Vince McMahon’s XFL gets a rival from an unlikely source
Before Vince McMahon’s XFL officially kicks off in 2020, they already have a rival that isn’t the NFL. And, in a twist, a driving force behind it is someone McMahon knows fairly well.
On Tuesday, news broke that Charlie Ebersol — producer of the XFL ESPN 30-for-30 and son of longtime NBC Sports executive Dick — will be heading up another new pro football league, already armed with a TV deal and set to kickoff in 2019.
The Alliance of American Football has several major backers including the majority owners of Barstool Sports and the Founders Fund which includes Peter Theil, the man who secretly funded Hulk Hogan’s succesful lawsuit against Gawker Media. The season will begin in February 2019 and will conclude in April with games on both CBS and CBS Sports Network.
Dick will be be on the league’s board. He was a major part of the XFL’s lone season and historically was a champion for then-WWF programming on the Peacock Network. There was no indication he would be involved with the new XFL, but given McMahon’s history with him, that was a likely association in some aspect.
Because of the nature of the league, it will be a direct competitor to McMahon’s XFL which was officially announced in January for a 2020 return. How this will affect the player pool, potential sponsors, and more will be an interesting story to see play out over the next two years.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.