by Jeremy Botter

It's about violence, sex, blood, guts, technology, money, and opportunity.

Oh, and toss in a little football on the side.

The XFL is the brainchild of World Wrestling Federation owner Vince McMahon, a man who fashioned himself into a modern-day P.T. Barnum by turning the smoky, bingo hall "sport" of wrestling into a billion-dollar corporation that consistently ranks among the highest rated shows on television. His partner in crime is NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, a man who turned Saturday Night Live into a cultural mainstay by tapping into the psyche of the American public and delivering cutting-edge comedy programming.

The XFL begins this Saturday evening with a nationally televised game featuring the Las Vegas Outlaws and the New York Hitmen. It will conclude sometime in the spring with the "Big Game At The End," an XFL-fashion Super Bowl with all the festivities that adorn the NFL's version.

Cheerleaders. Storylines. It's a can't-miss prospect.

WE KNEW IT ALL ALONG

McMahon and Ebersol began planning the XFL in 1998 after NBC declined to bid for a new NFL contract. With the NFL, the network was set to lose 180 million dollars a year or more, and Ebersol knew there had to be a better way. The NBC chairman and his longtime friend sat down and begin working on a plan to establish a brand of football where all teams were centrally owned by the league. They'd be able to avoid the scourge of free agency and overpaid athletes by setting a standard salary for all players in the league, thus foregoing many of the problems the NFL and other sports brands are experiencing at the moment.

"Vince McMahon may be a lot of things, but he isn't stupid," says Lance Zerlein. Zerlein hosts a morning drive-time show for Houston sports radio station 610 KILT. "By making all the teams centrally-owned, the XFL is going to immediately grab the attention of the disenfranchised who are sick of all the crybaby athletes who make millions of dollars a year but are still never happy."

The team ownership department isn't the only place the XFL is revolutionizing football as we know it. Instead of playing games on the traditional Sunday afternoon and Saturday morning time slots, McMahon and Ebersol decided to conquer the maligned Saturday night market instead. By doing this, they completely bypass the hefty rights fees they'd otherwise owe the NFL.

"Saturday has been a failure for all of us, all the networks," says Ebersol. "There hasn't been a ratings winner on Saturday night since Golden Girls."

Ebersol is betting that the new football league will entice viewers to stay home from partying and carousing on weekends to watch. Since Saturday nights are such a low point for the networks, anything above a 4.5 will be considered a rousing success.

Very few doubt the new Dynamic Duo can do what they promise.

TAKING IT PUBLIC

McMahon and Ebersol announced the league in 2000, and sports journalists worldwide immediately questioned the integrity of the upstart league. After all, McMahon is the chairman of the World Wrestling Federation - a business known more for its lurid storylines and outrageous characters than for legitimate physical contact. The XFL offices attempted to ease the worries by first naming NFL legend Dick Butkus the head coach of the Chicago franchise; Butkus would eventually leave that position and become the Director of Football Operations.

"The integrity of the league will not be tampered with," says Butkus. "When that whistle blows, it will be real football. The general consensus from our coaches is that they've been surprised by the quality of the play and the desire of the players, and that is one thing that will make it interesting. These players are fulfilling a dream."

I WILL SURVIVE, I WILL SURVIVE

The hoopla isn't about the XFL being a real football league at this point. I've done a fair bit of research in preparation for doing this weekly column, and every single sports journalist and radio broadcaster I have spoken with understands that the football will be real. All of them are quick to point out that it won't be NFL-caliber talent, but the XFL isn't trying to be the NFL. They are trying to present a unique alternative to a product that has become stale and tedious.

The XFL has gotten a bad rap mostly due to the bravado and showmanship of Vince McMahon. Vince has never gotten a fair shake from the media, and rightly so. He's been involved in steroid scandals, sex scandals, and any other kind of scandal you can dream up. He's considered by many to be one of the worst people you'd ever want to meet - a promoter of the highest order who would stop at nothing to sell you on his product.

There's just one thing, though…

Last time I checked, Vince McMahon didn't have any wrestlers indicted for murder.