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| Thursday, April 19 |
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| Founder doesn't expect XFL to be on NBC next season ESPN.com news services | |||
The days of the XFL playing on network television during prime-time hours on Saturday nights appears over after this season.
Vince McMahon, the founder of the XFL, told the Los Angeles Times that the league would be back next year for its second season, but don't expect to see its games on NBC on Saturday nights.
"There's nothing official, but as for NBC showing games on Saturday nights, that's not going to happen," McMahon said.
As for NBC maintaining its 50 percent share of the business interest in the league, McMahon said, "That's something we'll have to sit down and talk about."
NBC spokesman Kevin Sullivan told the Los Angeles Times, "We'll make an evaluation after the season."
The XFL title game will be held Saturday and will mark the completion of the first year of the league. The game will be at the Los Angeles Coliseum between the Los Angeles Xtreme and the San Francisco Demons.
NBC will televise the game at 8 p.m. ET, and the game is being billed as the "Million Dollar Game" because of the bonus money to be shared by the players on the winning team. NBC averaged a 3.3 national rating for 10 regular-season XFL telecasts after starting out with a 10.9. NBC got only a 1.8 for the playoff game last Saturday between the Demons and Orlando Rage.
As for Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura returning next season as a color commentator for the television broadcasts, McMahon didn't rule it out.
"I think Jesse was unfairly criticized by a lot of people, myself included," McMahon said.
"He made a lot of contributions and was very supportive of the league, in spite of the media jumping down his throat. He wasn't brought in for his football knowledge, although he does know football. The mistake we made was not putting a football expert in with Jesse in the first place. Once we teamed Jesse with Mike Adamle, I think those two, with Matt Vasgersian, made for an outstanding team. I would love to see those three come back."
If they do, they'll probably be calling games for UPN. McMahon said no television deal is in place for next season, but he expects to work something out with UPN.
"I think the network was pleased, and so were the affiliates," he said. "I believe 85 percent got higher ratings with the XFL than they did with the programming they had before."
McMahon also would like to have a cable television deal in place, and one with the National Network (TNN), which televised Sunday games this season, is a possibility.
"We'll only play on Sunday afternoons, at 1 and 4," McMahon said. "That's when viewers are used to watching pro football."
As for the possibility of starting the season later than one week after the Super Bowl, McMahon said that's something he will have to discuss with league officials and team general managers.
"The way I look at it, next year will be our first year of business," McMahon said. "We made mistakes and we have learned from our mistakes. Next season will be the real test.
"The WWF (the World Wrestling Federation that McMahon controls) wasn't built in a year. The same is going to be true with the XFL. The in-stadium experience is phenomenal, and from the TV standpoint we've come up with innovations such as microphones and cameras on the field that I think the NFL is going to have to look at."
McMahon also likes the bonus-money aspect. Players on winning teams during the regular season earn an extra $2,500. Players on the winning team Saturday night will earn $26,000. Base salaries are essentially the same for all players, about $45,000.
"I think that's a great system," Xtreme quarterback Tommy Maddox said. "You don't have to put up with egos and other stuff in the locker room."
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