By Will Toner

Not many of us can remember (if at all) the original eXtreme Football League (XFL) in 2001 that let players wear literally whatever name they wanted on the back of their jersey. That XFL lasted only one season as NBC pulled out of its TV deal while citing poor viewership as the reason for doing so.

Vince McMahon’s revival of the XFL promises to be more entertaining to watch and to bring attention to “star” players such as quarterbacks Cardale Jones, Connor Cook, and former ODU quarterback Taylor Heinicke. 

The new structure of this league includes a 10-week season starting in February that will not include bye weeks, beginning the first Saturday after the Super Bowl. After the regular season is finished, the top two teams from each conference will move on to a two-round, single-elimination bracket.

The XFL Eastern Conference consists of New York, DC, Tampa, and St. Louis while the XFL West includes Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Seattle. Some of the team names are slightly questionable. 

It’s hard not to be excited if you’re a football fan. Let’s all hope this go-around for the XFL has more success than the previous league.