8 Things We Learned From WWE's Opening XFL 2020 Games

6. ESPN's Coverage Beats FOX

FOX, somewhat surprisingly, has some catching up to do.

Their presentation of LA at Houston was like a stripped down NFL game. It did benefit from having familiar faces like halftime guru Curt Menefee on board, but there wasn't the same depth to their delivery throughout the entire game.

Over on ESPN earlier, things were a bit more engaging. Coaches were armed with open mics, and it was fascinating to hear them call out plays (including some trick ones to throw off the opposition) to their quarterbacks. Also, it was damn cool to see coaches talk QBs off the ledge on the sidelines if things didn't go well.

That insight into the psychology of running the ship was captivating. It'll be interesting to see if opposition teams camp someone out in front of the TV in coming weeks to share playbook information though. That's something the league will have to work around if ESPN are determined to get fans on the turf.