One of the most commercially successful actors of his time, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson will be trying to carry over his box office success to his new endeavor, the XFL. And on Saturday, before the Vegas Vipers and Arlington Renegades faced off in the opening game of the season, the Rock gave an impassioned speech fit for one of his movies as the American football minor league went viral.
This speech by The Rock to XFL players was 🔥 #XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/KXUqgz7g0B
— Off The Deck Sports (@OTDSports_) February 19, 2023
“When they told you that the dream was over, but here’s the truth your dream is just beginning,” he said, addressing the players. “Because what you’re going to do, you’re going to come out on this field and you’re going to line up and you’re going to show the world what it’s like to be truly hungry with that chip on your shoulder. I know because I’ve got that same chip and we’re here because the X of the XFL represents the intersection of dreams and opportunities. You bring the dreams, we brought the opportunity. Now let’s get to the game that we all love and why we’re here today.”
When the league declared bankruptcy due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Johnson and a group of investors bought the XFL rights for approximately $15 million in August 2020. The XFL, a spring football league, was previously established in 2001 and disbanded after one season. It was then recreated in 2020, but the pandemic forced it to end early. This is the league’s third incarnation.
“So I say this, to all the players, all the coaches and most of all to all the fans, we say this with great gratitude and humility and an insane level of excitement. I declare these words as we kick off our season. XFL, let’s ball out baby!” Johnson added as the crowd cheered.
The opening game of the XFL had seen Arlington Renegades defeat the Vegas Vipers 22–20. The DC Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians, San Antonio Brahmas, Seattle Sea Dragons, and St. Louis Battlehawks are the other six teams playing in the league.
The XFL, which begins the weekend following the Super Bowl, contains a few new rules that aren’t seen in the NFL, like three overtime scoring rounds per team, a 35-second play clock, and three timeouts per half.
