Where Did XFL Go Wrong?
Feb. 28 -- If the NFL were a limo, the XFL sees itself as a rusting Camaro that squeals around the corners yet is loads more fun to drive. But after four weeks, the upstart league appears headed for a breakdown.
The XFL, a $100 million joint venture between the World Wrestling Federation and NBC, billed itself as the anti-NFL — a working man's football league with hard hits, hard-bodied cheerleaders and hard-working players earning salaries of $35,000 to $50,000 plus bonuses for winning games.
The ratings, however, have continued to drop after a strong debut, and already one advertiser has bailed while others, like Burger King, are taking a wait-and-see approach.
But league spokesman Jeff Shapes defended the effort: "We're a new venture, and I think people shouldn't be judgmental after a few weeks."
Titillating Tomfoolery
Dick Ebersol, chairman of sports at NBC, in the past described the new league as "a good fun time on a Saturday night, a chance for viewers to see a splendid football game with a good deal of tomfoolery around the edges."
Some of that "tomfoolery" has included women frolicking in a hot tub behind the end zone in Los Angeles, players sporting nicknames on their jerseys like "Big Daddy" and "He Hate Me," and enough scantily clad cheerleaders to assure television won't lose its jiggle just because Baywatch is going off the air.
WWF star The Rock christened the league by threatening to throw the XFL's critics off the Golden Gate Bridge prior to the opening game, and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is moonlighting as a color commentator on XFL telecasts. XFL play has been billed as "smashmouth" football, with no "fair catch" on punt returns and a race to the pigskin to see who receives the opening kickoff.
And yet, despite this mix of sex, violence and controversial personalities, the ratings continue to plunge. After achieving ratings of 10.3 for the league's inaugural game featuring the Las Vegas Outlaws and New York/New Jersey Hitmen, the XFL has seen its viewership base drop drastically. The upstart league's ratings in Week 2 fell to 5.1, followed by a 3.8.
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