XFL: ESPN reporter Tiffany Blackmun explains how the XFL gives fans and journalists full access behind the scenes

Houston, Texas (KTRK) – A week after its return, fans and reporters are enjoying the unique access the XFL provides.

The above video is from a previous report.

The XFL is back, and so is the unique scenery it can give football fans. We’re not talking about camera angles, but what TV crews can do.

ESPN reporter Tiffany Blackmon explained, “For me, it was fun being in a place where you wouldn’t normally be allowed to be during a game.”

Blackmon roamed the sidelines at a Houston Roughnecks game on Sunday. In other soccer leagues, it can report what it sees.

In the XFL, she has the ability to walk up to a coach or player and ask them questions during a game. “The most important thing is that we can give fans an immediate answer,” Blackmon explained. “Why did the coach make that play? What was going through the player’s mind when he ran for 50 yards? That’s like the coolest thing about it.”

It’s not just the good, it’s the bad. Reporters ask questions after players make a mistake. “You can get embarrassed, but you’re in, you’re out, and you’re just trying to get the answers that everyone back home is probably trying to find,” Blackmon said.

How are they different from fans? The league also gives access to the replay booth.

“So often we see the connection as one way, and we’re almost certain we’re right,” said Roughnecks fan Debbie Kirchen. “Then, when we get the call, it’s the opposite of what we think. At least the way the XFL does it, we kind of see what they’re looking at, and it’s better to understand what they’re seeing versus what we didn’t see originally.”

A comeback that lasted three years, but was well worth the wait for some fans and crew.

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“We love that, too,” said Roughnecks fan Joey Crispin. “When players have a microphone in their hand. They’re really talking to their coaches about things. I think everyone really likes it.”

“This is a lot different, but in a good way,” Blackmon explained. “Again, I go back to the word ‘arrival.’ It’s so unique and wonderful to be able to sit on the bench, talk to the players, and see their reaction right away from their faces or talk to them about what happened on a certain play.”

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