Football in Florida with Fangs: XFL Names Tampa Team Vipers

TAMPA -- The XFL's only team in the state of Florida starts out with a cold-blooded and venomous reputation.

The rebooted football league owned by pro wrestling mogul Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment rolled out the logos of its eight teams. The Tampa Bay Vipers are named for the family of poisonous snakes. They're the XFL's only team south of Washington DC and east of Texas.

The rollout video describes the Vipers as "demons born in darkness" and waiting in the shadows, "hunters by instinct, cold-blooded by nature, their bite unavoidable." They'll play at Raymond James Stadium, also home of the Buccaneers and the USF Bulls, starting next year.

The other seven teams: The Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, LA Wildcats, Seattle Dragons, DC Defenders, New York Guardians and St. Louis Battlehawks. The Vipers will play in the Eastern Conference alongside New York, DC and St. Louis.

This XFL is a reboot of the 2001 concept that got panned for taking inspiration from pro wrestling. The 2020 version is intended to be less rule-intensive than the NFL and less gimmicky than the old XFL.

Photo Credit: XFL


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