The WWE chairman first tried to reimagine pro football 17 years ago. This time around, his league will take on the same name but bare little resemblance to flamboyant league that challenged the NFL in the early 2000s.
Television ratings for the NFL have fallen 17 percent over the past two seasons. The league is embroiled in an continuing crisis over concussions, and youth participation rates are falling.
All of this suggests a difficult future for the sport, yet the NFL’s most notorious competitor, Vince McMahon’s XFL, is about to make a comeback.
McMahon, the chairman and chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, announced on Thursday that he would take a second crack at professional football, with play scheduled to start in early 2020.