Guest Steve J. Rogers Report post Posted February 11, 2003 Because of who's name was attached to it, the league never got a fair chance, while I still haven't heard ANY negativity about the AFL, granted its been around for 16 years before landing their TV deal with NBC but come on, where are all the pundints saying "THIS ISNT REAL FOOTBALL!" "WHAT A JOKE!" I've seen the Arena League being promoted as "Hey lets give this thing a chance, see what kind of ratings it can pull" The only negative comments I've seen are from people who hate every "rival" league from the USFL to the ABA because they're not "major leagues" and don't deserve all the coverage, and yet will gladly watch some Low Divison II College Football/Basketball game just because its on TV, or maybe they won't who knows, but that is a condesending view IMO of "new competition" to the established pro-leagues. I wonder how all of these rival league haters felt about the AFL thats currently called the AFC when they were just starting out Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest jimmy no nose Report post Posted February 11, 2003 I somewhat agree. That sucked. The football was of very similar quality, too. It might have just been the prime time slot that killed it though. The TNN and UPN ratings got pretty good ratings for the station and timeslot, but putting it in Prime Time on a top network was terrible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest treble charged Report post Posted February 11, 2003 The Arena League doesn't come out and say, 'We'll be better than the NFL', (at least to my knowledge) which is basically what Vince did with his 'No Fun League vs. Xtra Fun League' speech that he gave. That probably put off a lot of people. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hardyz1 Report post Posted February 11, 2003 Not to mention having wrestlers cut promos during the games. Really, what the fuck were they thinking with that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted February 11, 2003 Yep -- but I find it funny how ESPN always ripped the XFL, but the ratings for NHL playoff hockey were even lower. Gee, I didn't hear a word about this mockery from Linda Cohn (die bitch die) -- could it be that ESPN and ABC, which both carried the games, are bum chums? Hmmm... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted February 11, 2003 Do die hard NFL fans, need to watch football all year, or would you not care if football wasn't on after the NFL season is over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest imajackoff? Report post Posted February 12, 2003 XFL was never given a chance. It was the perfect diversion between the Super Bowl and the begining of March Madness. Im a "run the ball and play good defense" kind of football fan, so the Arena League doesnt really do it for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kingpk Report post Posted February 12, 2003 Eh, I'm kind of burned out on football after the Superbowl, and I don't think I'm the only one. The fact that the XFL tried to sell itself as tougher than the NFL kinda soured me. I can't get into the Arena League. The games have no flow, it's just "chuck the ball into the end zone and hope your receiver holds on to it." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest the pinjockey Report post Posted February 12, 2003 It was just way too overhyped for what everyone knew would be minor league football. All the production values in the world wont salvage crappy games. I do agree that there was no chance of it being taken seriously with Vince McMahon running it. Of course his opening welcome to the XFL in his "Youre Fired" voice probably didnt help matters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted February 12, 2003 I KNOW I did not hear Linda Cohn hate in this thread... And, um, yeah. ABC and ESPN are chums, since ABC owns ESPN and all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted February 12, 2003 Kotz -- I, um, knew ABC owns ESPN. And yes, you heard some Linda Cohn hate. I only wish she was OJ's ex-wife... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MaxPower27 Report post Posted February 12, 2003 Ohhhhhh, that's harsh. I hate football, but I watched and enjoyed the XFL. ESPN has become almost like a snobbish sports network, and anything related to professional wrestling doesn't count as a "real sport" (even though they cover NASCAR and golf). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest imajackoff? Report post Posted February 12, 2003 Just to clarify, ABC doesnt own ESPN. They are both owned by the Mouse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest converge241 Report post Posted February 12, 2003 Vince should have been so egotistical and worked with the NFL when it was first in the brainstorming they were going to work together but Vince thought he could topple the giant the league would have done better , everyone could have made a chunk of change.. the nfl would have another farm system Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted February 12, 2003 "Just to clarify, ABC doesnt own ESPN. They are both owned by the Mouse." D'oh *slaps head* I should've known that one. Damn you Mickey... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest razazteca Report post Posted February 13, 2003 XFL never receive any promotion on any sport show like Sport Center which was not a mockery of the league. Besides having football players with stupid gimmick names on the jerseys was just a bad idea. And the announcers for the XFL did not help the image any, like having Ventura ask players or coaches about bad plays in a heel personal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bps "The Truth" 21 Report post Posted February 13, 2003 My favorite thing about the XFL was Jesse Ventura doing commentary. Not the commentary itself so much...but I really liked the fact that he got so much negative press for doing the ref job at Summerslam 99 because he hadn't been in office that long...but when he announced he would be doing the XFL every week no one said anything because he had already taken a hammer to Minnesota's economy and given people money back and stuff. I thought that was funny. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest phoenixrising Report post Posted February 13, 2003 You know what's funny? That skycam they use now (the one that runs on wires above the field) was first used by the XFL. Of course each network touts it as their own invention now. Don't forget, the XFL did a record rating it's first night on TV. The overall game was ok, looked like an NFL exhibition game in that the offenses didn't click on all cylinders at the beginning of the year but got better after. Had Vince not given in to his ego and cooperated with the NFL rather than trying to top them, the XFL could have developed into a nice little NFL developmental league by year two. Of course it would have helped if the XFL dumped the storyline angles, asking players about mistakes after they commit them, allowing players to put what they wanted on their uniform, cameraman dreams with cheerleaders and the stupid scramble for the ball instead of the toss it could have been ok. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest treble charged Report post Posted February 13, 2003 Is a 10.0 or whatever it was really a record rating? I mean, it's good for a debut, but what do you mean by 'records'? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hardyz1 Report post Posted February 13, 2003 I think it may have been a record for a Saturday or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted February 13, 2003 Yeah it wasn't an overall record, but i believe it was a record under circumstances i can't remember. All the blame for XFL failing falls squarely on the shoulders of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. ESPN mocking XFL is Vince's fault as well. If Vince didn't make it look like a joke ESPN wouldn't have made it the punchline. ESPN covers serious sports and Vince did everything he could to undermine XFL being taken as a serious sport so did you honestly expect ESPN to treat it as one? Vince and XFL deserved everything they got in the end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hardyz1 Report post Posted February 14, 2003 Here's what sucked about it: Focus on cheerleaders Jim Ross doing play by play Wrestlers doing promos Putting a team in LA The "Go Inside the Cheerleaders' Locker Room" stunt Did I mention wrestlers doing promos? Man, that pissed me off. Early overuse of the X Cam The bad play early in the season. They should have taken more than a year to set things up, also play preseason games, or at least scrimmages. The owner. No lineup graphics. This is especially bad in a league of unknowns. Too much hype about being tougher than the NFL. The changing of rules during the season (bump and run coverage, conversions) I don't care. I still loved it. :::puts on XFL shirt and Demons hat while drinking out of Rage travel mug::: And I liked the scramble. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Dames 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2003 I didn't think that J.R. did too badly as the play by play man. To be honest, The Vegas/NY game was a terrible game compared to the Orlando/S.F. game played that day and that probably soured a lot of people as well. Lawler as color was TERRIBLE though. I don't even watch football, but I watched the XFL all the way til the end. They did a lot of things that pissed me off, but I really got into the San Francisco and L.A. Teams. Dames Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted February 14, 2003 "I didn't think that J.R. did too badly as the play by play man." I thought so, too (In addition, the TNN team of Golic and some other guy were good -- I didn't get UPN so I can comment on Boz). Personally, I thought JR, Ventura and Adamle did better than that year's MNF team. JR < Al Michaels (But then again, who is better than Michaels?) Adamle > Fouts Ventura > Miller (Yes, I hated Miller on MNF THAT much!) "They did a lot of things that pissed me off, but I really got into the San Francisco and L.A. Teams." Last three weeks of the season that's all there was -- SF and LA! It's too bad SF folded each time, I would have loved to see the Big Game played in the Hell Hole... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest nikowwf Report post Posted February 14, 2003 THE sad thing...are you implying there was only one? =) There was about 9,750 sad things by my count... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jobber of the Week Report post Posted February 14, 2003 Not to mention having wrestlers cut promos during the games. Really, what the fuck were they thinking with that? Please. Tell me you're kidding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hardyz1 Report post Posted February 14, 2003 Please. Tell me you're kidding. Sadly, no, I'm not. In the first game they had videotaped promos with Austin and Undertaker. As if that wasn't bad enough, the second week, before the game started, the Rock came out and cut a promo right on the 50 fucking yard line. How I wish I was joking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
