There’s football in February?

What is this? Can my eyes be telling the truth, or am I deceived? Is this truly football in February?

Yes, good people, there is professional football happening, and it’s not the NFL, or even the CFL. It’s the XFL. If that name sounds familiar to some, it should.

The XFL has been here before, roughly 20 years ago. The brainchild of WWE CEO Vince McMahon, the first iteration of the XFL in 2001 failed as people soured on sub-par competition and discovered it was all hype and no substance.

With twenty years to think about his failure and learn from it McMahon has come back to the XFL, only this time it looks like it might be here to stay, unlike other start up leagues.

You see, this is actually the second pro football team outside of the NFL in the past twelve months. Some of you might remember the short lived AAF (Alliance of American Football).

That league was doomed almost from the start. The issue for the AAF came down to money - there just wasn’t any to keep it going, and it folded after just eight weeks last year.

That isn’t the case with the XFL, which has McMahon, a billionaire, at its helm. The XFL also has the benefit of being covered by networks like ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS.

I took in several of the games, and saw several of my Badgers making plays. It’s great to see that they have an alternative to pursue their passion when the NFL says no.

The XFL knows exactly what it is - it’s a minor league for the NFL, a place where players that just need a bit more seasoning can learn and grow and hopefully get back to the NFL. It’s very much like the G-League is to the NBA, or minor league baseball is to the MLB.

I hope this newest version of the XFL succeeds. It’s great for the sport, and keeps interest up. It’s great for those players, who have spent so much time honing their bodies and who love the sport, and it’s great for fans, since it’s actually affordable to go to a game.

The average family of four has to spend $560 just for NFL tickets that doesn’t include the cost of parking, cost of transportation, cost of a hotel room if you’re from out of town, and it definitely doesn’t account for the crazy cost of popcorn and hotdogs.

All told, one football game for a family of four can cost $1,000. The average cost of tickets for a family of four to attend an XFL game? Just $100.

I think most people can sense a deal when they see it. While there was only about 20,000 fans in attendance, that’s still an impressive turnout for a start up like this. I think it’s clear that Americans love football and are always hungry for more.

I know I’ll be tuning in for more XFL this weekend. Will you?

M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS

ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER