Next year, the Alliance of American Football plans to put one of its teams in Orlando. In 2020, the XFL possibly will, too.
Via Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, the XFL is exploring the possibility of putting a team at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. The AAF plans to play at UCF’s Spectrum Stadium.
During the first run of the XFL in 2001, Orlando played host to a team known as the Rage (pictured).
The XFL, like the AAF, plans to put franchises in eight cities. In cities targeted by both leagues, the AAF will get the benefit of a one-year head start.
The AAF also plans to put a team in Atlanta, and the league founded by Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian also is reportedly discussing the possibility of playing games at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
The dustbin of sports history is filled with dirt from the cleats of defunct pro football leagues. The potential proliferation of gambling could make these alternative professional gambits more viable. People will want something on which to bet, and once they place their bets they’ll have an incentive to watch the game on which they’ve wagered.