> Actually, I'm a fan of alternative sports leagues. And the American Football
> League, which merged with the NFL in 1970, looked pretty amateurish when it
> began (though the AFL had access to top flight college players; the XFL is
> made up of cast-offs). But I don't see the XFL going that route. It's a
> consumerist pipe hit, providing the user an immediate sense of violent
> gratification. I found it to be ditch weed or bad rock, but no matter; the
> XFL's whole purpose is marketing, and in that sense it is far more honest in
> its intentions than most pro leagues or college sports programs. It may well
> turn out to be the first true uber-capitalist sports league. No blather
> about "role models" and "serving the community" -- just steady action as a
> backdrop to purchasing tie-in commodities. It might just work.
That's funny, aren't all major sports about branding and gratification? Judging from last night, it seems that the XFL will feature some fairly good football. The players aren't NFL has-beens and castoffs; they seem to mostly be recent college players who couldn't make the NFL.
I don't see how the XFL ties into what you call "violent gratification." I've noticed that politically correct observers often mistake football physicality for violence. If you want violence, I suggest major league baseball which has fights that feature players swinging fists at each other, with no padding.
One of the important things that the XFL might do, if it ends up becoming the minor league for the NFL, is shatter the charade that are NCAA-controlled sports. If the XFL becomes viable, talented guys will simply skip college--where they don't get paid and aren't even allowed to work part-time jobs--in favor of a league which pays them at least something for their labors.
<< Chuck0 >>
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