XFL Named One Of The Hottest Start-Ups In The U.S.

As the XFL's reinsurance continues, several people in the business world are taking notice. LinkedIn ranked the XFL 22nd in its Top Startups of 2019 list.

Discussing the 50 hottest brands, LinkedIn's Senior Editor at Large Jessi Hempel discussed how the list was formed. Using over 645 million LinkedIn members and their actions, the company collected information based off of employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement with the company and its employees and how well the startups pulled talent from LinkedIm's Top Companies list.

"The annual Top Start-ups list is a reflection of how work is changing, what new industries are emerging and rapidly growing, and where people want to work now," Hempel stated. "Over 11,000 positions were filled at the Top Startups over the last year, and there are thousands of open jobs available at the companies right now."

Regarding the XFL, they have over 130 employees and continue to grow. Here is what Jessi had to say about the football league:

"Vince McMahon, best known as chairman of WWE, is personally funding a relaunch of the XFL, a professional football league seeking to reimagine the game on and off the field by making the game faster and fan focused. The eight inaugural teams, all owned by the XFL directly, will kick off in February 2020. In preparation, the company is looking to hire more than 50 social media editors, marketing directors and community managers."

With the eight teams officially named, the XFL is looking to finish up its talent search before the season starts. The XFL Player Draft will be taking place in October, with each of the eight teams being allowed to draft 70 players. Those players who accept an invitation must sign a HIPAA release form while also consenting to and clearing a background check. Following the draft, every player must pass a medical examination and drug test.

The relaunched XFL season is expected to start in February of 2020, the weekend after the Super Bowl.

XFL Announces Team Names & Logos

The XFL has announced the team names and logos for all eight franchises for the league.

The league held a press conference on Wednesday to make the announcement. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, who owns the XFL, didn’t appear.

The eight teams will be held in the following cities: New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington D.C.

The league will launch in 2020 on Saturday, February 8 just after the NFL’s Super Bowl. The games will air on ESPN, FOX, ABC, and FS1. Here are the team names:

– St. Louis Battle Hawks

– Tampa Bay Vipers

– New York Guardians

– Seattle Dragons

– Los Angeles Wildcats

– D.C. Defenders [Washington]

– Houston Roughnecks

– Dallas Renegades

XFL To Host Eight Summer Showcases Sessions

League Commissioner Oliver Luck and Doug Whaley have now announced that the XFL summer showcase tryouts will be taking place this summer. It will give players with professional experience the opportunity to showcase their skills.

There are no open tryouts, and the summer showcase will be invites only.

Check out the dates and locations for the tryouts below:

June 7th: Arlington, TX
June 8th: Houston, TX
June 14th: Montclair, NJ
June 15th: Springfield, VA
June 21st: Long Beach, CA
June 22nd: Seattle, WA
June 29th: Tampa Bay, FL
July 13th: Earth City, MO

The XFL Has Four New Homes

The XFL will be showcased on ABC, ESPN, Fox Sports and FS1 when the new season launches next year.

The news was broken via tweet, as games will be played both on weekly TV as well as cable.

"We look forward to showcasing the XFL on ESPN and ABC, including the kickoff game and championship during the league’s inaugural season,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling.

The XFL will launch in February 2020, and will feature teams from Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C.

"We welcome the XFL to the FOX Sports Family and are pleased to expand our relationship with Vince McMahon,” said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports CEO & Executive Producer.

The new XFL will be a follow-up from the 2001 league, which closed after one season.

Vince McMahon Sells Millions Of Dollars Worth Of WWE Stock To Help Fund The XFL

A new SEC filing made by WWE today revealed that Vince McMahon sold 3,204,427 shares of company stock, worth around $270 million.

The filing noted that the sale was primarily to fund Vince's Alpha Entertainment LLC, which oversees the XFL football league that will re-launch in 2020. Vince informed the company that he has no current plan to sell additional shares, and that he intends to continue his role as WWE Chairman and CEO for the foreseeable future.

The shares sold today represent 4.1% of the total outstanding shares of stock. Vince still owns 28,682,948 shares of WWE stock, which represents approximately 36.8% of the company's total shares of stock and 80.1% of the total voting power.

Rumor Mill - XFL In Talks With Both ESPN And FOX For TV Deal

XFL could have an official television deal as early as next week, and they’re talking to some big names according to John Ourand and Terry Lefton of the Sports Business Journal (subscription required). The report states that the company is in talks with both ESPN and FOX at the moment. Both deals would have the games airing on two stations as the ESPN deal would have matches on ABC and ESPN, while the FOX deal would be on FS1 and the titular network. While a deal hasn’t been made, both talks are described as being ongoing and interest is strong for both.

Interestingly, the XFL’s main competitor, the Alliance of American Football, will start its debut season on Feb. 9 of this year. The XFL won’t launch until next year. Debut teams will be featured in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Tampa Bay. The 10-game season will be capped off with two weeks of playoffs.

Eight Cities Revealed For XFL Relaunch, More Cities Considered For The Future?, XFL League Advisers

A "Contact Us" page on the XFL website has revealed all 8 cities that will host teams for the inaugural season in 2020. It looks like the pages were edited after the leak.

The following 8 cities were revealed:

* Dallas, Texas
* Houston, Texas
* Los Angeles, California
* New York (could be NY/NJ region but phone number was New York City)
* St. Louis, Missouri
* Seattle, Washington
* Tampa Bay, Florida
* Washington, DC

As we've noted, XFL has announced that they will reveal the 8 cities along with venues on Wednesday, December 5 at noon EST. It's been confirmed that the press conference will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, the site of WrestleMania 35.

In related news, it looks like there could be plans to expand to other major cities once the inaugural season has wrapped. DomainNameWire.com reports that the league registered several domain names for potential host cities and regions earlier this week. The domains use the format of XFLCity.com, CityXFL.com and XFLCityAbbreviation.com. For example, they registered XFLChicago.com, ChicagoXFL.com and XFLCHI.com.

The 21 cities or regions that they registered domains for are: Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas/Arlington, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington DC, Tampa Bay.

These locations could be a sign of where they plan to expand to with future seasons or places that have been under consideration. All 8 cities revealed for the inaugural season are included in the list of domains registered this week.

On a related note, the XFL website also lists several Advisers that will be working with the league. They are:

* Jim Caldwell - former NFL Head Coach (Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts)

* John Fox - former NFL Head Coach (Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos)

* Doug Flutie - former NFL, CFL & USFL Quarterback, NBC/NBCSN Analyst

* Donna Orender - WNBA President from 2005-2010

* John Kosner - President of Kosner Media, 20-Year ESPN veteran

* Kevin Guskiewicz - Dean of Arts & Science at UNC, Member of the NFL Head, Neck & Spine Committee

First XFL Host City Revealed, Rumored Date For Full League Announcement

The XFL is reportedly set to field a team in St. Louis, bringing pro football back to the city for the first time since the NFL’s Rams left for Los Angeles.

According to a report from KSDK St Louis / 5 On Your Side Sports Director Frank Cusumano, the XFL will bring a team to St Louis, and they will play 10 games in the 2020 season. Five of those games will be played at the Dome at America’s Center (formerly the Edward Jones Dome) which served as the Rams’ home from 1995 through 2015.

Additionally, according to a Reddit post by user ReadingTeaLeaves, we may be getting a major update on the XFL this coming Wednesday, December 5th. It is believed that this will be an announcement of the eight total host cities for the revival XFL teams. As is known, the XFL is looking to relaunch in 2020 through Vince McMahon‘s newest business endeavor, Alpha Entertainment.

According to this post, the XFL is being purposely secretive because of all of their competition. Not only are they considering the NFL competition, but the new endeavor from Charlie Ebersol, The Alliance of American Football (AAF), and apparently a third new competitor to the National Football League, The American Patriot League:

The XFL is purposely being secretive because of their competition. Mostly the AAF but there is also yet another spring league launching in The American Patriot League. That group is headed by former NFL player Marques Ogden and former XFL announcer Bob Golic. Their league has started try out camps and has announced Daytona Beach and Mobile Alabama as their two first markets. They have already started naming contests and those two playing venues are Daytona Stadium and Ladd Peebles Stadium.

Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment Logo Opposed By Adidas

Several of the companies owned by clothing & sneaker brand Adidas have asked the United States Patent & Trademark Office for more time to oppose the logo registered by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment, which was created to relaunch the XFL in 2020. The argument is that the Alpha Entertainment logo could be seen as infringing on the Adidas logo. Adidas has until March 6, 2019 to file an opposition or ask for another extension.

XFL CEO Talks Vince McMahon, Mandating Players Stand For The Anthem, & Re-Imagining Football: ‘Forget About 2001’

XFL commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck recently talked with former Green Bay Packers linebacker AJ Hawk on The HawkCast podcast.

Luck opened up about all things XFL including his thoughts on WWE CEO Vince McMahon & what it takes to create a professional football league from scratch:

On How His Own Personal Experience Helps In His New Role As XFL Commissioner And CEO:

I do feel as though my experience playing football at the college level has helped me, certainly at the NFL level. Probably the thing that has helped me the most in terms of getting ready for this challenge was the ten years I spent working for the NFL after I quit playing, in Europe. Running franchises in the old World League of American Football and basically running the league as league president in the ’90s and being an athletic director, you’re administering football. That’s what you do. Not only the football side with coaches; but, also the business side – you gotta sell tickets, you gotta sell sponsorships, you’ve got stadium up-keeps, concession issues, parking, all those things that matter to having a successful football program. I also believe that in life everything you do helps you in the job you’re currently doing. You take skills that you picked up along the way and try to use them the best you can to try to do a successful job wherever you’re at. I’m absolutely prepared – I think – for this challenge.

On Forging Forward With A Brand New XFL:

We’re looking at it more as shaping a lump of clay and trying to do the best we can possibly do. Forget about 2001. Some of the things that were done were a little bit gimmicky, I think is maybe the best word. We want to make this build a serious sustainable league that football fans can enjoy, that families can enjoy, that’s family affordable, that’s as safe as can be while still respecting the great rock ’em sock ’em game of football, which we know and you know better than I, is a very physical rough game. We kind of look at it as taking a mold of clay – thanks to Vince [McMahon] and his foresight – we’ve given ourselves plenty of time before we kick off in 2020 to get it right, to really make sure we’re doing all the right things in terms of tweaking the rules, the markets we go to, the types of coaches and players we have in our league. I almost feel like we’re starting from scratch quite honestly.

More?

Andrew Luck’s Father Named Commissioner of the XFL

Vince McMahon is committed to proving that his professional football league will be a serious venture the second time around, and he has hired an executive to oversee the league that should help accomplish that goal.

Oliver Luck, the father of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, revealed on Tuesday that he has been named the commissioner of the XFL.

“The XFL will be a labor of love as I get to combine my experiences as a player and executive,” Luck told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I’m thrilled to have this unique opportunity to reimagine the game that has been a constant in my life for 40 years.”

Luck currently holds a position with the NCAA where he oversees the Eligibility Center. His responsibilities include keeping tabs on eligibility requirements and academic affairs, but he will leave that job immediately and relocate to the XFL’s headquarters in Connecticut.

Luck, a former quarterback who played for the Houston Oilers and was inducted into the West Virginia University Hall of Fame, is a big hire for McMahon. He previously served as the president of NFL Europe and was the athletic director for four years at WVU, so he has plenty of experience in the field.

WWE Listed As A Minority Owner In The XFL

MLive.com is reporting WWE is listed as a minority owner for the XFL in the latest SEC filings that came out earlier this week. WWE and McMahon's Alpha Entertainment LLC (parent owner of the XFL) had an agreement where the following was stated:

"Alpha has announced that it expects that this launch will occur in early 2020. Under these agreements, WWE received, among other things, a minority equity interest in Alpha without payment by, or other financial obligation on the part of, WWE."

As noted, the Orlando Sentinel reported that officials from Vince McMahon's XFL have reached out to to the city of Orlando about possibly bringing one of the XFL football teams to Camping World Stadium. It was believed that XFL and WWE would run separate for the most part but Allen Johnson, Executive Director of Orlando's venues, confirmed to the Sentinel that John Saboor, WWE's Senior Vice President of Special Events, was the one that recently reached out about an XFL team in Orlando.

Back in December, McMahon sold $100 million worth of WWE stock to help kick start his Alpha Entertainment LLC venture. In an interview with The New York Times, McMahon responded to the sale:

"I am very committed to this, and it's going to take more than $100 million to do this league."

Vince McMahon’s XFL Revival Faces Early Competition From New Football League

WWE's chairman and chief executive Vince McMahon already has an opponent in drawing away NFL's football fans, and it comes from a surprising name: Charlie Ebersol. Not only did Charlie's father, and longtime NBC executive, Dick help Vince launch the original XFL 17 years ago, but the younger Ebersol directed the recent ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the original failed launch of the XFL. Today, Ebersol announced the formation of the Alliance of American Football.

After political protests by NFL players and concussion injuries gained recent attention, ratings for the league fell by 17 percent. Perhaps seizing on this environment, McMahon announced this past January that he'd revive the XFL (backed by $100 million in stock he sold). He emphasized a more family-friendly stance than the previous XFL, downplaying the sexy cheerleaders and violence of the original league and adhering more to the current PG-era of the WWE. He also stressed nonpolitical actions during games and employing players without criminal backgrounds.

Ebersol's announcement of his Alliance for American Football league also might mean McMahon's plan will come too late. Whereas Vince wants to revamp the XFL in in early 2020, his rival scheduled his launch for February 9, 2019 on CBS, soon after the next Super Bowl.

More?

WWE Earnings Call Highlights: Who Does Vince Credit For Signing Ronda?, How Long Is She Signed For?, WWE Network Updates, More

WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Michelle Wilson and SVP Financial Planning & Investor Relations Michael Weitz are hosting a Fourth Quarter 2017 earnings call today from WWE headquarters in Stamford. You can check out coverage of this morning's press release at the following link. Below are highlights from the call:

Weiss opens the call and welcomes us, going over the basics. He turns the call over to Vince. Vince says they achieved record revenue in 2017 and he goes over some of the numbers from the earlier earnings report. Vince touts how video views have grown as have their social media engagements. He touts how WWE has one of the most-viewed YouTube channel. He talks about Mixed Match Challenge and the new "Miz & Mrs." USA Network series with Maryse and WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz. WWE also looks forward to rolling out Virtual Reality content. He also comments on celebrating the RAW 25th Anniversary but says it's just one of many milestones to come. He comments on how Ronda Rousey's debut was the highlight of the women's Royal Rumble match. He also congratulates Triple H and Stephanie McMahon on bringing Rousey to the company.

More?

Vince McMahon: XFL to return in 2020 without gimmicks

WWE founder and chairman Vince McMahon announced Thursday he is giving a professional football league another go.

It will be called the XFL, the same name of the league McMahon and NBC tried for one season in 2001, but it won't rely on flashy cheerleaders and antics as its predecessor did, he said.

McMahon said he is the sole funding source for the league, which is slated to begin in January 2020. Its first season will have eight teams around the country playing a 10-week schedule. The initial outlay of money is expected to be around $100 million, the same amount of WWE stock McMahon sold last month and funneled into Alpha Entertainment, the company he founded for the project.

"I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one," McMahon told ESPN in an exclusive interview. "A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, 'You were the one who screwed this up,' or 'You made this thing a success.'"

One mark of the new league, McMahon said, will be faster games. The ideal running time, he said, would be two hours.

As for the timing of the announcement, two years before the league's debut, many might point to McMahon's relationship with President Donald Trump, who this fall criticized the NFL for allowing its players to kneel and sit during the national anthem. McMahon said players in his league will not be given the forum to take a personal stance while on the playing field. McMahon's wife, Linda, heads the Small Business Administration in Trump's Cabinet.

More?

Kevin Nash On What Vince McMahon Recently Told Him Regarding Current WWE Talent

During a recent episode of the The Ross Report, Jim Ross spoke highly of the potential XFL relaunch, stating that he believes that Vince and company have done significant research to make sure that they will not have another unsuccessful run. Ross also asked his guest, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, about his thoughts on the matter.

"Vince doesn't like to have a black mark anywhere on his dossier," said Nash. "At the beginning [of the XFL], the numbers were great, and it wasn't the right place at the right time."

Nash and Ross also discussed whether WWE will hurt from McMahon not completely focusing on the product, and both agreed that Triple H is next in line to steer the company creatively, and the WWE will be just fine with him at the helm. However, the landscape of WWE has changed regarding the grit of the talent.

"I remember one time I was talking to Vince – it wasn't the last WrestleMania, I think it was the one before – and I just asked him how things were," said Nash. "And he goes, 'The thing that's changed more than anything, [is] back when you broke in here in the fed, it was a shark tank. Like, everybody went after that top prize, and it was a battle. Now, [wrestlers] wait for him to come around with a sword and anoint them.' It's just not the same anymore."

Vince McMahon Files Five Trademarks For ‘XFL'

As we noted moments ago, Vince McMahon has sold 3.34 million shares of WWE stock with the primary reason being for funding his new Alpha Entertainment LLC.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell is reporting McMahon has also applied for five different trademarks for the term ‘XFL’ through his new Alpha Entertainment LLC. It was said that the filings just came into the trademark office, and it was filed on December 16th.

Talk about Vince McMahon’s revival of the XFL first surfaced after journalist Brad Shepard broke the news that McMahon was looking to bring back the league, and an announcement could come as soon as January.

Rovell noted previous XFL trademarks were abandoned over a period of time from 2002 to 2005.

Rumor Mill - XFL Trademark Filed, WWE Responds On Whether It Will Be Returning

From the very beginning, the XFL was quite a bizarre concept. Intentionally trying to go against the grain of what NFL fans view American football to look like, Vince McMahon sought out to create a league that was extreme and over-the-top.

Here were some rules that the XFL enforced to distinguish them from the NFL:

- Instead of a coin toss, players were placed on the 50-yard line to recover the ball. Whoever recovers had the choice whether they wanted to kick or receive.

- The receiving team had to run kickoffs out of the endzone, unless the ball was kicked through the endzone.

- Defensive players can use bump-and-run tactics down the entire field.

- There was no kicker for the point after touchdown (PAT). It had to be either via pass or run.

- There was no fair catch rule.

While the initial hype of the XFL generated a strong audience, diehard fans of the NFL began to heavily criticize the league, and numbers started to reflect the dissatisfaction. As a result, the XFL lasted only one season, and never returned again. On the ESPN 30 for 30 "This Was the XFL" documentary, the conclusion saw Vince McMahon discuss the ups and downs of the league with former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol. Interestingly, during the discussion, the idea of revitalizing the company after a 15-year absence was suggested. In fact, the idea was not adamantly rejected by either party.

Based on new information, the XFL could be returning. On Wednesday, June 28, 2017, the XFL trademark was filed by WWE under the category of "Education and Entertainment Services." WWE has until 12/28 before the foreign filing deadline is expired.

Here is the description provided to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the filing.

"Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing series featuring wrestling exhibitions and performances by professional wrestlers and entertainers provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, and via the Internet or online service; Entertainment services, namely, production of sports and sports related programs provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, cable, satellite and via the Internet or online service; Sports entertainment, namely, conducting of sports competitions; Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; Providing a website featuring information in the fields of sports and entertainment."

Deadspin reached out to WWE regarding the resurrection of XFL. Although the spokesperson did not confirm or deny, it was revealed that Vince McMahon has started Alpha Entertainment, which will personally be funded by him to "explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including football."

Viewership For XFL Doc

Thursday's "This Was The XFL" ESPN 30 For 30 documentary drew 917,000 viewers for the premiere. The show ranked #8 for the night behind on cable. In comparison, a July 2016 30 For 30 on former MLB players Dwight Gooden & Darryl Strawberry drew 1.196 million viewers while a May 2016 30 For 30 on Cleveland sports drew 844,000 viewers and an April 2016 30 For 30 on the NBA's Orlando Magic teams of the mid-1990s drew 1.509 million viewers.

Ill-fated XFL getting resurrected with NYC hall of fame

ESPN Films 30 for 30 tweeted out that the XFL will receive a Hall of Fame for one day in New York City to help promote its upcoming This Was the XFL episode. The "Pop-up" exhibit will be free to the public on January 14th and will take place at the Helen Mills Event Space and Theater in Chelsea, showing off memorabilia from the now defunct league.

Fun Fact: The XFL Hall of Fame is coming to NYC!

Here's everything you need to know. #ThisWasTheXFL https://t.co/ePBKFVdWEF

— ESPN Films 30 for 30 (@30for30) December 23, 2016