Luck said that the league has sent proposals to 30 potential cities about XFL franchisesXFL
XFL Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck said that the league is still discussing "where our eight inaugural franchises will be," according to a Q&A with David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Luck said, "All we've done at this point is send to 30 cities our proposal that went out last week. The next three to four months will be instructive in the process of narrowing that down to the final eight." Harris County Houston Sports Authority CEO Janis Burke said that Houston "did receive one of the 30 solicitations and will offer" TDECU Stadium or BBVA Compass Stadium as "potential sites." NRG Stadium "could be a site [if] XFL games can be fitted in around the stadium's commitment to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/7).
OLIVER'S TWIST: TEXAS MONTHLY's Dan Solomon wrote it "makes sense" that XFL Founder Vince McMahon would recruit Luck, as he has a "strong reputation, enviable connections, and a great deal of success in both the business of football and the business of launching new sports leagues." It is possible that McMahon "threw piles of money at him, and it's possible that Luck believes strongly enough in the XFL's mission that he's willing to take a chance on entering an unenviable situation." If the XFL "plans to go to war" with the Alliance of American Football -- to say "nothing of the NFL itself -- it's definitely going to need a general like Luck." Solomon: "Why Luck wanted the XFL is more of a mystery" (TEXASMONTHLY.com, 6/6).
TIME TO SHOW SOMETHING: In Pittsburgh, Tim Benz writes the XFL has "spent a lot of its efforts relaunching by trying to capitalize on a perceived down cycle of popularity for the NFL." However, "telling the public why you are different only lasts so long." At some point, the XFL has to "convince the public why you actually are good enough to watch." For the last half century, "no other American football league has done that successfully for an extended period" (TRIBLIVE.com, 6/7).
