XFL viewership sees alarming drop as Dwayne Johnson's league gets off to stuttering start

The XFL kicked off last weekend (Saturday, February 18) as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's new project got off the ground. With the NFL season now done and as fans clamor to find something to get their football fix, the XFL was thought to be just the tonic.

Except...

It wasn't. There was a big build-up to the weekend's slate of games that saw the Arlington Renegades, the Houston Roughnecks, the St. Louis Battlehawks and the DC Defenders all register wins with all but one being one-score games.

That sounds like something that would have gotten XFL or even NFL fans excited, but according to Skedball, the fans stayed away from viewing the first round of action.

Now, that surely did not please Dwayne Johnson or the XFL powerbrokers as no game on ESPN had over the one-million viewers that ABC did. Now, those who think that the XFL will rival the NFL's numbers are dreaming. Also, keep in mind that the league hasn't been around that long either. It was originally established in 2001 by Vince McMahon, but that league only lasted for a single season. McMahon reestablished it in 2018. Its inaugural season was suspened in 2020 due to COVID-19.

So while the league didn't have the viewers, it is still very much in its infancy, and with each passing week, the hope is that more fans will tune into the league.

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XFL: Still a work in progress

St Louis Battlehawks v San Antonio Brahmas

The league is just a week into the season, and some have smashed it for the poor viewership. While the numbers of eyeballs on the games wasn't close to a regular NFL game, nonetheless, it hasn't stopped people from giving their thoughts on the league.

For Johnson, the purpose of the league isn't to compete with the NFL as that is a losing battle given it is a worldwide, billion-dollar industry; instead, it is a chance for players who still dream of making it to the NFL.

The league is a stepping stone to the NFL. Players who missed out on their NFL dream for whatever reason can now play football at a high level, on TV with coverage in the hopes of reigniting that NFL dream.

Given the league is only a few years old (founded in 2018), there is still plenty of room to grow, and that starts with getting more eyeballs on the games.