XFL: The XFL cheerleader joke

By Matt Allen Sportsuperstarz.com Columnist

With declining ratings continuing, the XFL desperately needed to do something to bring back viewers that had departed after week one of the league’s inaugural season. To do this, Vince McMahon decided top pull a trick from his very successful wrestling genre.

McMahon and the XFL released promos and commercials announcing that an XFL cameraman would yet again take you where you the viewer have never been before. A cameraman would actually take you into the Orlando Rage cheerleaders’ locker room during halftime of their game. This was to spark if nothing else, a curiosity factor among the NBC viewing public.

However, as McMahon has done before, the gimmick was merely a spoof. The cameraman hit his head entering the locker room and was unable to be revived by the cheerleaders. Thus, no one saw anything like what was promised. McMahon then admitted on “On the Record with Bob Costas” that it was a spoof and a “blatant attempt to increase television ratings.”

With this announcement came shock and displeasure from many NBC and XFL executives. According to sources that we spoke with, several high ranking XFL officials were against the move from the very beginning. Now, according to one high ranking official we spoke with, the announcement that the move was just a ratings card makes the league even less credible than it was before.

“What are we running here, a variety show or a football league,” said the official, who spoke with Sportsuperstarz.com on condition of anonymity. “This makes us look like complete jackasses. That we have to have a gimmicks and things like this to get viewers. Then to go on TV and admit that this was a joke. What was he thinking?”

The XFL opened their first season on NBC with a 10.3 rating for their week one contest between the Las Vegas Outlaws and New York-New Jersey Hitmen. Since then, ratings have fallen steadily and were down to a 2.4 rating after week 6 games. Many have sited the quality of play as the reason, however the official we spoke with feels that the situation goes deeper than that.

“The NFL doesn’t have to have a damn drawing card,” he stated. “They create match-ups. They sell their players. They do things to create the game and make the game the sole issue. Do we do that? It is ridiculous that we are concentrating on fireworks, cheerleaders, and Vince McMahon. We should be able to sell the players and the things that make this football. After all, that is what we are doing is football.”

McMahon stated on the “On the Record” broadcast that the quality of play has been suspect due to the lack of preparation time for the league’s eight teams. McMahon however blamed the media for the declining ratings as well. He stated that the media has been unfair, thus driving away much of the mainstream public that tuned in week one. However, according to the source we spoke with, that is justifiable.

“The media doesn’t treat us fair?” he asked. “Why should they do anything for us? Why should they look at us as a football league? Football leagues don’t do crap like this. They owe us nothing and they shouldn’t look at us as a legitimate sports entity until we act like one. Thus far we have acted like anything but a sports league.”

With declining ratings and officials at NBC and within McMahon’s own organization now questioning the direction of the fledgling league, a key question arises. Will the XFL have another year to try to act as a legitimate sports league?

Article courtesy of Sportsuperstarz.com