Less than one month after its inception, the Xtreme Football League (XFL) - arguably the most publicized and anticipated sporting league in years - has fallen flat on its face. Much to the chagrin of NBC and Vince McMahon, the immediate stammer of the XFL has thus far revealed that the American public may actually have the ability to put a stop to our sensationalist culture.
Touted as a harder hitting, fewer rules, hybrid of both professional wrestling and the NFL, the XFL initially seemed to have the recipe for success; or so thought the network execs at NBC. Throwing in some cheerleaders (who give lap dances to the spectators) and an endorsement by Minnesota Governor (and former wrestler) Jessie Ventura, the concept seemed like a sure-fire victory in the valuable 18-25 male demographic, which has earned the WWF and WCW billions of dollars.
What happened was quite fascinating, though. After astronomical ratings in its first week, the viewership has plunged to embarrassing UPN-esque levels, and the plug may have to be pulled early on the league, perhaps weeks before "The Big Game at the End" as the Super Bowl equivalent was cleverly named.
Why did this happen? In a country where the viewers watch an average of over seven hours of television per day, it seems even the least discriminating channel-changer can realize crap when he sees it. The XFL, despite its hyped-up marketing and promises for monster hits, has proved to be about as bone-crunching as a high school women's lacrosse game.
Like millions of other Americans, my friends and I tuned in to the inaugural game between the Las Vegas Outlaws and the New Jersey Hitmen, hoping that this could fill our weekend football void, which occurs every January through August. And while aptly skeptical about the quality of play, we were all salivating for the concept of no fair catches, meaning that punt-returners would get absolutely creamed on every return.
About four hours later, when the game finally grinded to a disappointing halt, we could not believe what a waste of an evening it had been. And to think that we actually left the candlepin bowling alley early to watch made it even more devastating. The camera work was shoddy and downright dizzying, the commentators were insipid, and the play paled in comparison to even the worst college football game. To top it off, the numerous new "rules" that the league instated to make the game more physical were not even a factor.
If the game had been aired on UPN or even FOX, it would have been much easier to swallow, because it is their job to put out shows like When Houseplants Attack or Homeboys from Outer Space. But for NBC to air something this unprofessional and downright insulting really shows where our county is headed. I would love to sit in on a board meeting with the major network execs and listen to how they decide upon new show ideas.
"Ok, let's see, the Temptation show has been doing pretty well with the teenage girls, and our advanced screening with a young male audience shows that boobs and flamethrowers are off the charts. I'm a big fan of baseball, but find it's slow pace and lack of nudity alarmingly boring. I've got it! We'll call the show 'Who wants to be tempted by a naked millionaire, flamethrower-wielding, New York Yankee in the Australian Outback.'"
Honestly, the sensationalist shows being shoved into our faces are simply getting ridiculous, and the complete failure of the XFL should be reason enough for the networks to think twice before presenting us with garbage in hopes of earning a few ratings points. An 18-25 year-old male is probably the easiest type of person to win over. We can watch Billy Madison a thousand times without getting bored, and laugh when we hear the word "wood" used out of context. We even go candlepin bowling for crying out loud. But one thing we will not tolerate is bad television. When a show, boasting half-naked cheerleaders, gratuitous violence, and players named "He Hate Me" fails, clearly there is something horribly wrong with the product.
I'm not saying that this new breed of sensationalist television is ruining the precious fabric of our society. Like most of you, I tuned into the final episode of Temptation Island last night in eager anticipation to see if Billy and Mandy would stay together. But what the shortcomings of the XFL proved was that bigger and more violent is not always better, and that the American public does not have the enormous threshold for bad TV as network execs believe.
