"I have loved football as an almost mythic game since I was in the fourth grade. To me, the game wasn't even grounded in reality. The uniform turned you into a warrior. Being on a team, the mythology of physical combat, the struggle against the elements, the narrative of the game..." ~ Steve Sabol (NFL Films)

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Where is My Damn XFL, CFL & USFL Video Game?

For those who follow me on Twitter (@CFLAmerica/@XFLAmerica & @USFLAmerica) you might be well aware of my ongoing battles with what I term the right wing XFL media (meaning that they engage in embarrassing Rock worship and are condescending of the CFL). However, there is one thing we can both agree on this week, and that is the fact that here we are just hours away from kickoff and there is not an XFL video game in sight. Why? How do you fumble this ball, Dwayne? 

I harp constantly at the CFL for their laziness and lack of any effort to attract younger fans like Madden was able to do in America, but this is something that should have been a priority for the twice failed league. Video games are what capture the imagination, even if that game is an 8-bit one for Intellivision, which is what I played when I was a kid back in the 80s, or on the Nintendo NES playing Tecmo Bowl in college.  You have dropped the ball XFL! Same with both the USFL and CFL.  If you want to grow your fan base beyond the aging white guy population, you need to fix this glaring weakness in your marketing game.


Though the prospects of a console XFL game are dim at the moment, there is good news. The word on Twitter is that the 8-bit community has taken up the cause and soon a XFL Tecmo Bowl version will be available online. Stay tuned to this channel for more, and even more importantly, check out the fine folks at TecmoBowl.org who keep the magic of childhood football fandom alive and well through emulation.  Also, at their site you can find CFL and USFL versions of the game that in a word, ROCK!

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