They had a title game? When, who played, who cared? It look as if the only thing the whole thing did was show the State of Minnesota that it can do just fine with a part time governor.
Geez…ratings, ratings, ratings. Doesn’t LIVE ATTENDANCE count for anything anymore?? Okay, it apparently does; most newspapers noted that the gate for the championship game was about 10,000 less than for the season opener. Still, that’s a lot better than it could have been, given the overall quality of play.
Yes, I’ll be the first to admit that I was less than impressed…and not just because of the quality of play (that was actually the LEAST of my concerns). First off, the broadcasting was terrible. I do not want wrestling-style hype blasted at me for four hours. I know Pat Summerall’s been raked over the coals for being “boring” and “monotonal” and whatever, but that’s INFINITELY preferable to Jerry Lawler’s hyperbolic noise. And speaking of four hours, another problem; the games are too long! Between the on-the-fly comments, instant replays, extended celebrations, and, yes, penalties (hey, new league, still a bunch of kinks to iron out), it’s a wonder that 2.0% managed to stay awake that long. I also agree that all the funky camera angles are just a distraction. Find something that works and stick with it…that’s what the PROS do.
So the league definitely has problems, and I’m not going to deny that. Nonetheless, I find it incredibly irritating how it’s become de rigeur to endlessly trash the league simply because it isn’t the NFL. It’s as if they want this thing to fail. Give me a friggin’ break. If it lives, it lives. Vince McMahon seems very determined to make that happen. Harp about the time slot all you want, but he did a lot of things more intelligently than the past leagues…for one thing, he’s not staking its future on a doomed-to-fail lawsuit.
Noting the real and perhaps unresolvable problems of a league is one thing; picking it to bits out of pure arrogance is another. So let’s all cool it and see what happens before judging…mmkay?
And one more thing! The ARENA LEAGUE! Ha! 
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by nineiron *
**
[QUOTE]
Where is this media conspiracy to push soccer on the US? How many soccer highlights do you see on ESPN or FOX? How much coverage does it get in most papers? I’m sorry, I just don’t buy your premise.
[rant]
Sorry if I’m going to rant, but, you are completely wrong here. Soccer, by far, recieves the most negative press coverage in the United States by far, most of it completely off-base and without facutal foundation. Concerning print coverage, if i had a nickel every time i read a soccer-bashing article was printed in a major newspaper, i’d be one very rich man. No other sport recieves as much negative commentary as soccer. A few days ago, a story on the front of a Chicago sports page mocked MLS because it uses two-languages in its public service announcement, among other stupid insults hurled at the league. Admittitly, this was not a major newspaper, but the fact is that this is the kind of reception that the men’s soccer league has to recieve. The fact that someone thinks that soccer is getting pushed down the throats but the American press is laughable.
[/rant]
[breate in]
OK, Chris, settle down.
[breathe out]
What I just wanted to say was that for years soccer has recieved negative coverage that has no foundation on any fact whatsoever. I found someone thinking soccer is being pushed down American’s throats as completely surprising.
(And i hate when soccer is referred to as the world’s most popular sport too, it’s such a trite statement now, it’s just used so god’damn much)
Anyway, about that XFL. Uh, sure, they’ll survive, but just not on NBC. They’re expanding…
(Chris now returns to his regular lurking duties)
I have to agree with you,**DKW[/].The commentary was atrocious.I think after about two games they should have just paid Jesse Ventura to stay at home.And I don’t think anybody should make too much fun of the championship game blowout,the Superbowl is a snorer most years.
Sorry about all the bolding,folks.
Slate.com had a brilliant write up of why it’s failing and why it will continue to fail. Can’t find it but basically it said that it was casting asaide all the traditions of football and so was putting off the football fan. And it didn’t have the story lines that draw wrestling fans to wrestling. So VMcM hopes that he could bring both football fans and wrestling fans to the sport and make it popular was hopeless. Instead the XFL plopped down right in the middle of no-mans land between them.
Brother Rat, I don’t quite see how the XFL “cast aside all the traditions of football.” There wasn’t anything ** that ** revolutionary about it: a few minor rule differences, a different pay scale, and other off-the-field differences like the cheerleaders, announcers, etc. In essence, it was still football. To say that the level of play was bad, as some have, is inaccurate. These were not bums off the streets here, folks; these were very talented and accomplished players who didn’t happen to make it to the NFL.
I do wholeheartedly agree with you, though, when you mention how real sports fans don’t cozy up to manufactured story-lines. (I still have trouble that people in the year 2001 still watch wrestling at all…)
Uh, make that last part “I still have trouble BELIEVING…”
I would miss those women in the hot tubs in the zone.
Oh I quite agree, I’m a blatant exaggerator. I’m not quite sure why I do it. Anyway what I should have said was that Slate.com said they had cast aside enough of the traditions of football to isolate the many football fans
Hell, nineiron, there’s people who will never stop believing “professional” wrestlers aren’t really glorified stuntpeople! Then there’s those who know it’s all an act but watch anyway. I’m in the segment that knows it’s all an act and refuses to watch because the whole thing is ridiculous.
It’s a homoerotic soap opera. Nothing more, nothing less.