Violence was amped up: An opening scramble replaced the coin toss and fair catches were banned. So was the sex appeal, with cheerleaders who were even more scantily clad than the ones in the N.F.L., and advertising that included innuendo about them.
“Where is my smash-mouth, wide-open football?” McMahon asked rhetorically at the news conference announcing plans for the original X.F.L. “This will not be a league for pantywaists and sissies.”
.. After the league drew huge television ratings its first week, disorganization plagued the operation, and fans became disenchanted by the confusing, sloppy brand of football played by inferior players. The league collapsed after just one season
.. There will be no cheerleaders, McMahon said. Players with criminal records will not be welcome. Political statements, such as kneeling during the national anthem, will be prohibited.
.. President Trump, who has denounced N.F.L. players’ protesting racial injustice by refusing to stand during the anthem, has long been involved with the McMahons and W.W.E. Linda McMahon, Vince’s wife, was appointed by Trump to run the Small Business Administration.
.. McMahon has formed Alpha Entertainment to run the league with completely separate management. He recently sold off about $100 million in W.W.E. stock to fund it.
.. Eight teams — all owned by McMahon’s company — will compete in a 10-game regular season, likely on Sunday afternoons, he said. Four teams will make the playoffs, setting up semifinals and a championship game.
.. McMahon suggested that games would be much shorter and the rules simpler.
.. young people become turned off by the length of games.
.. He also said that he would consult with football experts to design rules that might make the game safer, a promise that duplicates an effort by the N.F.L.