Thursday open thread: Will you be watching any football this spring?

The Super Bowl is over, meaning it is officially draft season for NFL fans (though perhaps it has been draft season for a while in Detroit). However, for those interested in consuming some actual football, there will be no shortage of content this NFL offseason, with multiple leagues scheduled to play this year.

The XFL returns this weekend after COVID forced the league into a hiatus shortly after the reboot. Meanwhile, the USFL is back for a second season starting in April. Between the two leagues, there is nearly football games slated to be played almost up until NFL training camps resume.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Will you be watching any football this spring?

My answer: I would love to get into the USFL and XFL, but admittedly it can be tough. For one, the quality of play is obviously limited, and even though there is some novelty and some different gimmicks, it still can be a challenge to view it too seriously. Some football should be better than no football, but it has not always felt that way.

The other challenge is having any sort of allegiance. The Michigan Panthers should help with that—especially with their home games at Ford Field—but it is going to take a while to learn the players and teams and develop both passion and hatred. I suppose that can only happen by giving the leagues a fair shot, though, and perhaps the investment will be worth it.

Your turn.