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It is said that there is no such thing as bad press, and this contention
causes an internal conflict for the writer hereof. To write about the
XFL is to give it free press. However, to let this farce go unexposed
would be an even bigger travesty than that of the XFL itself. In
accordance, a middle of the road approach will be taken. A single
critical piece regarding the Xtreme Football League (XFL) will be done, one
work that will wholly illustrate the inherent ills of the XFL and the
unethical tactics of its promoter and founder Vince McMahon, a man with no
scruples. E.g., McMahon, the promoter and CEO of the World Wrestling
Federation (WWF), once filed a bogus civil suit against New York Post
columnist Phil Mushnick, a fierce critic of his, for the sole purposes of
creating media attention as the lawsuit never made it to the courts or
produced any results other than just making a stir. Either that or
McMahon must have forgotten that the First Amendment swings both ways, but
while McMahon may embody many undesirable traits, stupidity is not one of
them. The idea of
McMahon allying with NBC and Viacom to form a professional football league is
enough to make one's stomach turn, but while watching Nightline's report on
the XFL, it became increasingly hard to hold down dinner. Listening to
grown men say that they would rather tune into WWF's Monday Night Raw, sports
entertainment, instead of NFL's Monday Night Football, bona fide competition,
and then justifying their doing so by pathetically comparing the form of
entertainment that the WWF and the soon-to-be XFL provide men with the
entertainment value of soap operas to women, going as for as to say that the
WWF and the XFL are soap operas for men. How soft have we become...
where men sitting in sports bars are saying a soap opera is what they are
looking for? If they only knew they were the puppets of Linda
McMahon! This business empire, consisting of the WWF, NBC and Viacom
who are responsible for the launching of the XFL, rests on what Chief
Executive Linda McMahon, Vince's wife, refers to as ''a soap opera action
adventure (theme).'' Just yesterday,
the triumvirate was engaged in blatant and transparent news creation.
In an obviously tendentious press release entitled "XFL Signs TV Deal
with the National Network", Diane Robina, general manager of The
National Network (TNN), and Basil V. DeVito, president of the XFL, announced
that TNN will become the exclusive cable home of the XFL. Each of them
exchanged some pleasantries about the arrangement and gave the usual spiel
about how great and revolutionary the new brand of football the XFL will
introduce will be. Big deal! TNN is one of the channels owned by
the cable giant Viacom. It is no news that one of Viacom's channels was
going to broadcast XFL games. They have kept everything in-house.
Yet, they present it as such just to get a little media attention. NBC
and Viacom each own about $30 million in WWF stock. These three are
attached at the hip. TNN "acquiring" the rights to be the
XFL's "cable home" is not in the remotest of degrees to be compared
to ESPN's contract with the NFL or FOX's, CBS's or ABC's for that
matter. ESPN, ABC, CBS and FOX have contracts that expire every so
often at which time the bidding begins. The NFL and the networks that
broadcast NFL games are independent entities very unlike the "keep it in
the family" relationship between the XFL, NBC and Viacom, which bares a striking
resemblance to a mini-monopoly and reeks of unethical dealings. By the
way, the XFL owns all of its teams. There are no independently owned
franchises like in the NFL. Now, how about
that revolutionary and innovative brand of football the XFL will be manufacturing?
Vince McMahon, a nobody in football, thinks he can devise a better football
league, one much better than the "over-regulated, antiseptic NFL"
that the Las Vegas Review-Journal contends will be 'the next Darwinian step
in the evolution of pro football, hard-hitting, with no sissy rules to
protect kick returners and dangerous, with a no in-the-grasp rule to protect
prissy quarterbacks. Since day one, McMahon, again a nobody in
football, has disparaged the NFL and its style of football, which has been
time-tested for over eight decades. Yet, XFL
promoters are constantly seeking the approval of NFL's elite, always pointing
out when an NFL great, such a John Madden, gives the XFL a little
credit. For the record, Madden, in essence, said that the XFL will
succeed due to McMahon's business savvy and the large WWF following he will
bring to the XFL. The XFL writer, like a rat scrambling on the ground
for crumbs, concludes his little article with "You see? Even the NFL
legends know that the XFL will succeed!!" Anyway, let's
take a look at some of the unique and allegedly innovative XFL rules.
As implied above, there will be no fair catches on punts, and punts, after
traveling a certain distance, will be live balls. Also, there will be
no rules that give extra protection to quarterbacks, such as the "in the
grasp" rule. Gee, that's safe! Was it ever considered that
these rules were part of an 80+-year evolution? Also, in the XFL,
players, coaches, locker rooms, and huddles will be miked, and cameras will
be placed in locker rooms, sidelines and in helmets of selected
players. And the XFL prides itself on being more "honest,
straightforward and real," more "visceral and raw" than the
NFL! Come on! How real are those canned, "safe for NBC"
conversations going to be? You cannot have it both ways. Either
it is a "soap opera" or it is the "real deal." Just
to give you some insight into the mindset of our new football innovator, take
a look at what McMahon says here: "We have great respect for the game
of football. But at same time I recognize there is nothing in sport
that is sacred. Therefore, if nothing in sport is sacred, then why
can't you have some fun with it? Why can't you present it in a more
reality based way? Why can't you show true emotion the players have
playing this game?" "True emotion" in football...
without expletives? There is nothing sacred in football?!?! This
guy and his new league are all gimmick... trust me! But, McMahon is
famous for talking out of both sides of his mouth. In one breath,
regarding his sports-entertainment enterprises, he says that "You really
can bring the family to this event." Then, in the next, he says,
"Yes, they (the cheerleaders) will be hot babes. ... We're
going to have three or four of them surround our announcers -- who'll be
sitting in the stands, by the way. ... Then, when the quarterback
fumbles or the wideout drops a pass -- and we know who he's dating -- I want
our reporters right back in her face on the sidelines demanding to know
whether the two of them did the wild thing last night." Oh, yea,
and by the way, "wild thing" is supposed to mean mixing pop rocks
with cola. That is the way he tries to slither out of scrutiny.
Yea, and my name is Leroy Leathernuts. ; ) At any rate, sounds like a
real family event that I want to take my wife and kids to. But all the
self-generated media hype aside, like the controversy of the hiring of Jesse
Venture to be an announcer, there are some very serious negative consequences
to pay if the XFL is to become the league of the future, which XFL officials
would say is implied in the movie "The 6th Day" which used XFL
memorabilia and XFL-style play. Another cheesy ploy for
attention. Some of these costs are not being contemplated by the genuine
football fan, whose senses are currently lulled by yet another awesome NFL
season. For one, though
the XFL is not attempting to dip into the NFL pool of players, offering
modest $45,000 contracts, another way they are insidiously giving the
appearance that they empathize with football fans, the XFL has already begun
diluting the pool of players and coaches in the CFL, the Arena League and
NFL-Europe. It is from these three leagues that they are getting the
bulk of their players and coaches. However, the CFL, the Arena League
and NFL-Europe, these legitimate leagues, have provided the NFL with valid
"minor" leagues. It is very possible that the addition of the
XFL will come at the eventual expense of one or more of these leagues.
Probably, NFL-Europe, as many of the players I am sure would rather remain in
the States and play, which is a shame as NFL-Europe is just starting to
become a great tool for gaining international exposure for "real"
American football. The second potential,
negative residual effect of a successful XFL is on the futures of football
betting and handicapping and the increasingly popular hobby of fantasy
football. Can you really see being able to bet on or run a
"real" fantasy football league with games played in Vince McMahon's
XFL? These two institutions, one which has been around since the
beginning of sports, the other gaining more steam with its appeal to the
contemporary fan, would be ruined by the XFL modus operandi. But, I
guess that's okay. Us guys don't need gambling or rotisserie sports to
enjoy the games. What we need is a soap opera to keep our attention! One final example
of XFL cheese, they are listed in the "individual fantasy football
league" directory at Yahoo! along with the likes of the "Bumbling
Idiots Fantasy Football League" and my very own "George Blanda Rotisserie Football League."
Listen, this guy may have tainted the integrity of wrestling, but don't let
him do it to football. ... ... Oh, and
as far as the NFL not being exciting. I just got done watching Vikings
WR Cris Carter catch his 1,000th career reception... a touchdown. |
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Copyright © 1999 by GBRFL. All rights reserved.
Revised: 08 Oct 2014 11:56:19 -0700