You already know the NFL, which stands for National Football League. So it’s natural to assume that the “FL” in XFL stands for football league. But what about the X? There are only so many words that start with that letter, and only so many that are actually useful.
Merriam Webster lists 138 words that start with X, ranging from two letters to 15. Based on the original league, which only lasted one season in 2001, you probably think the X stands for extreme, or something like Xtreme. But it turns out that’s not the case.
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Does the X in XFL mean Xtreme?
No.
Despite Homer Simpson declaring it so, the X does not stand for Extreme or Xtreme. Vince McMahon did want it to, according to reports. But the “Xtreme Football League” name was already taken as the league was announced in 1999, the same year the XFL was founded.
From Our Sports Central:
But that XFL never really formed as it merged with the Arena Football league before ever starting a game.
So what does the X in XFL mean?
Nothing at all.
From Brett Forrest’s book, “Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV’s Biggest Fiasco”:
Former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman was also quoted in the book saying, “XFL stands for nothing at all? That’s amazing. Only Vince McMahon would have something which means nothing stand for something.”
McMahon did joke, however, during the 2001 announcement for the league, “The NFL stands for the ‘No Fun League.’ The XFL is going to be the ‘Xtra Fun League.’”
