XFL: Week Three

The more I watch, the more I like.

I watched most of the first three games this weekend, but the last one is a good example of WHY I like it as sport.

A college basketball game was going long yesterday when the kick-off for the last game was getting underway. There were 6.3 seconds left in the college basketball game.

While that 6.3 seconds lasted 9 1/2 minutes of real time (you know the THING I HATE MOST ABOUT BASKETBALL) the XFL had a kick-off return, 4 great running plays, including the first touchdown of the game, a commercial break and were getting ready for the SECOND kick-off of the game.

That, for me is the XFL in a nutshell, all of that action in 6.3 seconds of doing nothing college basketball time. NO contest. The XFL wins by a mile.

What else did I see this weekend on the XFL. The first kick-off return for a touchdown AND the league's number ONE team (DC) getting clubbed down like baby seals by 0-2 LA. AND another 3-point conversion.

Great plays. Great teams. Great upsets. And WAY better quarterback play this week. The Guardians are still awful, I'll give you that. And the Vipers need to learn how to score more with all that offense.

I don't know hardly any of the players yet, and I really don't mind. The speed and transparency of the games are mesmerizing.

I hope people continue to watch. Going into this weekend's games every XFL game has beaten every other sport it was going against in the ratings.

That's pretty impressive for a start-up. I don't know what ratings will be "good enough" to keep the league alive, but it's off to a good start.

XFL: Week Two

I didn't get to see as much of the action this week, but I did get to see at least half of each game.

And I'm still enjoying it. The first game on Saturday was an absolute blow-out, BUT at least the team that got beat was the New York team, and it seems everybody like to see any New York beat, even if it's a new league.

The other games were much closer and had more scoring, especially in the second halves.

I do miss the accurate passing, and better receiving skills of the NFL and top college teams,
but I just love the phrenetic pace of the league. If you didn't like one play, don't worry, there'll be another one in about 20 seconds.

And seeing the booth official examine controversial plays while talking to refs on the field is still very cool.

The ratings last week were very good. Attendance was higher than expected as well. This week's overall attendance was up over last week's too.

BUT it had stiffer competition for TV viewers. Nascar had a race ultimately called because of rain, and the NBA had its All Star game activities.

We won't get all the ratings for a couple days yet, though Saturday's should be announced sometime today.

I was asked to comment on baseball's proposed new play-off system last week. I think I'll wait until the regular season is closer for that...

XFL: For the Love of the Game

I admit I was kind of interested in watching some football this weekend.

The NFL season is over.

I can't stand hockey and basketball anymore, and baseball is still a couple of months away.

So I watched my first XFL game Saturday. And then, surprisingly, I found myself watching most of the other three games as well.

Wow. I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't the quality of play or the new rules that I found most interesting, it was the live mics on the refs, players, and coaches. When the refs huddled to discuss something, you HEARD it. When the official in the booth is reviewing a questionable call, you hear him and see him do it, and you can hear him talking to the other officials to make sure everything is understood before announcing the final decision.

It was absolutely amazing and it kept me watching.

The coaches calling the plays were mic'd in real time so we knew what play was coming. The announcers told us what the play would be and what to expect. This opened up the games in ways I never thought possible. It was fun. It was exciting. It was involving. It was an incredible, immersive experience.

The two Saturday games were higher scoring with more real action. The games Sunday were harder to watch because of good defenses and less skilled playmaking.

But both were still fun to watch because of the unbelievable inside coverage. Will the XFL be a hit with viewers?  I have no idea. But, I have seen the future of sports, and it is incredible.

I hope people watch. If you like sports in general, and football specifically, I think you too will be pleasantly surprised.

It sure is better than watching endless threes and dunks in basketball, and no scoring hockey.