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World Wrestling Federation chairman Vince McMahon speaks to

Source: New York Daily News Archive / Getty

Another day, another sport deeply affected by the coronavirus.

The NFL, NBA, NHL, and the Olympics have all been postponed to some effect. This time, its the newly reignited XFL that is being forced to close its doors and lay off its entire staff because of COVID-19. ESPN’s Field Yates revealed the sad news after getting the information from employees who were on a call with XFL COO Jeffery Pollock.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo added some context to the news, saying that the league’s staff will be paid through Sunday. When the league canceled the remainder of the 2020 season, they released a statement that read, “Currently, the XFL will not be playing its regular-season games. However, all players will be paid their base pay and benefits for the 2020 regular season. All XFL ticket holders will be issued refunds or credit toward future games. The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years.”

The XFL, relaunched by famed WWE CEO Vince McMahon this year– had planned to spend $500 million through the first three seasons on employee salaries to get the league to its full potential, but his hopes came to a screeching halt after five games when a Seattle Dragons player tested positive for the coronavirus.

The original XFL was born back in 2000 and lived only one season. The league was a bit gimmicky and came about during an era in which people weren’t looking for more football. Now, there’s no telling whether the league will find the success it was looking for the first time around given the current state of the world’s health.