With the NFL season over, soccer fans have flocked to the XFL for premium soccer action and unique content.
Unlike the league’s early days, though, the 2023 iteration could be a smash hit. There are many reasons why people are more eager than ever to tune in to the XFL in 2023, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of them. The Hollywood superstar is the new owner of the XFL and spares no expense in making it a smashing success.
So how many people attended the Week 1 league games and got value for money? We will talk about that and more here.
A look around the Alamodome as the San Antonio Brahmas kick off their first XFL season against the St. Louis Battlehawks. https://t.co/j4x6g7eGs3
How many people attended the XFL Week 1 games and how promising are the numbers?
The first game of the season, a matchup between the Arlington Renegades and the Vegas Vipers, ended 22-20 in favor of the Renegades. The game had 12,047 in attendance and had many interesting moments.
The second game was between the Orlando Guardians and the Houston Roughnecks. What was scheduled to be a close contest ended as a blowout as the Roughnecks defeated the Guardians 33-12. The game was attended by 12,784 fans who had the privilege of witnessing the first blowout of the season.
In the third contest, the St. Louis Battlehawks faced their rivals, the San Antonio Brahmas. The game ended low-scoring as the Battlehawks led the way in an 18-15 victory, with 24,245 excited fans in attendance.
Last but not least, there was a game between the Seattle Sea Dragons and the DC Defenders. The Defenders defeated the Sea Dragons 22-18. The game was attended by 12,438 fans and closed out an exciting first week of action. Overall, 61,514 fans attended during the first week of the 2023 season, averaging 15,378 fans per game, which is impressive for a revamped league.
What does ‘XFL’ mean?
The term ‘XFL’ could mean any number of things, depending on who you ask. According to the league’s initial founder, Vince McMahon, the tag stands for Xtreme Football League.
It’s also worth noting that during the league’s inception in 2001, another league existed called the Extreme Football League. Therefore, the owners at the time did not want the X to stand for anything in particular. So you can understand the reluctance of the initial owners to adopt McMahon’s suggested name.
Remember, McMahon himself had said:
“If the NFL stood for ‘No Fun League,’ the XFL would stand for ‘Extra Fun League.'”
Taking WWE’s number one hook, line and sinker suggestion would not be the best thing to do. As such, the X is just a cool name to distinguish it from the NFL, and so far, it’s worked well.