With fanfare befitting WWE founder Vince McMahon, it was announced Thursday that the XFL will make its return in time for a season to begin in early 2020 . Details about team sites or venues, rules and, of course, rosters have yet to emerge. But McMahon said during a press conference to re-introduce the league (it operated one season in 2001) that the league would embrace gambling.
Gambling – the industry – will also embrace the XFL right back. Already, at least one online sports book is taking action speculating on some details about the league. According to a release from onlinegambling.lv, there are at least 13 different props to wager on.
Plum native and former West Virginia kicker/punter Pat McAfee, for example, is currently considered the most likely athlete to participate in the XFL.
Analysts at OnlineGambling.lv posted odds on the XFL in 2020
How long league lasts: O/U 1.0 seasons
Odds retired NFL players play in the XFL:
1.Pat McAfee: 1/3
2.Johnny Manziel: 7/13
3.Richie Incognito: 7/3
4.RG3: 6/1
5.Baker Mayfield: 12/1
6.Marshawn Lynch: 15/1
7.Vince Young: 20/1
8.Colin Kaepernick: 1000/1
This is assuming, of course, that teams are formed and play starts. If the whole thing folds before somebody takes a snap, bets are off.
Odds on when first arrest occurs in the first season: O/U Week 3
Over/under number of arrests in first season: 3.5
Odds on XFL rules in first season:
1.Scramble instead of coin flip: 2/3
2.No fair catches: 1/1
3.No replay: 7/3
4.All offensive players are eligible receivers: 5/1
5.No designated kickers: 10/1
6.7-on-7 play: 18/1
7.Fullback touchdowns worth 9 points: 40/1
8.National anthem plays for the duration of the game: 250/1
9.Concussion protocol includes a hot tub: 500/1
10.Only one robot player per team: 30/1
Odds Donald Trump (de facto) owns an XFL team in first season: 2/1
Odds on average ticket sales per game in first season: O/U 25,000 (a.k.a. roughly the average Los Angeles Chargers' sales, and slightly higher than the XFL's first go-around)
Odds the national anthem is played at the start of each XFL game: 1/29
Odds on any players take a knee during the national anthem in first season: 12/1
Odds any NFL player leaves league to play in XFL: 5/1
Odds to own a team:
1.Donald Trump: 2/1
2.The Rock: 8/1
3.Jerry Jones: 10/1
4.John Cena: 12/1
5.Undertaker: 20/1
6.Sasha Banks: 40/1
Odds the XFL is fake/fixed via ...
- Team collusion: 1/9
- Referee obstruction: 1/1
- Remote-control drone balls: 15/1
- Fake news/scores: 10/1
Odds Vince McMahon's entire XFL announcement is "fake news": 9/1
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
