Maul Ball!

Football Digest, March, 2001 by Chuck Miller

The XFL's take-no-prisoners brand of football is about to be turned loose. Will the renegade league be a hit?

WHEN VINCE McMAHON HELD a press conference last July to introduce his new professional football league, many people in the sports industry treated the announcement with equal parts disbelief, scorn, and ridicule. Because of McMahon's position as the head of the World Wrestling Federation, it automatically was assumed that his league would be a football version of wrestling, complete with chair shots in the huddle.

But as the XFL gets ready to kick off its inaugural 10-game season, McMahon has surprised some of the critics. With a smattering of recognizable players and coaches, a national TV contract, innovative rules changes, and a high-energy marketing plan, the XFL has a chance to be the first alternative American pro league to prosper since the Arena Football League debuted in the '80s.

The XFL's road to success will not be an easy one, though. In the past 50 years, various football leagues have been created, offering some sort of alternative to the NFL. Some leagues died in a sea of red ink (the World Football League in the 1970s), others collapsed from fan-wide indifference (the USFL in the 1980s), and some never even made it out of the gate (the Professional Spring Football League in the 1990s). But there have been exceptions, notably the Arena League, which is about to begin its 15th season.

The XFL's plan is to provide football fans with a post-Super Bowl option. McMahon thinks the pro football frenzy reaches an all-time high with the Super Bowl in late January, but fans are then abruptly cut off and left hanging for the next several months. Enter the eight-team XFL, which starts immediately after the Super Bowl, giving fans a way to continue to get their football jones.

The key to the XFL is McMahon's partnership with Dick Ebersol, the head of NBC Sports, which owns half of the league and will televise the games. This connection gives the XFL both credibility and the type of exposure that could enable it to survive.

"McMahon is the founder of the XFL," says XFL spokesperson Jeff Shapes, "and I don't think it's a stretch that he's the top marketing mind in the country. Nobody would question Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC sports, in terms of what he brings to the table in the broadcasting perspective. So between those two individuals and their organizations--and all the exciting rule changes and what will actually take place in the stadium in terms of sound, pyrotechnics, fireworks shows, and the great cheerleaders--the whole package is going to be an exciting game of football."

The rules changes are aimed at amplifying the action on the field. For instance, teams can't kick a point after on a touchdown; they only can earn one from a running or a passing play. There also are no fair catches allowed, and a player is allowed to have only one foot inbounds when making a sideline catch, similar to the college rule.

As far as salaries are concerned, players have to earn their money, or at least some of it. They receive a $45,000 salary (kickers get a little less, quarterbacks a little more) and can earn a $2,500 bonus for each victory and a $25,000 bonus for winning the championship.

But the XFL's network television contract is what truly sets it apart from other startup leagues, whose TV options have been limited. Its contract with NBC guarantees it a plumb Saturday night time slot, something that could make all the difference. And for those fans who are used to watching football on Sunday, two other networks will pick up XFL broadcasts; UPN network will air a Sunday night game, while the cable channel TNN will have a Sunday afternoon contest.

With so many games being televised, viewers will have a chance to learn about and identify with the teams and the players, many of whom are unknown to the public. Rather than attempt to raid the NFL for established talent, as the USFL and World Football League did, the XFL has built its team rosters from the ground up.

"No player who is under contract to any other team or league can play in the XFL," says Shapes. "Anybody who was drafted by the XFL has already been found to be eligible to play by the league, and none of them are under contract to play anywhere else. We had a player pool that exists from over 1,500 names. While they may be former NFL or CFL players, they're currently free agents that can play in the XFL."

And you just may recognize a few of the XFL's players, including former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Casey Weldon (Birmingham Bolts), former Indiana University running back Vaughn Dunbar (San Francisco Demons), and former Kansas City Chiefs running back Rashaan Shehee (Los Angeles Xtreme).

In an attempt to produce the best brand of football possible, the XFL has hired an array of experienced coaches and front-office personnel. Legendary Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson is the general manager of the New York/New Jersey Hitmen, while Chicago Bears linebacking great Dick Butkus heads the XFL's competition committee.