Former XFL New York/New Jersey Hitmen announcer Pete Schwartz recently spoke with Brad Shepard for NEO Sports Insiders; Shepard is the journalist who broke the news that Vince McMahon was looking to revive the XFL next year:
Schwartz comments on what his XFL experience was like:
“It was a lot of fun, to be honest with you. I was still an employee of WABC, but I was made to feel like I was a part of the XFL family, and specifically with the Hitmen. It was a great relationship right from the start. One of the great things about the XFL, even though it only lasted a year, were the friendships that I formed and still have today. Everybody that was hired for the Hitmen, for the broadcasts, people that I met in the league and other teams – everybody that was involved in it was very passionate about it. Every person that I ever came across was 100 miles per hour forward in trying to make that league as good as it could be, and I couldn’t have been more proud in being involved with it.”
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What the league did right:
“They really did a good job of engaging the fans at the game. The Titan Tron at one end of the field and the fireworks, I thought that was a really cool element to the games. It was a lot of fun. The crowds were very festive, very into it – even at times probably a little rowdy.
I’ve been to a lot of sporting events in my life. There’s not many that can top the first night of the XFL in Las Vegas. It was a Super Bowl atmosphere. You saw people tailgating in the parking lots, you had people holding signs up selling tickets, it was a spectacle. The sporting goods stores in Vegas couldn’t keep the Outlaws merchandise on the shelves. The game was sold out from my understanding for weeks. It really was an unbelievable atmosphere and I felt the building shake during the pre-game ceremonies. When Vince came out there and yelled “This is the XFL,” I had goosebumps. I was so excited that I was part of that, that I can’t tell you what happened during most of the game. The game was not very good, Las Vegas won 19-0, but I’ll always remember that night for the atmosphere. Of all the things I’ve done in the sports media, this was probably a top 10 thing, and if I had to go back and think about it, it might’ve been top 5.”
Schwartz comments on how he found out the league folded, what the reaction was:
“I think the people involved were pretty devastated obviously, I know I was. After I’d stopped to get something to eat for dinner that day, I came home, popped on ESPN and the first thing I saw on the bottom line of my TV screen was that the XFL folded. The first phone call I made was to my broadcast partner, Joel Santisteban. I said, “Do you believe this?” We were both so stunned that we had trouble having a conversation because the fact that it was gone in such a short time was devastating. It was actually shocking, all indications were that it was coming back, whether NBC was involved in it or not.
A few days after the season ended, the Hitmen were already figuring out what to do in the offseason to promote the team. I’d placed a call to the principal of my high school to see if I could get a Hitmen player to come visit the kids and do an assembly, and not long after that the league folded. It was really sad.”
Does Schwartz think there could be a successful relaunch of the XFL?
“I absolutely think it could. I think it’s important for professional football to have a second outdoor league that isn’t necessarily a rival to the NFL. It has to be done correctly. Vince had some good football people involved and working for him. They had good football coaches. Lots of guys with NFL experience. I think the one thing that hurt us is they rushed to start the season.”
