By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
ShowbuzzDaily.com lists the following viewership numbers for the first weekend of XFL games.
-Seattle Dragons vs. D.C. Defenders on ABC: 3.302 million viewers (Saturday early afternoon)
-L.A. Wildcats and Houston Roughnecks on Fox: 3.290 million viewers (Saturday late afternoon)
-Tampa Bay Vipers vs. New York Guardians on Fox: 3.385 million viewers (Sunday early afternoon)
-St. Louis BattleHawks vs. Dallas Renegades on ESPN: 2.495 million viewers (Sunday late afternoon)
Powell’s POV: It was a good start for the Vince McMahon owned XFL. Of course, the first incarnation of the XFL opened with 14 million viewers for the first game in prime time on NBC and then the bottom fell out. The reviews are far more positive this time around. The idea of minor league football with no NFL affiliation does nothing for me personally, but the game play was better compared to the original version, and they did a good job of focusing on the actual games rather than creating a WWE circus-like atmosphere. Only time will tell whether the league has staying power, but week one was encouraging. This second week of the season will have early afternoon games on ABC, and late afternoon games on Fox and FS1.
Oh great. Is the site going to be filled with “news” about the XFL everytime anything happens, just because Vince McMahon owns it? I sure hope not. I came to ProWRESTLING.Net, not ProAMERICANFOOTBALL.Net.
Lighten up, Francis!
I ran the viewership numbers, not the scores, not game recaps, nor interviews, etc. Yes, it’s semi newsworthy because of Vince owning it and it will be covered from time to time. I’m not saying this in an a-hole way but rather offering some simple advice. If any XFL stories I run don’t interest you then just don’t read them.
Kudos on completing your “How to be a douche for no discernible reason” certification course.