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Vince McMahon is behind it, but football people involved say the XFL is serious.
By JOHN C. COTEY
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 29, 2001
Mike Keller thinks of himself as a serious football person. He helped start the Seattle Seahawks and the United States Football League's Michigan Panthers, and helped Tex Schramm get the World League of American Football under way.
His biggest challenge, though? Trying to persuade people his latest effort is for real.
The eight-team XFL, the brainchild of World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon, kicks off this week, and still not everyone is convinced. Cynics have expressed reservations about the XFL's effect on football's integrity. Fans wonder if "The Rock" will be throwing passes to "Triple H." And the league is the latest punch line for late night talk-show hosts.
Though the league's connection to the WWF is the biggest reason the XFL is creating a buzz, that connection also is the biggest reason the league is easy for some to dismiss.
"That's a hurdle that we need to overcome," said Keller, the league's vice president of operations and the first employee hired outside the WWF. "I can assure you there will be nothing scripted or questionable in any shape or form."
Seeing, though, is believing. So here are 10 reasons to tune in during Week 1:
1. How can you not?
The commercials are hip. The promise of something different is tantalizing. And curiosity alone should guarantee big ratings.
The XFL will be the rubberneck league until it proves itself to be a football league. Can you keep from looking? After all ...
2. It is football.
But don't take McMahon's word for it. Take the word of serious football coaches: Orlando's Galen Hall (former Gators and World League), Los Angeles' Al Luginbill (former NFL Europe), and Memphis' Kippy Brown (former Dolphins offensive coordinator).
"I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't real," Hall said.
It will take a while before everyone else is as convinced the league is "real." But to its credit, the XFL has brought in football people for the football and the crafty marketing arm of the WWF is staying out of the on-field product.
Once fans are convinced the football is real, will it be good enough to hold their interest?
That brings us to ...
3. The players.
Okay, so there's no Brett Favre, or Marshall Faulk, or anyone close. But keep in mind, Super Bowl XXXIV MVP Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams was an Iowa Barnstormer and Dolphins receiver Oronde Gadsen was a Portland Fire Dragon in the Arena League.
Take Orlando's starting quarterback, Jeff Brohm. A few years ago, some Buccaneers fans were excited about the prospect of Brohm as a starter. And Cleveland signed him for the final game this season after injuries knocked out its other quarterbacks. That's how close Brohm is to being an NFL quarterback.
There are others. Chicago's John Avery was the 29th pick of Miami in the 1998 NFL draft. Memphis' Rashaan Salaam won the Heisman Trophy. Los Angeles' Tommy Maddox was a highly publicized first-round pick who resurrected his career last season in the Arena League, and San Francisco's Dwayne Harper started 128 games in the NFL.
The league may lack depth when it comes to "name" players, but Keller is convinced there are enough NFL salary-cap victims and overlooked college players to staff a second league. But does that mean they can create an exciting product? The players will have lots of help from
4. The rules.
Ever try to get to the fridge to grab a snack, then race back in time to view the extra point?
The XFL will have no extra points via the foot, eliminating football's most routine play. Teams have to run or pass for that point.
Getting rid of the routine is one of the XFL's master plans. No fair catches. No touchbacks on punts. All punts are live after 25 yards. No in the grasp. And one foot needed in bounds for a catch. The innovations might provide an appealing edge. The league might even end up being another success story for
5. Vince McMahon.
Is he a genius or the devil?
After making his mark in "sports entertainment," McMahon is trying to do the same with a legitimate sport, which the XFL is because
6. You can bet on it.
Las Vegas was going to wait a few weeks before setting lines because it had the same fears the cynics do about the league's integrity. But after attending many preseason scrimmages, it has decided to set lines now. The Los Angeles Xtreme is a 5-2 favorite to win it all, and Orlando, the nearest team to the Tampa Bay area, is second at 4-1.
7. Cops, the Pretender or Nash Bridges.
The XFL is picking its spots well, with little competition on Saturday (TV's slowest day of the week) and few competing sporting events Sunday.
The league has the edge over other failed start-up leagues because NBC is a 50-50 partner (more marketing) and will televise a game every week, as will UPN and TNN (which carry the two most popular WWF programs). That's three televised games out of four every week. If the XFL can get two-thirds of the WWF's audience, it will do cartwheels. For the non-football, avid wrestling fan, there's always ...
8. The sideshow.
If the WWF shows are any indication, plenty of things should be going on off the field to keep a fan busy. Most publicized are the cheerleaders, who will play an active role aimed at the coveted 12-24 age demographic.
9. The cameras and microphones.
The coaches will be miked. The players will be miked. The cameras will be in the locker rooms at halftime. Television will take viewers where the NFL refuses to go.
The plan is to bring fans closer to the teams, which, by the way, are
10. Orlando Rage, Los Angeles Xtreme, Memphis Maniax, New York/New Jersey Hitmen, Chicago Enforcers, San Francisco Demons, Birmingham Bolts and the Las Vegas Outlaws.