Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’re well aware of the insanity that is 2020. The XFL kicked off its return earlier this year, which was seemingly successful until the coronavirus came in and ruined everyone’s year. Since then, the XFL has suspended the season, laid off most of its staff and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Any other year, that would be the end of the story. The XFL gave it a hell of a try, but due to circumstances just couldn’t move it past the goal post. Well… no… Amazingly, the league seems in good shape for a 2021 return, albeit with new owners and playing under a different format (at least for the return season).
The idea is for every team in the league to play out of one central location, with the season being a 14-week tournament without fans. Some of this is due to COVID concerns, but a lot of it revolves around cost saving measures.
After 2021, the goal is for franchises to return back to their respective markets or re-locate to new markets. One of the teams that we’ve discussed would possibly be moving was the Dallas Renegades and it seems we have some news on that front.
According to Jai Nokes (Host of NOTES X NOKES), the Dallas Renegades name and logo has been removed from their team office.
Shortly after the league suspended the season and before they filed for Bankruptcy, the execs were still moving towards a 2021 season. Something we reported during that time was that representatives from the league had reached out to the Alamo Dome in San Antonio in hopes to move one of their eight franchises.
Clearly, 2021 is off the docket but 2022 seems to still be in the works. If the XFL returns… and if it survives to see a 2022 season, the likelihood of the San Antonio Renegades is growing. Seeing as the expectation for a 2021 season is to be based out of one location, it’s hard to say if the league will recognize the new location or wait until 2022.
Another idea I’ve heard floated is that the teams will not use their cities during the 2021 tournament. In short, it wouldn’t be the Dallas Renegades, they’d just be The Renegades. Considering that it seems at least three teams may be in for a move in 2022, it may not be such a bad idea.
There’s a lot of ifs in this article, but the biggest if is, if the XFL returns. There’s a lot of interesting news coming out on the bankruptcy, names and groups that you may not necessarily associate with sports and negotiations between groups that you wouldn’t expect.
The deadline to become a bidder is July 30th, with the auction set for August 3rd. There’s a lot of time before then and now… anything can happen. We’ll keep you posted as more information comes out on the sale of the XFL.
