| | Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Networks have been playing an ongoing game of
"Can you top this?" when it comes to hiring football analysts in
hopes of creating a buzz about broadcasts.
|  | | Jesse Ventura has shown himself to be a sports fan while serving as Minnesota governor. |
There appears to be a winner: NBC tapping Minnesota Gov. Jesse
Ventura for the XFL.
It's hard to envision something more bizarre than a sitting
governor taking time away from the statehouse to provide commentary
for a fledgling pro football league whose main selling point in TV
commercials has been the cheerleaders.
Dennis Miller seems bland in comparison.
"I don't think I'll have any handcuffs on me. I'll be free to
express my opinions, whether they are right or wrong," Ventura
said Thursday. "This is going to be a lot of fun."
The XFL, a joint venture between NBC and the World Wrestling
Federation, opens its 10-game season in February. NBC will
broadcast games in prime time on Saturdays, generally the
lowest-rated night of the week.
|
Perfect fit |
|
Jesse Ventura is the perfect man for this job. He knows WWF sensationalism.
He knows what they want and how to sell it, and he's articulate.
The
Minnesota governor, after his WWF wrestling career as "The Body" ended in
1987, served as color commentator for the WWF. But he left the organization
on bad terms after suing WWF chairman and founder Vince McMahon in 1990 over royalty fees. His
urging of the wrestlers to unionize also created tension with McMahon. Last
year, Ventura came back as a guest referee and the two made up. The WWF is part-owner of the XFL.
XFL
announcers will sit in the stands, and Ventura is used to the
in-your-face broadcasting that he did in arenas around the country for the
WWF.
-- Darren Rovell
|
"Saturday night needs a real rejuvenation," NBC Sports
chairman Dick Ebersol said. "We can go into that time period, six
days after the NFL season's over, and we can do the 4 or 4.5 rating
that we've promised advertisers."
If the ads run so far are an indication -- they've shown armored
tanks on a battlefield and the inside of a cheerleaders' locker
room; none has featured a player -- NBC is aiming more for
sensational than sports.
And that could draw both the teenage wrestling fans the network
hopes will watch the XFL and sponsors it hopes will buy commercial
time.
"I think Ventura is a plus," said Paul Schulman, president of
media buying company Schulman/Advanswers NY.
"He's controversial, he did a very good job when he was
involved in wrestling. He got elected, so he seems to be liked. And
he's a name. It's going to be a product starved for names. They're
not going to have them on the field."
Ventura, a former Navy SEAL who used to wear feather boas into
the ring during his pro wrestling career, doesn't shy from
publicity, nor does he pull punches.
During his 1998 campaign for governor, Ventura said Minnesota
should consider legalizing prostitution, possibly with a red light
district similar to Amsterdam's.
In an interview with Playboy magazine last year he called organized
religion a "sham and a crutch for weak-minded people."
Some Minnesota politicians questioned whether Ventura should
have accepted the offer from the WWF and NBC.
"He's clearly using the prestige and the name of his office to
enrich himself financially," state Sen. John Marty said. "And
even if that's not illegal, I find it very troubling.
"Where's his loyalty? The loyalty ought to be to the public --
the taxpayer -- not people willing to enrich him based on how
outrageous he can be."
Ventura said the new job won't conflict with his gubernatorial
duties.
"State offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, anyway. I
don't traditionally work then," he said. "But let's be very
clear. In my contract with the XFL, it's clear in the contract that
if any time my governor duties are such that I can't make it,
that's fully accepted by the league and NBC. Being governor comes
first and I don't see it as any major problem."
Last year, Ventura served as referee for the WWF's
"SummerSlam" event at Target Center in Minneapolis and was
criticized for participating in an event that featured scantily
clad women, swearing and violence. He acknowledged a $100,000 fee
for the event, but wrestling experts estimated he would earn at
least another $1 million for the use of his name and from videos
and royalties connected to the event.
Ventura will be paid for his football announcing. He has called
games of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and
is also a part-time volunteer assistant football coach at Champlin
Park High School. | |
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Vince McMahon talks about Jesse Ventura's approach to sports.
wav: 120 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jesse Ventura doesn't expect to be censored in the booth.
wav: 107 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
The XFL knows its role! 'The Rock' says the XFL will not touch the validity of the game.
wav: 993 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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