During last night's "Last Word" on FSN, Jim Rome hosted
the Deseret News' Scott Pierce and the Las Vegas Review-
Journal's Joe Hawk to discuss whether the XFL "will work" or
"tank." Pierce said the XFL "has a possibility [to work] if
only because the expectations are going to be lower."
Pierce: "They're not going to be looking for NFL-type
ratings, particularly on UPN and on TNN. I think there's
two major questions. Number one, whether the public
actually wants more football. I think there's some flawed
reasoning there. And number two, whether this is the group
to put it together. I think they're going to have some real
credibility problems. ... I'm unconvinced that we need year-
round football." Hawk disagreed: "It's an absolute gold
mine for Las Vegas, and I think it's going to work
throughout the country. ... I definitely think that this is
something that will work. ... I also don't believe that NBC
would agree to a three-year contract with something that
would fail. I think they're putting their weight behind it,
and when you take Vince McMahon's marketing savvy and his
deep pockets, ... I think you've got a winner." Pierce, on
NBC: "I think that this does make some sense for them in
terms of business. Whether it'll go the three years of the
contract [remains to be seen]. ... I would not be surprised
if this works." Hawk: "NBC wants to give this a try. I
think that [viewers] will be willing to give it a shot
because they're going to want to see what it's about." Rome
said McMahon "may be the devil and a totally reprehensible
human being, but don't think for a second that his XFL won't
work, because it will. Like him or not, [he] has the golden
touch" ("Last Word," FSN, 7/18).
NFL FEAR NOT? In Las Vegas, Dean Juipe wrote that
McMahon "is guilty of exaggeration if not outright deception
when it comes to the basic premise behind his league's
existence. Over and over again he has repeated the same
line: 'The NFL has lost touch with its fans.' ... Nothing
could be further from the truth" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/17).
NFL TO REACT? TheMan.com's Randall Lane, on whether the
NFL will allow players to wear cameras/microphones: "They're
eventually going to have to go along with it because it's
been tested, fans like it and the XFL is going to do it, and
people are going to say, 'Why don't I see that in the NFL?'
So ['MNF' Exec Producer Don] Ohlmeyer is saying, 'Why don't
we do it first ... as opposed to look like we're reacting to
the XFL?'" Lane, on the XFL: "Right now, it's more of a
thorn, but it could cause trouble for the NFL because
they've been having ratings trouble and the networks paid so
much money for the broadcasts" ("Bizz Buzz," CNNfn, 7/18).
