So there it was Thursday afternoon. Former NFL’er Ricky Williams announcing he and 50 former NFL players were starting…yes…a spring football league. For those scoring at home, that makes no less than eight non NFL leagues in the football offseason…from flag to fan controlled, AFL to AAFL…trying to go where no one short of the CFL has gone before and succeeded in any way or shape. For those fixated on betting, it would seem those in Vegas and New Jersey may want to think about creating a table for success on which, if any, of these ventures, especially those which involved big stadia and big tackles (and big expenses) will be around on their own in five years. Those saying the football as we now know it is on the wrong side of history in terms or markets and fans and interest are left scratching their head.
Then there is the XFL, which announced its franchises this week. As a resurrected brand, the XFL has been telling the story of a 2.0 brand, learning from the original flameout of the league which went hard at the NFL, and will now ride some key points, the biggest of which is a $500 million dollar investment from the WWE and Vince McMahon, to try and change the course of spring football history.
The other most important element the league has is Oliver Luck at the helm. Luck, who has gone out of his way to talk and LISTEN to everyone he can find about the XFL and its new vision, from small podcasts to big sports business audiences, is who startups should point to as a front person. Here’s why it is working from a storytelling point thus far:
Consistency of Message: Go back and read or watch everything that Luck has been saying about the league: not the NFL, careful spending, innovation, learning from others, finding the marketplace; time and time again the message to all is the same. It may have nuance but it always delivers the same points. Anyone looking for information here’s the same mantra; it is properly and consistently conveyed.
One Voice: Consistency is one thing, but uniformity is another. You want to learn anything about the XFL right now, you go to one person. He finds the time to answer your questions and gives you what you need. There are no divergent messages or blind spokespeople. It all comes from one consistent place.
Credibility: NFL Europe, MLS, NCAA, father of an elite player, award winner, builder of brands and startups, all have been under the Luck watch during a checkered career. While it is great to have the young, disruptive new face, having the consistency and credibility of quality proven leadership goes a long way in delivering messages.
Accessibility: Everyone is busy. We know that. Many times startups get so in the weeds with the day to day the ability to story tell big and small gets lost. Luck and the XFL have not missed a beat. Anyone who wants to talk about the brand and the future, there is a time and place and a voice to hear it. No one who can amplify the message gets lost in the mix.
“We have to stay focused, stay within our boundaries and know we are a spring league,” Luck said. “We want to offer good, quality, crisp football, but we’re not the NFL. Nobody’s the NFL except for the National Football League. I think if we can have that disciplined decision making, we’ve got a pretty darn good shot.”
Humility: Once again we are in a world where the loudest, brashest shouters may win the day. We never make mistakes, and we will call out our opponents at every chance we get. As seen in a NY Post piece this week, the XFL has taken a softer stance, and most importantly, talks about what THEY will do, not hat others do and are doing. Stay true to your message, your brand, don’t even address the other side. There is no back and forth debate if you don’t talk about the opposition. You stay on your message and deliverables, and let the chips fall.
Will the XFL, or any of these new leagues, find an audience and a voice and a business for the long term? No one really knows. This is a space that has been picked at by everyone including the NFL with no real success (unless you count the USFL before their ill-fated move to the fall).
However what you will see in the XFL is a smart storytelling stance that gives them a long window to be heard and be believable. The credibility for startups, along with a nice pool of cash to start, is priceless, and comes with much more than a little luck. Pun intended.
