After canceling the rest of their season about a month ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, the XFL has now suspended their operations this morning and laid off nearly all of its staff. The league also currently has no plans to return for the 2021 season. This became a trending topic on Twitter if the league should have shut down or not. Here are some tweets to show reactions from fans that didn’t like to see it go down:
I am so bummed about the #XFL. I really loved what the league and @XFLDragons we’re doing.
— ClaireBeverly (@ClaireBeverly) April 10, 2020
Thanks Corona you ruined an awesome thing #xfl https://t.co/GgXZ7rozn0
— Uncle Kaiju (@unclekaiju) April 10, 2020
This is one hurts because the XFL had the resources and following and the funds for a second season but with the unknown of COVID-19 who knows how and when they could've come back. This isn't like the AAF at all. I hope they will try in 2022. #XFL
— ANDRE TRIPLETT (@ATRIPLETT20) April 10, 2020
Well I’m depressed about the XFL folding. They had solid attendance and great TV ratings. This pandemic took a great league from us. This league got me into football. #RIPXFL #XFL #COVIDー19.
— James Schultz (@JimCracksJokes) April 10, 2020
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon owns the XFL and this was his second attempt at starting a professional football league. In 2001, McMahon’s original version of the XFL also folded after one year. Some fans weren’t very surprised to see the league folding so soon and tweeted out reactions in agreeance with the league shut down:
COVID-19 did in a fraction of time what would have taken the #XFL an entire season to do … fold.
— John Henry (@TheJohnFHenry) April 10, 2020
I quit with all these spring football leagues. First #AAF runs out of money. Now my #XFL is dissolving because of this whole situation. I think it’s a sign that the US should only have one outdoor football league😬😬
— Michael Fowler (@mikeyfowlaa55) April 10, 2020
The XFL is the second spring football league to shut down in recent years. In 2019, the Alliance of American Football (AAF) had to shut down and be closed after running out of money eight weeks into the season. The XFL is the first pro sports league to crash during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.