| While many people await the ultimate punch line
to what they consider the biggest joke in sports, the XFL moves on. League president
Basil V. DeVito Jr. and his colleagues continue to plan the XFL’s next few years,
looking to prevent that punch line: the league’s collapse.
Contrary to popular belief, the league seems to be far from collapse. In fact, the XFL
is ahead of its attendance plan and is moving along with expansion plans.
DeVito took time out of his city-hunting to talk to Pro Football Weekly about
the league, the players and the criticism the league has received in its first eight
weeks.
(Editor’s note: A condensed version of the following interview with Basil V.
DeVito Jr., president of the XFL, can be found in the current print edition of Pro
Football Weekly. Below is the entire interview.)
Q: Last week, it was announced that the XFL is looking into expansion, which caught
many people by surprise. Can you talk about that?
A: Expansion shouldn’t be a surprise, and there are a couple of points of view.
No. 1, from Day One, we always had plans to expand in Year Two or Year Three. And one of
the things that we recognized in what we didn’t do well this year is the fact that we
didn’t give ourselves enough time on the football side to give really good football
in Week One. If you take a look at that, well, it is already April, and we’re playing
again next February. So, even if we don’t expand until Year Three, time is a-wasting.
So, the point is, we’re in business, and we’re going to continue with the plan
that we have. So that’s one thing, that it really does take a long time to do these
things. Certainly no one knows that better than us after this first year.
Second, I know it comes as a surprise to a lot of people, but the entire perception of
the XFL is dominated by our failure in ratings on Saturday night. That is the dominant
perception of the XFL. And while we can’t run away from that failure, if you, for a
moment, set it to the side and look at the sum total of everything else, then what do you
have? What you have is an entity which has created eight functioning teams of a pro
football league that, on UPN (which we’d agree is, per ratings, is not one of the big
three networks), gets better ratings than the NHL does on ABC. So if you then look at
Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA as the big three, and then you put NASCAR right
up there, which they absolutely deserve, with that kind of a TV franchise. Then even if
you look at golf and tennis, after that, in professional sports you go to the NHL and MLS.
We have, in our first eight weeks, created a professional sports league that gets better
ratings than the NHL. We draw an average of 25,000 fans. We have twice as many
season-ticket holders as the MLS has ever had in five years. I’m not knocking those
people, I’m just saying they’re in the same business and you never read an
article saying, "Oh my God, the NHL is terrible and should go away."
Q: What has worked well enough to make you excited about the league and about
expansion?
A: I have to admit. The fact that the NFL is going to four-team divisions makes me feel
less compelled to expand quickly, because fans will become more comfortable with four-team
divisions (if we stay this way). You start thinking about it; they’ll be used to it
by then. Heck, a year from now, I’ll be taking credit for it (laughs). The design of
the football has been about the most tremendous thing we’ve done. After all, if
you’re going to buy a 15-year-old a football today, why would you buy him a brown
one? It’s worked great, it looks cool and it’s been a great thing for us. The
scramble’s been great. A lot of football guys like it. It’s kind of fun, and
there will be some high school coaches out there doing it for scrimmages, you know?
Who’s gonna run another lap?
With expansion, we’ve learned a great deal. We’re in a situation where we
have a lot of cities calling us up, and more every day. I got something like four calls
today. So, the point is: What are the facts of some of the things we’ve talked about?
It’s a time of year when the stadiums are empty. So, stadiums are empty, and if you
don’t have an NBA franchise in your city, what else is going on? There are only five
home games, so if you’re a sports commission, downtown economic council, mayor’s
office or economic development, what can you do in February, March and April in any city
with a 40,000-plus stadium to get as much opportunity as this will be — the
opportunity to be a part of the success. And I think Las Vegas has gotten quite a bit of
positive play out of the XFL. Obviously we need some help. I’m not going to belittle
the situation we’re in. We have to get out there and get after it.
Q: What is your reaction to the harsh criticism, followed by a lack of coverage in
the media?
A: We knew it was going to be a tough job. I think we sold tickets better than we
anticipated. It is a little disappointing that although we are outperforming our plan by
20 to 25 percent, I can’t seem to get that story line out. When it isn’t going
well, it’s the most depressing thing in the world. And then still to be a little down
about it bums me out. Obviously, we’re over 30,000 (in attendance) in San Francisco
and a little under 20,000 in Birmingham, but 25,300 is the average for the whole league.
And that’s good.
Q: Can the league survive on good attendance at the stadiums if the TV ratings are
terrible?
A: I’m not going to sit here and tell you we’re not concerned about TV
ratings. That is a huge factor. But on the attendance side, our plan was to have about
20,000 people per game. That was our attendance figure for this year, and it went up to
22,500 for Year Two. So, being at 25,000-plus — and we’ll get there because the
vast majority of our tickets are sold already, so we’re going to have that average
for the whole season — we feel good about that. TV ratings are a huge concern. The
interesting thing about it is, it’s hard to discern what the real perception would be
if we were not in primetime. We took that chance. We knew it was a very aggressive stance
to try to draw young males to the TV set Saturday nights when they’re usually out. We
were not prepared for this low level of ratings. We were not prepared at all.
Q: What do you think will happen if the ratings continue to be so low?
A: I think that against the NCAA (tournament), we’re not going to see any
improvement. We are embarking on a very aggressive marketing campaign aimed at Weeks 10,
11 and 12. NBC has been a great partner. They’re sticking with us 100 percent of the
way, but we’re going to have to show some improvement in Weeks 10 to 12 in order to
make it reasonable for them and their affiliates to continue with us. There’s no
doubt about it. That’s the challenge for us. They haven’t done anything wrong;
we just haven’t delivered in primetime. We won’t know until the season ends on
that front. On the other hand, we do believe that we’ll be able to drive a little bit
of a ratings increase in those weeks.
The biggest thing a lot of people are asking me is, "If you could go back and do
something differently, do something over, what would you do?" The one thing I say is
that if I could, in Week One, put on the telecasts — both from a TV production point
of view and a football point of view — from Week Five or Six, I would do that. We saw
a lot of things we did wrong in television the first couple of weeks, things that people
didn’t like, things that didn’t necessarily need to be aired, things we did
poorly, and we’ve changed those. We just forced the football product to be ready too
quickly. I think they needed four or five weeks to play together, to see real competition,
to see what it’s really all about. I think the football is good football now and is
football that football fans tuning in can appreciate. Frankly, what we gave them the first
two weeks wasn’t any good.
And the other thing is we didn’t give them anybody they could listen to. Now they
can tune in and they can hear Mike Adamle and Dick Butkus, along with our other
announcers. But they can get the understanding when they hear the coach-to-quarterback
(microphone) or the quarterback in the huddle, and they call a play or an audible.
There’s somebody in the booth that can say, "Here’s what to look for,"
or "What he just said was …" or "The reason he’s doing that is
…" And that’s what the football fan wants. We gave them more access, but in
today’s information age, they want depth too.
Q: You talked about changes the XFL has made. Has the league leveled off on the
changes? What’s the direction the league’s going to take now?
A: I don’t see any huge changes that will transpire — we only have about five
weeks left anyway. But the changes that you will see, either in the season or in the
offseason, will be a continued process toward a better football product. Our coaches and
general managers are heavily involved in all aspects of the on-the-field game. I think the
changes we’ve made are all focused on improving the football on the field as best as
possible, and that’s what it’s all about.
Q: What do you think about the quality of football being played?
A: First, I don’t consider myself a football expert. As president of the league,
my job description is to hire and give the football personnel the resources to do their
jobs. As for the quality or the level of play, I have to lean on what football people say,
both within our organization and outside. I think the overwhelming thing is the
competitiveness of the play. That it’s really strongly competitive. You don’t
have to look much further than Jeff Brohm, who gets carted off the field one week, comes
back with a neck brace and starts the next week. For $5,000 a week, there is no difference
between the efforts these guys are putting out on the field and any other football
players’ efforts. The players have given us everything that we’ve asked for.
Whether or not the overall quality of play approaches whatever level, the effort of these
players has been spectacular. The level of competition is good. The level of play is good.
I think John Avery has shown himself to be a quality football player. I think some of our
quarterbacks — Tommy Maddox, Jeff Brohm — have shined. I think the scouts
(we’ve had half a dozen scouts at every game) come away saying there’s a couple
to a half-dozen NFL-quality players on each team. So, I don’t think that’s a bad
start after eight weeks.
Q: On the football front, how much do the good XFL players mean to the league, and
what happens if you lose them to NFL?
A: They mean a lot, and there are two aspects to it. In the short run, please give us a
Kurt Warner! That’s all I ask. You pick him out; I don’t care who he is. Let
John Avery be next year’s Super Bowl MVP. There’s nothing we would like more.
That would be a huge benefit to us. Then you have the second aspect in that we are working
right now on how to retain the best players at the skill positions. How do we attract even
better and more of those good players at the skill positions? So, that is something we are
working on right now and will come forward with in the offseason. In the future, will a
guy like Buccaneers QB Joe Hamilton, who — I don’t know the financials of it
— would have been made to order for our league this year, play for us? Hamilton was
drafted in the seventh round and probably didn’t make that much money. I (think)
that, had we gone after him and given him a bit more compensation than we were offering,
he might’ve played for us.
Q: You mean pay him a higher salary?
A: Well, more compensation, which might be in the form of bonuses or whatever. If we
compensate some quality quarterbacks and get them into the league, maybe one like Hamilton
could come in and play 10 or 12 games and never miss a stride from where he was out of
college. Then maybe he opens some eyes or just becomes a star. (Hamilton), to me, would be
the kind of player in the future that has some real potential for us.
Q: Would the XFL go after NFL superstars in the twilight of their careers, such as a
Troy Aikman or a Jerry Rice?
A: Well, the answer is absolutely, except for the dichotomy in revenue and money. These
guys have earned so much, and it is such a rough game. This is not like a guy being a DH
and hanging around in baseball. These guys really have to be mentally, physically and
emotionally prepared for what they do every week. And a guy like that has made so much
that I find it hard to believe that they would do that.
Now, there’s a guy in the league, Kurt Gouveia, who has two Super Bowl rings.
He’s done well enough, I’m sure. But he didn’t make Troy Aikman money. So
here’s a guy who — I wish there were more of him around and don’t know that
there are — really loves the game. He’s enjoying dealing with the young players.
He’s helping them get their bearings, what it’s all about. You know, you’re
22 years old, and you’re focused on one thing, and whatever it is, you’re there
at the top. And then you’re 24, 25, maybe 28, and either you’re trying for one
more try, or wondering if this is your level, or if you have it anymore. Gouveia’s a
tremendous example of a person, because he’s been to the top, he’s won at the
top, and he is doing it because he loves the game. I think that’s been a great
message. Certainly the Las Vegas defense has been one of the great stories of this league,
and he’s a part of it.
Q: On the media’s negativity, does it seem as though they have a
bull’s-eye on the XFL, and does that bother you?
A: What bothers me is that it has been downright vicious, as though we’re
overthrowing the government. We’re just trying to play some football and have fun,
really. And we’re offering $25 tickets to people who want to go see this. So on what
level, what are we doing that is so wrong? Giving 400 players a place to play? We’re
in major stadiums. We’re giving coaches a chance to coach, and giving people —
what looks like a million people — the chance to come to a game for 25 bucks. So on
that level, why does everyone have so much anger in the media?
But, that being said, we also realize we probably made some mistakes early on.
Probably, while we were out there stirring the pot to get noticed before we kicked off, we
did not take the time to do the grassroots type of interaction with the media. We
should’ve been in every market. We should’ve talked to every sports editor. We
should’ve personally gone in there and explained to them what we were trying to do,
explained to them where we were going, let them know that this is people, not just three
letters or a perception of Vince McMahon, and we didn’t do it. And that’s a
mistake. It’s a mistake that we’re already correcting.
We can blame the media and we can feel bad about it, but we have to accept the blame
for what part of it we didn’t do to avoid some of it. There are some (media folks)
who are going to always be that way. But there are probably half of them out there who we
could’ve done a much better job with, because at least then they could’ve said,
"Well, they told me this, now let’s see them deliver." And we didn’t
even give them that chance, and we left up to the media to determine what we were trying
to be instead of giving them more information. And that was our mistake.
Q: Have things gone as you expected them to go?
A: It’s all been a whir. It’s like watching a movie that I’m living. I
think the biggest thing — and it knocked me out the first night in Vegas — was
that the people were coming and they had Outlaws tattoos on their faces. Guys were painted
half black and half gold for the Outlaws, and they had signs. The fact that the first day,
before they ever knew what it was or what teams were there, they came connected to this.
That’s the biggest thing. I had a grandfather in Chicago thank me while he was
sitting there with his two grandchildren. I was just walking through the stands with my
XFL jacket on, and he said, "Hey, pal, you work for the XFL?" I said,
"Yeah." He said, "What do you do?" "I’m the president."
He then said, "Hey, thanks. I live in Chicago, and I’ve never been able to take
my grandchildren to a game before." So, we can’t be that bad a group of guys.
Q: What is your take on the overall picture of the XFL?
A: Well, the fact is this: It all comes back to the football. And we said that from Day
One. We had the ability to do some of the other stuff that we probably didn’t do as
well as we should’ve done it. But in the end, these guys are playing hard; it’s
all about the football. And we probably should’ve done it that way from Day One. (The
XFL is) not obnoxious, and we’re not saying that you have to do this or you have to
do that. Hey, we’re here, and for the last five weeks, if there’s one thing I
can ask, it’s this: If you’re a football fan, just pick out any one of the
games, give it a watch one more time. Because we know a lot of football fans watched that
first week, and we know they would like to watch good football. I would like just one more
shot at showing them we’ve learned some lessons and that our midseason and
late-season form is a helluva lot better than opening night. I think it’s been pretty
good though.
I think at the beginning there were football people (players, agents, personnel people,
certainly coaches) that said, "NBC, WWF, Vince McMahon? What is this thing? It
doesn’t stand for anything. No fair catches? I don’t think I want to be involved
with that." But now that one season’s nearly over, they can look at it and say,
"Oh, Al Luginbill, he’s a lifer. And Ron Meyer. Gee, Avery really was able to
show himself. They play in Soldier Field and Giants Stadium, and hey, this is not bad!
It’s real football!" I think when they see we’re serious about Year Two, we
will have improved football operations from top to bottom because we will have more people
interested in dealing with us.
You can e-mail Andy Hanacek at: ahanacek@primediasi.com |
