Once upon a time, WWE’s Vince McMahon and NBC Sport’s Dick
Ebersol created an “extra fun league” in the spring to rival the National
Football League (NFL). In 2001, this sports league-the XFL- came into the homes
of the viewers for its one and only season. It had a mix of entertainment and sportsmanship,
but also some bad luck which doomed it. However fleeting, it left an
impression-be it good or ill.
On January 14th, 2017, The Cooper Union Building
hosted a one-day exhibit honoring the XFL’s short legacy. Entitled The XFL “Pop-Up Hall of Fame”, it
featured some of the league’s gear and technology. A row of XFL helmets representing their 8
teams, which included the Orlando Rage, L.A Extreme and Las Vegas Outlaws,
lined the staircase as one descended to the main exhibit. The Sports Illustrated
cover and promotional posters were along the walls on either side of the long
corridor leading to the Hall of Fame created for the event.
As for the room of XFL memories, it was a small collection
of what the football venture represented.
A table of merchandise was laid out that showed what the marketing
campaign came up with for the fans. On a nearby table, there were the press
kits and other promotional packets the media received announcing the XFL’s
concept along with the guides sent to the video crew and league staff. Uniforms for the cheerleaders and players
were on display, including a signed “He Hate Me” Las Vegas Outlaws jersey. In the center of the room was the XFL Million
Dollar Game Trophy-engraved for the champions L.A Extreme-and an “XFL” logo helmet.
Finally, the sky-cam and “Bubba-Cam”, technology that revolutionized future NFL
games, were included in the exhibit.
There was also an advanced screening of the ESPN’s feature “30
for 30: This Was The XFL”. The movie was directed by Charlie Ebersol, the son
of NBC Sports’ Dick Ebersol. Charlie was
on hand to introduce the film and take audience questions. He seemed impressed by the turn-out, and
promised a surprise guest or two. One of
those surprise guests was “Mr. He Hate Me himself” Rod Smart of the Las Vegas
Outlaws, who arrived before the second screening of the day; the other was
Orlando Rage GM “Tom V” Tom Veit.
The documentary, which aired this past Thursday on ESPN, was
an interesting story that told the story about the league’s inception and its
eventual demise. Along the way, there were laughter in the room as a story or an
interview segment captured a moment fans did not know about. To add perspective, players Rod Smart of the
Las Vegas Outlaws and Tommy Maddox of the L.A Extreme, Orlando Rage GM Tom Viet,
and others were able to give the viewer a sense of their experience in the
short-lived league.
After the “30 for 30” ended, fans applauded and awaited the Q
& A that would soon follow. Charlie Ebersol and Rod Smart answered questions
regarding the possibility of re-releasing XFL jerseys as well as the origins of
the nickname “He Hate Me”. Orlando Rage GM Tom Viet arrived during this time, and added his
voice to the conversation.
Sports history will know the XFL as the experiment of Vince
McMahon and Dick Ebersol. The NFL should
know it as the football league that introduced technology and the emergence of a
players whose individuality only enhances a fan’s enjoyment of the game. As for me, I remember it as an “extra fun
league”.
