[quote name=\'Monarx\' date=\'Jun 22 2003, 02:17 AM\'] BTW: Is the XFL a sport, or a game show with football elements? I'm sure at least a couple will say a game show, and I sort of consider it to be. [/quote]
No, the XFL wasn't a game show, it was just football with the trashy flash of the WWE. However, there was one game show-ish element to the XFL: players were paid by the win. OT rant: in sports today, players in all sports in the last season of their contract pump up their stats, hit the jackpot in the offseason, then never perform at that level again. Some of today's contracts, particularly in the NFL, have incentive clauses which pay players to forego helping the team.
My point is, the major pro leagues could learn something from the XFL's pay-per-win rule. For some, it's already too late. The NFL has nothing to worry about because of parity and prosperity, but even though MLB averted a strike, the Yankees still have enough revenue streams to beat the system. Far too many young basketball phenoms are skipping college and following the dollar signs to the NBA, contributing to the league's declining quality of play. And the NHL is waiting until the last minute for labor negotiations when both sides know a strike could kill the league. And just think, the only league to do it right folded after one year.