Vince McMahon sold $100 million worth of WWE shares in order to fund a new business venture, which could include a new professional football league.
This isn't McMahon's first foray into pro football, launching the ill-fated XFL in 2001 - which ceased operations after its lone season.
McMahon is a savvy businessman and isn't likely to make the same mistakes again.
Here are four things McMahon's new venture needs to do to become successful:
Embrace the progressive nature of player politics
This year, it became readily apparent that the NFL's tacit and blatant endorsement of conservatism has rubbed many players and viewers the wrong way. President Donald Trump waged war on the NFL, imploring owners to "fire" players who protested racial inequality and police brutality during the national anthem, a request that was met with backlash. The NFL also turned into a punchline for - in essence - blacklisting Colin Kaepernick when a host of inferior options found jobs.
This is where a new venture could gain some foothold.
Asking a McMahon-led venture to celebrate and promote a progressive sociopolitical stance could be seen as an absurd notion, considering the WWE CEO has donated to several Republican candidates throughout his life, including giving $5 million to the Donald J. Trump Foundation. Furthermore, Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame, being elected into the "Celebrity Wing" in 2013.
However, the old wrestling adage is "never say never," so it may be worth it for McMahon to forsake his own political stance in order to gain new business.
Allow props in celebrations
The NFL reinstalled celebrations ahead of the 2017 season, breathing some much-needed charisma and character back into the game. However, the league still barred props, and referees are careful that players toe the line between harmless fun and obscenity.
This is where McMahon's expertise could pay dividends, as the WWE has used props in various ways throughout its history. Few people know how to sell sports as an entertainment venture as well as McMahon, and giving players full creative control could wrest viewers away from the "No Fun League."
Make content easily accessible and invest in streaming
Finding new ways to access content has been a challenge for the NFL, so McMahon's new league ought to embrace the power of streaming. The NFL briefly tried to stream games through Twitter to no avail, but it's a partnership a new venture should look into, along with making their content available through third-party sources. Geoblocking content makes it harder for the game to grow, and McMahon's league should take full advantage of an unrestricted internet.
It's another area McMahon has expereince, as he launched the WWE Network - a subscription-based video streaming service that's also available online - early in 2014.
Viewers are on their phones more than ever, and making games available via third-party sites, a league app, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat would be a huge development. It's time to look toward the future.
Clearly define rules for catches, illegal contact, touchbacks
Not even the most invested football fan can clearly define what constitutes a catch, let alone a large cohort of confounded referees. Players and fans alike are growing increasingly outraged as potential touchdowns get negated seemingly on a whim. This is where McMahon should hit the ground running.
It would be in the league's best interest to clearly stipulate the rules, and make it as easy as possible for offensive players to gain catches, while having clear rules for what constitutes illegal contact. It may be worth abolishing the touchback rule while fumbling through the end zone, a notion that many are warming up to this year.
