In the current issue of ESPN MAGAZINE on newsstands
today, Curry Kirkpatrick profiles Vince McMahon and the new
XFL. McMahon, on why he started the XFL: "[The NFL] became
homogenized, predictable, dull. [Commissioner] Paul
Tagliabue is the ultimate suit. He and the rest of his
control freaks are so in the thrall of corporate America,
they don't have the guts to show the true feel and passion
of the game. Uniform police. No end zone dances. 'In the
grasp.' Ridiculous! That last rule isn't to promote
safety, it's to protect an investment. Quarterbacks become
pantywaists. The XFL will go back to the days of 'Kill the
QB!' Smash 'em up and reserve-list their butt."
Kirkpatrick: "Big surprise: Paul Tagliabue declined to
comment." Kirkpatrick adds that "what's causing the most
buzz is that the league encourages players in this brave
nude world to date cheerleaders," and wonders "what
wonderfully pornoriffic scenarios await the panting,
pubescent 12-to-14 target audience?" McMahon, on some NFL
teams' rules prohibiting players from dating cheerleaders:
"It's un-American. Yes, our cheerleaders will date our
players. Yes, they'll be hot babes. The audience is going
to get to know the girls on a first-name basis. We're going
to have three or four of them surround our announcers --
who'll be sitting in the stands, by the way. That'll be a
great shot. Then, when the quarterback fumbles or the
wideout drops a pass -- and we know who he's dating -- I
want our reporters right back in her face on the sidelines
demanding to know whether the two of them did the wild thing
last night." Meanwhile, NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol
acknowledged that the league's controversial TV spots
promoting its cheerleaders (see THE DAILY, 11/6) were "over
the top," but he said, "We didn't get one single complaint.
Maybe society is more hip than I thought." More McMahon:
"Everything we do will be for the fan. It's an all-access,
VIP ticket. Cameras will be everywhere, and everyone will
be miked." McMahon was asked what he would do if the NFL
"raises a powerful fist to the XFL." McMahon: "If the NFL
wants some, I'll be bursting into Tagliabue's office so
fast, he won't know what hit him. And there'll be a camera
crew right behind me. As you may know, I love confrontation
-- televised" (ESPN MAGAZINE, 11/15). USA TODAY's Rudy
Martzke writes that the football "appears" as if it will be
a "sideshow to the format with which McMahon has previously
found success -- pro wrestling-type hysteria and plenty of
scantily clad women." NBC "should drop a penalty flag on
the peep-show intentions of McMahon" (USA TODAY, 11/15).
WHAT THE LEAGUE NEEDS: In a sidebar, ESPN MAGAZINE's
Peter Keating reports that analysts said that the XFL "must
average a 4.5 TV rating" on NBC for Saturday nights "if it's
to meet its goal of breaking even by '03, when NBC's
commitment runs out" (ESPN MAGAZINE, 11/15)....In Toronto,
Stephen Brunt writes that whether Las Vegas casinos posts a
betting line on games is "vital to the XFL's future."
Brunt: "A short survey of those establishments suggest that
isn't going to happen right away" (GLOBE & MAIL, 11/15).
