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What: “Lost Treasures of NFL Films--Vol. XV: The World Football League”

Where: ESPN Classic, Tuesday, 4 p.m.

Don’t expect much slick NFL Films football footage in this show. Much of what you’ll see is grainy and of poor quality. Host Steve Sabol, the president of NFL Films, explains during the introduction: “One of our producers suggested the WFL would make a perfect ‘Lost Treasures’ show, but we didn’t have any footage. Why would we? At the time, the WFL was the competition.”

Even without its own high-quality footage, NFL Films found enough to suit its needs and also found enough former players and coaches to put together an interesting and informative documentary about the league that lasted 22 months in 1974-75.

What is somewhat disappointing is the Southern California Sun gets short shrift. In fact, the team’s USC triumvirate of Pat Haden, J.K. McKay and Anthony Davis doesn’t even get a mention.

Former Miami Dolphins Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield, who all signed with the Memphis Southerners, get more than a mention. There is a segment on the league’s three biggest names.

“I was making $50,000 with the Dolphins, which wasn’t bad money back then,” Csonka says. “But I had a chance to make $3.5 million over 21/2 years with the WFL. That’s why I left the Miami Dolphins.”

Csonka doesn’t say how much of that $3.5 million he ever got. A lot of players ended up getting nothing.

Gary Davidson, the founder and commissioner of the WFL, is interviewed at length. He says the problems started early. He attended the Philadelphia Bell’s opener and was feeling pretty good when he saw 56,000 in the stadium.

“Then we found out they’d papered the house and lied about it,” Davidson says. “There were only 5,000 paid. Everything started going downhill from that point.”