>>February
      6, 2001

      
The XFL tries to fill NFL void, but proves
      to be XFLop

      
The chess match that is the world
      of professional sports now has another pawn to sacrifice in the
      name of the king. On Saturday, the XFL began its first season
      of play, and as a die-hard football fan, I must say I was less
      than impressed.

      


      I'm not one of those NFL purists who aren't too excited about
      the XFL. Admittedly, I am a little skeptical. But everybody knows
      that the National Football League and the American Football League
      were merged to become what the NFL is today. I don't see that
      happening here, but if nothing else, it's a good way to kill
      the seven months between NFL seasons.

      


      Always one to be open minded, I must say that Saturday's games
      were not bad. There were plays here and there that could legitimately
      make their way to a respectable highlight reel on ESPN. 

      


      Of course, most sports highlight reels these days consist of
      a "not guilty" verdict in a courtroom, but every now
      and then, they do show some actual game footage.

      


      The reason these games weren't all that impressive is that they
      didn't live up to all the hype. 

      


      NBC and the World Wrestling Federation jointly own the XFL. We
      all know what kind of reputation the WWF has for finding men
      who can take several vicious blows to the head and body without
      sustaining any actual injuries. The organization searches the
      best acting schools in America to find these men.

      


      So the XFL has its roots in two semi-violent sports, football
      and wrestling, and has been hyped up to be what the NFL used
      to be. It is meant to recall the days when NFL defenses weren't
      suffocated by so many rules to protect players. It's supposed
      to be meaner, tougher, rawer and more intense.

      


      This is immediately obvious when you look at the eight teams
      that make up the XFL, whose mascots include the Maniax, the Enforcers,
      the Demons, the Outlaws and the Hitmen. (Some of the rejected,
      though equally descriptive mascot suggestions were the Psychotics,
      the Inmates, the Fugitives, the Mob Bosses and the Wrongfully
      Accused.)

      


      The XFL rulebook is basically the same as that of the NFL, with
      a few significant modifications. For example, the XFL prohibits
      fair catches on punts. 

      


      This is one rule I'm excited about. You will not find a more
      punishing hit anywhere in modern sports than the one delivered
      by a 245 lb. runaway train to a scrawny return man trying to
      catch a football. That kind of hit is rare these days, and they're
      the most fun to watch.

      


      A major change in the new league is the way the opening kickoff
      is determined. There will be no non-contact coin toss in the
      XFL. Instead, they have an opening skirmish. 

      


      The football is placed at the middle of the field, two opposing
      players start shoulder to shoulder several yards away, the whistle
      is blown, and whomever gets to the football first wins the skirmish.
      

      


      This is an electrifying way to start, and in the Rage-Enforcers
      game, one of the players dislocated his shoulder and had to be
      carted off the field. Isn't that great? This league is going
      places - the civil courts, perhaps?

      


      All in all, the game wasn't as hard-core as the organization
      had made it out to be. There were a lot of mistakes, but I'm
      willing to chalk those up to opening-day jitters. 

      


      It has potential, and the marketing is certainly in place to
      make it a success. But as I said in the beginning, I predict
      that the XFL will become simply another sacrificial pawn offered
      to protect the king of professional sports, the National Football
      League.
 

      
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