If you liked the XFL, there’s good news for you. If you did not like XFL founder Vince McMahon, there’s also good news for you.
First, the good news for the league. According to a report from Sports Business Journal’s Ben Schriver, there are twenty different bidders vying for the XFL’s assets. All of whom, reportedly, plan on the league playing in the 2021 season.
The XFL's investment banker says 20 possible bidders have already entered into confidentiality agreements as they consider buying its assets from bankruptcy. All hope to execute a 2021 season, per court filings.
— Ben Fischer (@BenFischerSBJ) May 26, 2020
Also, according to the court filings, Vince McMahon will not be among those attempting to purchase the assets.
"I'm not going to be a bidder," McMahon said in a deposition. The filing called the claims "inflammatory rhetoric and unsubstantiated accusations."
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) May 26, 2020
According to Pro Football Talk:
The prospect of Vince McMahon trying to buy the league came up when Daniel Kaplan of TheAthletic.com noted objections raised by the league’s creditors last week. Those creditors objected to a proposals made in bankruptcy proceedings because they believed McMahon was moving to position himself ‘to acquire the debtor at a fire-sale price’ after the league’s return season came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The XFL delivered solid ratings, averaging more than a million viewers per game. Those numbers put the league above what most English Premier League games were getting on NBC Sports Network, and more than most college basketball games were earning on ESPN.
The league got through five weeks of action before having to shut down due to the coronavirus.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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