X Marks the Spot

A year ago to the day, on Feb. 3, 2000, Dick Ebersol, the chairman of NBC Sports, was sitting in his office at New York’s Rockefeller Plaza when he was told he should come and see the news conference being piped into NBC.

Vince McMahon, the head of the World Wrestling Federation, was nearby at the WWF’s entertainment complex in Times Square announcing plans for the creation of a new football league to be called the XFL.

Ebersol was fascinated.

After the news conference, Ebersol called McMahon on his cell phone.

“Don’t talk to anyone about a TV deal until you talk to me,” Ebersol said.

On March 29, NBC and the WWF announced a rare joint venture in which a major television network and a sports league would become business partners.

The two entities would put up $100 million in start-up money. Suddenly, the XFL wasn’t just a crazy pipe dream by an eccentric wrestling promoter.

This was not the first time Ebersol got in on the ground floor of something skeptics predicted would fail. Nor was it the first time he became involved in a venture with McMahon.

In 1975, Ebersol brought in Lorne Michaels as a partner, and, together, they created “Saturday Night Live” despite so many saying it was a show that would never work. Twenty-six years later, it’s now on the air two nights a week.

Ten years after “Saturday Night Live,” Ebersol and McMahon brought wrestling to NBC as programming to follow the late-night show. The wrestling show was called “Saturday Night Main Event,” and it had a successful six-year run.

One thing that intrigued Ebersol about the XFL was that it was being presented as anti-NFL. He was no fan of the NFL. A couple of years earlier, Ebersol felt he had to pass on renewing his network’s deal for the NFL’s AFC package because of exorbitant rights fees.

McMahon got Ebersol’s attention when he began referring to the XFL as the “Extreme Fun League,” a takeoff on the NFL being called the “No Fun League” by critics.

McMahon also began calling his new league the “No Felons League,” a reference to the many legal problems NFL players have had in recent years.

The WWF and NBC now had a league. Teams were the next order of business.

The Chicago Enforcers became the first team on June 13.

On July 12, the Los Angeles Xtreme became the fifth of what would become eight XFL teams, and it was announced the Xtreme would play home games at the Coliseum.

So pro football was returning to Los Angeles and the Coliseum.

So what is the XFL? And is it real football?

McMahon describes it as “a reality TV show with a football game as a backdrop.”

Ebersol describes it as “a good fun time on a Saturday night, a chance for viewers to see a splendid football game with a good deal of tomfoolery around the edges.”

NBC’s first XFL game will be tonight at 5 from Las Vegas, where the Outlaws play host to the New York/New Jersey Hitmen.

The television coverage promises to be revolutionary. Viewers will see football as they’ve never seen it.

“We’re going to take you places the NFL is afraid to take you,” McMahon said. “The XFL isn’t afraid of anything.”

Cameras and microphones will be everywhere--on the field and sometimes even in the huddles. On-field cameramen will wear helmets for protection.

A SkyCam camera will hang suspended on wires over the field, with movements controlled by computer, and there will be cameras and microphones in the locker rooms at halftime and after the game. Players and coaches will wear microphones and will be interviewed during games.

NBC’s game announcers are Matt Vasgersian and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. Sideline reporters Fred Roggin of KNBC and Mike Adamle also will have prominent roles.

They’re allowed--or rather expected--to go out on the field to interview players as they come out of the game. If a receiver drops a pass, he’ll immediately be asked why.

“If I come out of Saturday’s game without being trampled or punched, I’ll consider it a good outing,” Roggin said.

The reporters also can interview the coaches at any time.

Xtreme Coach Al Luginbill said, “My only requirement is that I be given room to talk to my players and coaches.”

Asked how he felt about such close scrutiny, Luginbill said, “Well, I’m certainly not going to change the way I’ve always done things. It’s going to be very interesting.”

The cheerleaders have received much attention--positive and negative--since the airing of a racy commercial in which they were shown in the shower area of a locker room. They too will be interviewed during games.

“The audience is going to get to know the girls on a first-name basis,” McMahon told ESPN The Magazine. “Then when the quarterback fumbles or the [receiver] drops the ball--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.”

Dating between cheerleaders and players in the NFL is discouraged, but not in the XFL.

McMahon later said his “wild thing” comment was blown out of proportion.

“It was just a line,” he said.

But critics of the XFL say it is all about promoting sex and violence.

J.K. McKay, general manager of the Xtreme, says that is ridiculous.

“Violence, sure. Football is a violent game,” he said. “And, yes, we have cheerleaders, but so do the Raiders. What are people expecting, that our cheerleaders are going to take off their clothes on the sideline?”

That might appeal to the young male audience NBC is trying to attract, but it’s not going to happen. McMahon and NBC know sponsors require a degree of sophistication.

About 70% of the commercial slots have been sold, and among the sponsors are the Army, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T; and Burger King.

Besides NBC’s Saturday coverage, there will be Sunday games on UPN (Channel 13 in Los Angeles) and the National Network (TNN), formerly the Nashville Network. The UPN announcers are Chris Marlowe and Brian Bosworth, with Michael Barkann and Chris Wagge working the sidelines. The TNN team consists of Craig Minervini and Bob Golic, along with reporters Kip Lewis and Lee Reherman.

Radio station KLSX-FM (97.1) will broadcast the Xtreme games, with Geoff Nathanson, Craig Fertig and Super Dave Osborne announcing.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE X(FL)-FACTOR

Facts on the XFL and its Los Angeles franchise, the Xtreme.

THE LEAGUE

THE NAME

* The league has been referred to as the Xtreme Football League but that’s not the case. The letters X-F-L do not stand for anything. The XFL’s only connection to the WWF, which stands for World Wrestling Federation, is that both were founded by Vince McMahon.

CONFERENCES

WESTERN

Los Angeles Xtreme

San Francisco Demons

Las Vegas Outlaws

Memphis Maniax

*

EASTERN

Birmingham Thunderbolts

Chicago Enforcers

New York/New Jersey Hitmen

Orlando Rage

RULES

The biggest rule differences between the XFL and NFL:

* No fair catch. Punt returners will have a five-yard, no-tackle “halo” until the ball is caught, and members of the kicking team will not be able to leave the line of scrimmage until the ball is in the air. Any punt traveling more than 25 yards past the line of scrimmage is a live ball and can be recovered by either team.

* No point-after kick. Scoring teams will have one down to run or pass the ball into the end zone from the opponent’s two-yard line. The clock will run during the play, and intercepted or fumbled balls can be run back by the defender for a one-point score of their own.

* A receiver or defender needs only one foot in bounds to make a catch.

* There is no in-the-grasp rule to protect quarterbacks, but a quarterback who slides can’t be hit, and head slaps are illegal.

* The play clock is shortened to 35 seconds after the previous play or 25 seconds after any clock stoppage.

* Kickoffs must be run out of the end zone unless the kick carries through the end zone.

* Defenders may use “bump-and-run” tactics downfield.

* In overtime, each team will have the ball at least once and get up to four downs to score from the opponent’s 20-yard line.

BASE SALARIES

* Quarterbacks: $50,000

* Kickers: $35,000

* All other players: $45,000

* Winners of each regular season game will divide a $100,000 bonus equally among players.

* The winning team in the championship game--to be known as the “Big Game at the End”--will divide $1 million.

PLAYOFFS

Semifinals: April 14-15; Championship game: April 21

LOS ANGELES XTREME / ROSTER

*--*

No Player Pos College 10 Clifton Abraham CB Florida State 60 Bruce Beaton* G Arcadia (Canada) 25 Terry Billups CB North Carolina 64 Chris Brymer G USC 86 Jeremaine Copeland WR Tennessee 1 Jose Cortez K Oregon State 69 Jerry Crafts OT Oklahoma 7 Todd Doxzon WR Iowa State 96 Jamal Duff DE San Diego State 21 Reginald Durden CB Florida State 93 Curtis Eason DT East Tennessee State 45 Leomont Evans S Clemson 81 Damon Gibson* WR Iowa 74 Derrick Graham G Appalachian State 59 Errick Herrin LB USC 56 Jonathan Himebauch C USC 79 Eric Johnson* DT Pittsburgh 27 Eric Johnson S Idaho State 75 Matt Keneley DT USC 39 Frank Leatherwood TE Appalachian State 46 Juan Long LB Mississippi State 99 Reggie Lowe DE Troy State 51 Rico Mack LB Appalachian State 8 Tommy Maddox QB UCLA 24 Saladin McCullough* RB Oregon 80 Darnell McDonald WR Kansas State 26 Dell McGee CB Auburn 13 Scott Milanovich QB Maryland 78 Nate Miller G Louisiana State 28 Ken Oxendine RB Virginia Tech 29 Ricky Parker S San Diego State 94 Chad Pegues* DT Illinois State 76 Jose Portilla C Arizona 14 Noel Prefontaine QB San Diego State 82 Latario Rachal WR Fresno State 90 Dave Richie DE Washington 20 Jeff Russell S Pacific 4 Larry Ryans DT Clemson 22 Rashaan Shehee RB Washington 18 Jason Shelley* WR Central State (Ohio) 77 Bobby Singh OL Portland State 97 Ramondo Stallings DT San Diego State 53 Shawn Stuckey LB Troy State 44 Kerry Taylor* TE Massachusetts 47 Josh Wilcox TE Oregon

*--*

COACH: Al Luginbill

* On reserve squad; 38 on active roster.

SCHEDULE

*--*

Date Opponent Time Sunday at San Francisco 1 p.m. Feb. 10 *Chicago 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at Las Vegas 5 p.m. Feb. 24 *Memphis 4 p.m. March 3 at New York/New Jersey 5 p.m. March 11 at Birmingham 4 p.m. March 18 *Orlando 1 p.m. March 24 *Las Vegas 5 p.m. April 1 at Memphis 1 p.m. April 8 *San Francisco 4 p.m.

*--*

* Home games at the Coliseum.

TELEVISION

* The Xtreme’s season opener Sunday at San Francisco will be shown on UPN (Channel 13) and its home opener against Chicago on Feb. 10 will be shown by NBC (Channel 4).

* NBC will have 5 p.m. Saturday telecasts throughout the season.

TICKET PRICES

$35, $25 and $20. The Xtreme says it has sold all of its $35 tickets and a total of 10,000 season tickets. The Coliseum will be configured for a capacity of 42,000.