Then the reformed XFL started to play with good results before the start of the 2020 COVID pandemic. The resulting shutdown caused the league to close soon after their season started. Now it’s time for the latest league named Fan Controlled Football which is beginning to get some exposure as the season progresses.

So… what the heck is Fan Controlled Football?

Fan Controlled Football is an indoor football league with roots dating back to 2008 when comedian Steve Hofstetter floated a satirical business concept of a fan-controlled baseball team. The idea went through several generations and eventually moved from satire to a working business model.

According to the official site, FCF.io, this incarnation started in 2015 when the group purchased an indoor team in Salt Lake City and applied the fan control idea to the team. Fans helped pick the name – Screaming Eagles – as well as the uniforms and other aspects of running a team. That included everything from coaching hires to recruiting players and “what beer we had on tap” during games.

It also created a chance to test out how fans could sit at home, or from anywhere, and watch games on devices while interacting with their team. Now, the term “armchair quarterback” may be real.

The FCF is a four-team league that is playing a short season in a bubble environment outside of Atlanta in Duluth, Georgia. Games are 7 on 7 and played on a 50-yard field with no goalposts inside Infinite Energy Arena. Games are televised live on Twitch and VENN.

What Makes FCF Different

Will the FCF survive or will it hit the same fate as other leagues in the past? Going up against the NFL is a tough thing to do. That’s why the FCF may stick around for more than one season – they are not trying to be another version of the NFL.

COSTS: First, payroll is not as expensive as a normal football team as there are not as many players. There are no kickers and no special teams. Players make somewhere around $750 bucks a week plus room and board.

TIME: games are shorter averaging about an hour which is perfectly geared towards a modern society with changing TV viewing patterns.

SEASON: Other leagues have tried to mimic the NFL with full schedules of sixteen games, playoff games, and a Championship. The FCF has a short season and a Championship game. Granted, if there are more seasons to follow that schedule will probably increase. This year the format is being tested – expect rule and other modifications – something the NFL is not good at doing in a timely matter.

FANS: The biggest difference between the NFL and the FCF is the role that fans play in the league. With the NFL, and leagues that have tried to compete with them using the NFL format, the idea is to have fans as spectators and consumers. That may be the same for the FCF but the fans can now take an active role in how the game is played while the game is in progress!

It looks like the FCF will complete its inaugural season of four games with two post-season games. That’s something both the Alliance of American Football and the XFL failed to do. Hopefully, an expanded version will kick off in 2022… wait… scratch that. As mentioned above – there are no kickoffs.

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Now the XFL is coming back for a third time in 2022 thanks to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners who acquired it for a cool fifteen million.

Johnson tweeted about it, a video was released, the current XFL president released a statement, and one city has confirmed talks for a return!

Watch the official XFL Returns 2022 video below:

Johnson’s tweet talked about hard work – which will certainly be needed to bring the XFL back.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Johnson tweeted, “but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.”

Aside from the PR tweet by Johnson and the video, there was actual news confirmed by one of the former XFL host cities that work was underway – even if it was on a very basic level.

The St. Louis Dispatch confirmed that the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC) was in talks with the XFL. The CVC manages the Dome at America’s Center where the St. Louis Battlehawks played their home games.

CVC president Kitty Ratcliffe told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they had been in contact with the XFL about the return of the St. Louis XFL Battlehawks.

“We talked with them a couple of weeks ago,” Ratcliffe told the Post-Dispatch according to their reporting. “And they just reached out today to schedule another call. What they were doing with their (first) call is they were contacting each one of the previous venues just to let them know that the new ownership intends to restart in 2022.”

St. Louis averaged 28,000 fans per game, and led the league in merchandise sales, making them the most popular of XFL fanbases. St Louis was the former home of both the Cardinals and the Rams.

The Pandemic shuttered sports around the globe including the XFL. The league folded after roughly two-months of play consisting of five games for each of the ten XFL teams; St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington, D.C.

XFL president Jeffrey Pollack released an announcement indicating that they want to take the rest of 2020 and 2021 to ensure that everything is in place for a return that includes a solid business plan and plans for playing safely with COVID-19 including possible “bubble” play and hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022. The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners, and fans.”

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