WWE’s McMahon To Launch New Pro Football League

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

WWE chairman Vince McMahon is going to make another attempt at tackling the pro football business.

McMahon, whose XFL—a joint venture with NBC--lasted one season in 2001, has scheduled a “major sports announcement” for Thursday afternoon.

There have been reports that McMahon will start a new league in 2020. It is unclear where games will be broadcast.

He has made filings with the SEC saying he plans to sell $100 million in WWE stock to fund Alpha Entertainment, a company formed to make investments including professional football.

Alpha Entertainment has filed trademark for the XFL name, but it is not clear whether that will be the name of the new league.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.