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The XFL promises alternative football. Can it survive?

caption: Lumen field is where the Seahawks, Sounders FC, and OL Reign call home. It was also, until this week, the name of a major internet data provider in Russia.
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Lumen field is where the Seahawks, Sounders FC, and OL Reign call home. It was also, until this week, the name of a major internet data provider in Russia.
Jose M / Unsplash

The XFL is on its third attempt at an alternative football league. The first iteration was in 2000, and lasted for a single season. The second attempt, in 2020, was sidelined after five games due to COVID.

But there's a long history of alternative football in the spring. Will fans support the team enough to keep them afloat? And can the team attract enough fans with its unique style of play?

First, Soundside caught up with Scott Hanson, who covers the Seattle Sea Dragons, the city's XFL team, for the Seattle Times.

Then, host Mike Davis talks with Paul Reeths, a historian of alternative sports leagues, about the various iterations of spring football that have existed since the 1980s. Where did they succeed? Where did they fail? And what can the XFL learn from those leagues to help stay afloat?

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