What if I told you that the NFL wasn’t the most violent football league? Back in 2001, one of the most controversial sports leagues in history was created. Named the “Xtreme Football League” (XFL), it ran for one season with only eight teams.

Vince McMahon, professional wrestling promoter and executive, created the XFL and took football to a new level. Tired of the NFL’s rules, McMahon created his own football league. He wanted the XFL to have much more hitting, more “extreme action” and fewer penalties, so he basically made the sport ten times more violent. McMahon had professional wrestling stars such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sponsor the XFL and also got a partnership with NBC to broadcast the games.

The XFL only lasted one season due to severe injury and lousy gameplay. The players were mostly people who couldn’t make the pros and weren’t very good at football. They were also allowed to make up the names on the back of their jerseys, so instead of their last names they chose names such as “He Hate Me,” “Teabagger” and “Deathblow.”

The XFL rules were just as bad as the league itself. There was no coin toss; instead they did an opening scramble where two players would run from the end zone to midfield and scramble for the ball, which was quite creative but caused many injuries. Players couldn’t call for a fair catch on a kickoff return and would not only receive a penalty but a blow to head from a defender as well.

Ratings were bad, the players couldn’t properly play football, and the game was too violent. Many of the players had career-ending injuries and no fans were pleased with the league. McMahon had no other choice but to cancel the XFL after one season.

So why is the XFL making a comeback?

SFHS health teacher Mr. Richards, a big football fan, said, “I got to see some of the XFL back in the day, and it wasn’t exciting to watch at all. The players were awful.”

PE teacher and basketball coach Mr. Cole didn’t even know what it was.

Since football fans had no interest in the league, why not leave the XFL in the past?

Well, McMahon will not let the league die. He announced in late January that the XFL is set to return for its second season in 2020. He stated he’s going to change many rules and will market the league as a “family friendly” option for football fans.

McMahon is also going to fix some mistakes he made by rushing the XFL into existence, without enough off-season practice for the teams in the league’s opening season. McMahon stated that he has learned from his mistakes and will bring the XFL back for the better.

So, the league will return for its second season in 2020, and McMahon hopes the XFL can give some serious competition to the NFL.