8 Big Questions About Vince McMahon's XFL Reboot!
6. Will It Ditch The Cheerleaders?
The XFL didn't actually mean anything, but you can be fairly sure the 'X' was implied to stand for 'Xtreme (!)'. With the exception of buying underwear, it pretty much always does (and even that depends on your predilections).
Products bearing the word 'xtreme' - sans 'e' - rarely ooze class. The XFL didn't buck this trend, with its target demographic firmly in the 'manly man' bracket. And there's only one thing 'manly men' (supposedly) like, besides fast cars and beer.
So the XFL gave it to them. As far as risqué dance routines go, they were more Sky Strikers than Red Light Cabaret, but their sole purpose was plainly clear.
In 2018, hoying a gang of scantily clad women on the field for no other reason than titillating horny guys won't cut it. Sure, NFL has them, but NFL doesn't have a historic reputation for treating women like objects to be ogled. Sexy cheerleaders were a key selling point of the XFL, so it's a bit of a pickle whether to bring them back or not.