With the season nearing closer, the New York Guardians have emerged as one of the XFL’s premier destinations. While the level of play remains unseen, football fanatics all over the Tri-State area have swarmed to the Guardians, hoping for a winning season of football in Metlife Stadium. With a great social media presence, and tickets ranging from $25 to $115, there are not many reasons fans won’t come out to see a bigger, better and rejuvenated XFL.
As previously stated, it is impossible to know whether or not play will be up to par. While that might be discouraging, coaching makes up for that plenty. Head coach and general manager Kevin Gilbride brings 21 years of NFL coaching experience, and nearly four decades as a coach overall. Gilbride has come out of retirement to take on the job.
In an interview with Forbes’ Patricia Traina, Gilbride said the following on why people should give the XFL a chance.
“I want to assure people that this isn’t going to be gimmicky, outlandish or wild… It’ll be much more affordable. It’d be much more family-oriented. We’re going to do everything we can to get the community involvement, get our players involved with the communities… New York fans are educated and very specific about what they want. They know what good football is, and it’s incumbent upon us to give them a product that they’ll want to see and be proud to be associated with because it represents them.”
As the head coach/general manager stated, the New York Guardians are much more than a football team. While the team plans to offer good football, it also strives to make a greater impact on the local community and Tri-State area. With single-game tickets as low as $30 and season tickets as low as $125, the team offers an affordable experience. Not to mention some players were recently seen on a Target shopping spree with a local family for the holidays.
Gilbride also acknowledges the New York fan’s no-nonsense mindset. He is more than aware that winning is expected. In a new league, everyone starts from the bottom. So, utter failure could only be placed on coaching.
With that said, the Guardians have begun mini-camp for the upcoming season. Starting in early December at Superdome Sports, the team practices are now in full swing. With the season less than two months away, quarterback Matt McGloin has taken charge of the club. McGloin spent four seasons in the NFL, mostly as a backup.
One of McGloin’s most talented receivers is, without a doubt, DeAngelo Yancey. Hailing from Purdue University, DeAngelo was drafted out of the fifth round in the 2017 Draft by the Green Bay Packers. After bouncing around the league, Yancey was cut from the New York Jets in 2019. He brings great speed and solid catching at the #1 WR slot.
The New York Guardians are filling a hole never before seen filled at Metlife Stadium. Hosting the Jets, Giants, and numerous other events such as concerts, Metlife Stadium is one of the biggest and best stadiums in recent times. Somehow the Guardians remain to be the most interesting of all entertainment taking place there. The season will start in early February and games will go live at 2 and 5 PM, and will be available on FOX, FS1, ABC, and ESPN.
Even though there are a lot of questions coming into the season, there are a few essential factors known. For one, it’s a legitimate league. The XFL is known to be financially stable and things seem to be organized. Second is that it will be affordable family fun. The model of “if you build it they will come” is obviously being implemented. The XFL is giving people no excuses to not go. And lastly is the effect on communities. No matter if it is charity work in areas of need, or simply the creation of jobs in urban areas, the XFL could do a lot more good than bad.
(Note: this article previously stated incorrect ticket prices. This has been corrected.)
