chazraps
Wade Wilson
Better have my money when I come-a collect!
Posts: 27,938
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Post by chazraps on Sept 18, 2014 17:28:13 GMT -5
Article really puts into perspective how demeaning and undervaluing of human life it truly was. I'm unsettled after reading it.
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unc40
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 3,623
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Post by unc40 on Sept 18, 2014 18:09:04 GMT -5
I do recall the play being pretty sloppy but what really hurt was this idea that the XFL was going to make people forget about the NFL. I even remember Austin calling out the NFL commissioner on it which made me realize this league was going to fail.
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Post by tigermaskxxxvii on Sept 18, 2014 20:23:21 GMT -5
The XFL was kind of like the many leagues before it- it tried to tackle (pun not intended) the NFL way too early. There will never be another AFL, a league that can and did challenge the NFL relatively early in its life cycle. The USFL or whatever it was in the 80's was pretty good for a year or so. Then they went to the crapper when Donald Trump (Who owned a team in the league) challenged the NFL directly, the kiss of death being a move to the fall. Spring/Summer football that starts in like April can work, but it needs to be a modest league that knows there is no way they can compete with the NFL for 10-20 years and instead builds up an audience and always stays in the spring, unless they eventually merge with the NFL. That's why the 30 for 30 documentary on the USFL ("Small Potatoes") while great, is such a frustrating watch. They totally could have been a solid alternative to the NFL if only they hadn't shot themself in the damn foot with the anti-trust lawsuit and the move to the fall. What Vince should've learned from the USFL is just give us some football at a time when we're all suffering from football withdrawl. We watch spring football leagues (for the most part) because we love the NFL game and we hate that at some point it ends for a seven month off season. So trying to compete with the NFL by playing in the fall like the USFL did, or to disparage the NFL like the XFL did were both dumb moves. Also all the rules that put players at greater risk (i.e. the opening scramble for the ball replacing the coin toss) were unnecessary. All you had to do was give us some spring time football with a little bit of fun to it. Such as a much more lenient attitude towards end zone celebrations and emphasising things like the players being able to have anything they want on the back of their jerseys ("He Hate Me") to make the XFL more of an alternative to what has been called the "No Fun League". This way you can give yourself a distinct brand without deliberately increasing the body count. Also, by
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Post by Hit Girl on Sept 18, 2014 20:26:19 GMT -5
Vince should have listened to his mama when she said not to go messin' wit doze fooozball playahs!
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Capt Lunatic
Unicron
Buttah in mah ass, lollipops in mah mouth
Posts: 3,241
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Post by Capt Lunatic on Sept 19, 2014 2:08:05 GMT -5
That article was much better than the book "Long Bomb" which was 100% know it all after the fact.
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Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
Posts: 41,868
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Sept 19, 2014 2:59:39 GMT -5
Ok, I made it as long through a football article as I could, but.......THAT'S WHERE THEY FOUND MIKE ADAMLE? THE XFL?!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 7:49:35 GMT -5
You can tell Vince Mcmahon was behind this league just by looking at the name of teams
I mean I'm pretty sure if Hulk Hogan ever teamed with Jerry Lawler they would have been called the Memphis Maniacs
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beamanhogan
Team Rocket
RIP - Macho for Hall of Fame
Posts: 867
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Post by beamanhogan on Sept 19, 2014 8:29:16 GMT -5
I have many thoughts on the XFL. As a owner of a XFL football still, this might be long winded:
1) The XFL was very innovative. The NFL has added many of the features that the XFL first started. The camera on a string is the biggest one. They said it was new technology when it debuted, but as an XFL watcher, I knew where it came from. The locker room camera with the coaches has also been replicated. The XFL increased the production value of the NFL. That is true.
2) The games were mediocre. A preseason would have helped a lot. The biggest thing this lead to is people watched the first game and saw a dropped easy pass that could happen in any NFL game. Since it was the XFL, pundits pointed at it stating that the guy dropping the ball shows the level of play is worse, even though the drop was nothing out of the ordinary. 2 weeks of preseason would have tightened that up some.
3) No real sports publication gave them a chance. They looked at it like a joke right away and never looked back. This hurt the league more than anything.
4) They should have not used any wrestlers. Jim Ross was fine since they could show that he actually announced football games in the past. Ventura, Lawler and the Rock had no right to be there (Yes I know the Rock played in college).
5) The concussion part of this article is played out a bit too much. Looking back at it, the interview is in poor taste. At the time, it was not in anyway. It was a much different time. The information to the public on concussions was not out there.
6) I think the XFL could have succeeded as a feeder system to the NFL. I think a full off-season to look at what worked and didn't work would have been a huge benefit to the league. They never got that chance.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Sept 19, 2014 8:36:47 GMT -5
No amount of preseason would've made journeyman, also rans, has beens, and never weres into a quality product.
You had a small percentage of guys that could play at a pro level in a league of mostly scrubs.
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Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
Surviving
Posts: 28,884
Member is Online
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Post by Sephiroth on Sept 19, 2014 8:57:43 GMT -5
I have to agree with the author about the XFL's nonstop hype of their cheerleaders. Its not like the NFL treats the girls in a particularly respectful manner, but for Vince to trump up and down that the XFL was going to do so much better and then parade them around in outfits like THAT was downright cartoonish, especially since it was still the Attitude Era in WWF and hence NO ONE was going to take any such claim seriously.
At the end of the day, I can't help but cite an old article about the WBF that summed it up by saying that "it took a unique arrogance on McMahon's part to assume that he could do in a year what it took the IFBB 20 years to accomplish." Same thing for the XFL.
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ToyfareMark
Vegeta
A WINNER IS YOU!
In Hutch I trust!
Posts: 9,589
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Post by ToyfareMark on Sept 19, 2014 9:42:33 GMT -5
^^^ For that reason alone, I'm glad I never, ever, supported the XFL. $100 million to launch a league, and you're paying your players, whom you're INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO GET INJURED (if we go by the XFL's own rules and the way the article is written) a pittance? Just more of Vince McMahon's typical awfulness: underpay and undervalue your workers, proclaim the virtue of those who will take it on the chin, degrade and drag anyone through the mud who sees through the BS and walks away. NBC is pleased that you only blame Vince McMahon for this debacle.
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Post by HMARK Center on Sept 19, 2014 9:48:07 GMT -5
^^^ For that reason alone, I'm glad I never, ever, supported the XFL. $100 million to launch a league, and you're paying your players, whom you're INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO GET INJURED (if we go by the XFL's own rules and the way the article is written) a pittance? Just more of Vince McMahon's typical awfulness: underpay and undervalue your workers, proclaim the virtue of those who will take it on the chin, degrade and drag anyone through the mud who sees through the BS and walks away. NBC is pleased that you only blame Vince McMahon for this debacle. Primarily, sure I do. Didn't realize that somehow meant I was magically absolving NBC of culpability, though.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 11:03:09 GMT -5
You can tell Vince Mcmahon was behind this league just by looking at the name of teams I mean I'm pretty sure if Hulk Hogan ever teamed with Jerry Lawler they would have been called the Memphis Maniacs They'd be Team Puppy Brother
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ToyfareMark
Vegeta
A WINNER IS YOU!
In Hutch I trust!
Posts: 9,589
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Post by ToyfareMark on Sept 19, 2014 12:01:03 GMT -5
NBC is pleased that you only blame Vince McMahon for this debacle. Primarily, sure I do. Didn't realize that somehow meant I was magically absolving NBC of culpability, though. My point was that it was NBC who was desperate for a replacement after losing the NFL to CBS in 1998, and it's well known how influential Dick Ebersol has been on Vince. I don't think Vince would have gone for this had it not been for Ebersols influence, and backing. NBC knew that if this failed that McMahon would be the scapegoat.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 13:31:07 GMT -5
Vince should re-start the XFL now, surely he could get a rack of suspended NFL players to fill out the rosters!
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Lila
El Dandy
Slip N Slide World Champion 1997
Posts: 8,905
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Post by Lila on Sept 19, 2014 13:45:15 GMT -5
Plus, lets be honest, the football* was is mediocre *In general
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