XFL Debuts in Vegas Before Sellout Crowd

L A S  V E G A S, Feb. 4, 2001 -- Moments before the XFL's first red-and-black

football was kicked into the desert night, Vince McMahon stood

alone at the 50-yard line of Sam Boyd Stadium. Deafening cheers

poured down from the packed stands.

"We welcome you to our game!" McMahon shouted. "Thank you forthe privilege of competing before you tonight!"

Both sport and entertainment, both circus and sideshow, the XFLmuscled its way onto the national sports scene with its first twogames Saturday night.

With well-endowed cheerleaders and trash-talking players sharingcenter stage, the Las Vegas Outlaws trounced the New York/NewJersey Hitmen 19-0, while the Orlando Rage beat the ChicagoEnforcers 33-29 in Florida.

Though the slow, choppy and one-sided game in Las Vegas — whichincluded a scoreless second half — left much to be desired, theXFL's scores and highlights might be secondary in the spectacle ofMcMahon's creation.

Only the impresario of the Stamford, Conn.-based World WrestlingFederation would have the audacity to script something like thisupstart league, which unveiled its unique combination ofold-fashioned football, technological innovations and a heavy doseof marketing savvy.

"This is the culmination of a lot of dreams and a lot of hardwork for everybody out here," McMahon said. "This is all aboutfootball, pure and plain and simple."Vince and Football: Perfect Together?

Actually, it was anything but. From the on-field cameramen tothe ubiquitous wrestler-politician in the NBC broadcast booth, theXFL looked like the furthest thing from simple football to the30,389 fans who watched the league's first game.

"People are here to see what this is all about," said DickButkus, the Hall of Fame linebacker who's now the XFL's director ofcompetition. "They know what Vince can do, and they like thecombination of Vince and football."

The XFL already has made a splash in Las Vegas, a town wheregarish spectacles are routinely and unabashedly embraced as qualityentertainment.

The parking lots began to fill with RVs and tailgaters fivehours before kickoff. By game time, there was a buzz in thestadium, where merchandise shops nearly outnumbered food stands.Ticket scalpers lined the road to the game, which was sold out onFriday.

"We're the first tailgaters in XFL history — or at least we'repretty close," said Don Bracia, 41, who made sandwiches on theopen tailgate of his truck. "This is a great time of year forfootball. Nobody ever gets tired of football, and Vince knowsthat."

Two hours before kickoff, McMahon and NBC Sports chairman DickEbersol were still fine-tuning their creation. McMahon joggedthrough the stands carrying a yellow legal pad and wearing readingglasses, while Ebersol traded notes and cigars with Minnesota Gov.Jesse Ventura, who's providing color commentary on weeklytelecasts.

"I have so much respect for the players out here," Venturasaid. "They're doing this just for the love of football. I justknow this league is going to grow into something special."Oh Yeah, There Was a Game Too

After a fireworks display, the Outlaws ran a reverse on theopening kickoff. The play was shown on a strikingly clear1,000-square-foot video board looming over the north end zone. Thefirst points came on a 23-yard field goal by Outlaws kicker PaulMcCallum, who makes $1,000 per game less than his teammates in theXFL's pay scale.

But the game dragged in the second half, when the teams tradedpunts and turnovers in a game that didn't offer nearly as muchdistraction as the cheerleaders in hot pants and push-up bustiers.

"It's a work in progress, but I promise you, it's going to begreat," McMahon said.