dance.â
I think that the NFL knows that something is up with ESPN/ABC/Disney and they donât want to see the XFL get cut loose and die on the vine with no TV deal so it is much easier to get their minions Redbird/Fox to play nice form one league and go from there.
Also with Everpass Media - you can pump the USFL/XFL games into every bar and restaurant that has Everpass media so there is that media pipeline that is in place now that was not in place a year ago. EverPass Media is the exclusive distributor of NFL Sunday Ticket to commercial establishments.
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This point was posted in July 2022 and is the standard for any serious pro sports league, which of course will be the case for the budding âUSXFLâ after merger or whatever it will be called.
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