Episode 107 - Spring Football’s Identity Crisis
Are the XFL and USFL suffering from identity crises? Is spring football’s player turnover to the NFL sustainable, or interesting for viewers of alternative football leagues? This week on The Markcast we’re talking XFL and USFL player turnover, CFL Week 12, and much more with CFL insider Dave Naylor, Jake Russell of The Washington Post, long-time CFL journalist Marty York and David Côté of the Montreal Alouettes.
Dave Naylor makes a long-awaited return to the program this week to run down the biggest storylines coming out of the CFL headed into week 12. We talk Nathan Rourke’s unfortunate injury, Bo Levi Mitchell being benched in Calgary, the Saskatchewan Roughrider’s dilemma with Cody Fajardo and Mason Fine competing for the QB1 spot, and much more. Dave also shares his thoughts on the USFL’s completion and the struggle that both the USFL and XFL might have in keeping viewer interest long-term with the announced goal of both alt-football leagues to get their players onto NFL rosters.
Jake Russell of The Washington Post stops by to give his thoughts on the XFL’s announced return to Washington D.C. and why he thinks the fans there embraced the 2020 version of the XFL the way that they did. We talk USFL hub vs. XFL hub and the XFL’s need to balance being a captivating sports product while also trying to funnel players into the NFL. Can the XFL and USFL exist being a springboard for players into the NFL? We discuss.
Marty York, a long-time journalist, and contributor to the CFL media landscape sits down to run down some of the biggest stories surrounding the CFL mid-way through the season. We run down the lack of “top-tier” CFL quarterbacks in 2022, talk commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s leadership through the last 3 challenging years, and look at the long-term health of the CFL with diminishing crowds in some of the CFL’s most popular franchises.
Finally, David Côté of the Montreal Alouettes makes an appearance fresh off his game-winning field goal kick against the Hamilton Ticats last week. David talks about the Alouettes’ season thus far, goals for the team after a couple of big wins, and why he enjoys playing in the CFL and living in Montreal.
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