The Markcast®

We went LIVE to react to CFL week 1 on Monday, June 12 at 9am PST.

Join me, Hussey’s Huddle, and special guest Evan Willsmore as we take your comments and calls LIVE and react to the 1st week of CFL 2023 games, CFL week 1 as a whole, as well as the things the CFL is doing well, and things the CFL can work on in the future.

Week 1 CFL games include the CFL BC Lions at the CFL Calgary Stampeders, the CFL Hamilton TiCats at the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the CFL Ottawa REDBLACKS at the CFL Montreal Alouettes, and the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders at the CFL Edmonton Elks.

Now that XFL 2023's inaugural season is wrapped, it's time to look ahead to XFL 2024 and season 2. What lessons should XFL 3.0 management and ownership learn from their successful first season and what needs to be done before XFL 3.0 takes the field in 2024? What sorts of local fan events NEED to take place and how can and SHOULD XFL 2024 embrace its fans?

Join us LIVE ahead of the CFL 2023 kickoff as we preview BC Lions at Calgary Stampeders as well as ALL the rest of the CFL 2023 Week 1 games!

Hussey's Huddle and I will be going LIVE with a huge slate of special guests to chat everything CFL 2023 ahead of the big BC Lions kickoff at Calgary Stampeders.

CFL 2023 Week 1 games include the CFL BC Lions at the CFL Calgary Stampeders, the CFL Hamilton Ticats at the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the CFL Ottawa REDBLACKS at the CFL Montreal Alouettes, and the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders at the CFL Edmonton Elks.

0:00 Show Intro with Jason Hussey
10:15 Darrell Davis Interview
43:00 Sarah Said Interview
54:15 Dan Ralph Interview
1:02:20 Farhan Lalji Interview
1:15:00 Dave Naylor Interview
1:32:20 Marty York Interview
1:46:15 Andrew Murray Interview

We went LIVE to react to USFL week 8 on Monday, June 5 at 9am PST.

Join me and Pat Rifino as we take your comments and calls LIVE and react to the 8th week of USFL 2023 games, USFL week 8 as a whole, as well as the things the USFL is doing well, and things the USFL can work on in the future.

Week 8 USFL games include the USFL Houston Gamblers at the USFL Pittsburgh Maulers, the USFL Philadelphia Stars at the USFL Birmingham Stallions, the USFL Memphis Showboats at the USFL New Jersey Generals, and the USFL Michigan Panthers at the USFL New Orleans Breakers.

The XFL is “Downsizing” and laying off executives in the league’s marketing department as well as sales staff across its teams. Is this something XFL and spring league football fans should be fearful of, or does this represent XFL management and ownership realizing their year one shortcomings and making immediate changes? We bring in “The Professor” Andrew Murray to discuss! We also preview the upcoming XFL Rookie Draft and subsequent Fall drafts that were announced via the recent Inside the League’s agent Zoom call.

Evan Willsmore joins us to share his “watch list” of XFL standouts who still deserve a shot in the NFL and we talk USFL week 8 with RunTheSim’s Furby. Finally, we deep dive 3 teams for the upcoming CFL 2023 season as we talk to Postmedia’s J.J. Adams about the BC Lions, Mike Hogan of the Toronto Argonauts, and the Hamilton Spectator’s Steve Milton about the Hamilton TiCats.

0:00 The Markcast Episode Promo
2:45 Show Intro 5:23 XFL Makes Widespread League Cuts, Guts League Marketing
41:45 XFL Rookie Draft / Supplemental Drafts Preview
59:39 XFL to NFL Player “Watch List”, Who Should Still Be Signed?
1:45:24 RunTheSims’ Furby USFL Week 8 Preview
2:06:13 Postmedia’s J.J. Adams Previews 2023 BC Lions
2:27:27 Toronto Argonauts’ Mike Hogan Previews 2023 Argos
2:46:20 Hamilton Spectator’s Steve Milton Previews 2023 Ticats
3:04:26 Show Outro

We went LIVE to react to USFL week 7 on Tuesday, May 30 at 9am PST.

Join me and Pat Rifino as we take your comments and calls LIVE and react to the 7th week of USFL 2023 games, USFL week 7 as a whole, as well as the things the USFL is doing well, and things the USFL can work on in the future.

Week 7 USFL games included the USFL Birmingham Stallions at the USFL New Orleans Breakers, the USFL Philadelphia Stars at the USFL Pittsburg Maulers, the USFL Houston Gamblers at the USFL Memphis Showboats, and the USFL Michigan Panthers at the USFL New Jersey Generals.

Does the CFL Want XFL + USFL to Fail? Is XFL 2023 a TV Ratings Success? Why Is the CFL Giving Away Its Games for Free? Lots of LOADED questions on this week’s show as we have our newest creation, not “Wonka Vision” but “Alt-Football Vision”.

XFL Board’s Greg Parks stops by to recap the XFL 2023’s TV ratings performance, talk USFL week 6 TV ratings, and pontificate on whether or not XFL 2023 is a tv ratings “success”. New “friend” of the program John Hodge joins us from 3DownNation to discuss the current health of the CFL, why the CFL is streaming over half of its games in America and the rest of the world for free in 2023, and how current CFL coaches and staff views American spring leagues like the XFL and the USFL. Does the CFL want the XFL and USFL to fail?

Then we preview the CFL 2023 Calgary Stampeders with Ryan Ballantine, sit down with Edmonton Elks’ QB Tre Ford, and preview USFL week 7 with Eric Eager of Sumer Sports and Josh Shepardson of Fantasy Pros.

0:00 The Markcast Episode Promo
3:26 Show Intro
6:57 XFL Board’s Greg Parks Interview, Was XFL 2023 a TV Ratings Success?
40:50 3DownNation’s John Hodge, CFL+, CFL Health, Does CFL Want XFL + USFL to Fail?
1:23:46 3DownNation’s Ryan Ballantine Interview, CFL Calgary Stampeders 2023 Preview
1:47:59 Edmonton Elks’ QB Tre Ford Interview
2:01:41 Sumer Sports’ Eric Eager USFL Week 7 Preview
2:23:49 Fantasy Pros’ Josh Shepardson USFL Week 7 Preview
2:54:06 Show Outro

We went LIVE to react to USFL week 6 on Monday, May 22 at 10am PST.

Join me and Pat Rifino as we take your comments and calls LIVE and react to the 6th week of USFL 2023 games, USFL week 6 as a whole, as well as the things the USFL is doing well, and things the USFL can work on in the future.

Week 6 USFL games included the USFL Pittsburg Maulers at the USFL Memphis Showboats, the USFL Birmingham Stallions at the USFL Michigan Panthers, the USFL New Orleans Breakers at the USFL Philadelphia Stars, and the USFL New Jersey Generals at the USFL Houston Gamblers.

The XFL 2023 season is officially complete, and we have a FULL season review and breakdown covering all of the angles from XFL 2023. XFL insider Mike Mitchell returns to give his analysis on the XFL 2023 season as a whole and to provide insights on the XFL off-season and newly announced XFL Rookie Draft. Bill Shea of The Athletic breaks down the XFL 2023 TV Ratings and Revenue Compared to the USFL, Cole Cubelic talks about the ESPN broadcast and their feelings following the season and Coach Jonathan Himebauch with the XFL 2023 Champions the Arlington Renegades recaps his time in the XFL this season, how his time differs from the USFL and which league’s timeline he believes is better to get players to the NFL. Jim Mullin, president of Football Canada gives a CFL perspective on the XFL 2023 season, he also previews the upcoming CFL 2023 season. We catch up with former CFL Grey Cup champion and USFL Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and talk with XFL St. Louis Battlehawks’ Tré Watson about his recently announced fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis.

0:00 The Markcast Episode Promo 5:12 Show Intro
7:50 XFL “Insider” Mike Mitchell Reviews XFL 2023 Season, Previews XFL 2023 Off-Season
1:02:19 The Athletic’s Bill Shea Recaps XFL 2023 TV Ratings, XFL Championship Game Ratings
1:33:55 ESPN’s Cole Cubelic Recaps XFL 2023 Championship Game, Talks XFL & ESPN
1:59:33 XFL Renegades’ Jonathan Himebauch Recaps Renegades Win, Talks XFL vs. USFL
2:22:16 Football Canada President Jim Mullin Talks XFL 2023 vs. USFL 2023, CFL BC Lions’
2:49:44 USFL Breakers’ McLeod Bethel-Thompson Quarterback Interview
3:09:26 XFL St. Louis Battlehawks; Tré Watson Talks Charity Fundraising, XFL 2023 Experience
3:23:23 Show Outro

Tré Watson’s GoFundMe - https://go.charityauctionstoday.com/bid/2121

The XFL has officially crowned its newest champion with the XFL Arlington Renegades beating the XFL D.C. Defenders with a final score of Renegades 35, Defenders 26. So what did we learn from the XFL 2023 Championship Game and XFL 2023 Championship weekend?