Several Leagues,

SEVERAL LEAGUES, including the United States Football League (USFL) and the World League of American Football (WLAF), have attempted unsuccessfully to provide professional football to fans in the spring. And in 2001, the Xtreme Football League (XFL) met a similar fate.

The NBC network and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) formed the XFL to attract young male television viewers on Saturday evenings. The league employed more spectacle than sport, however, focusing on anti-NFL bluster, screaming announcers, and in-your-face player nicknames. Organizers changed rules—such as no fair catches—to add excitement. The league saw some initial success, but the ratings quickly plummeted.

The XFL survived until the title game matching the Los Angeles Xtreme against the San Francisco Demons. Only 24,153 witnessed the contest in the 90,000-seat Los Angeles Coliseum.

Ex-NFL quarterback turned insurance agent Tommy Maddox led the Xtreme to a 38–6 rout over the Demons. Maddox, the 1992 first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos, completed 16 of 28 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns in the contest.

The Xtreme’s kicker, Jose Cortez, a former roofer from Oregon, kicked four field goals—including a 50-yarder! Reggie Durden returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown to highlight the otherwise dull affair. For their efforts, the winning team split one million dollars 45 ways, working out to $22,222 per player. Three weeks later, the league disbanded.

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POINT NBC hyped the new Xtreme Football League. When the proud peacock network lost its NFL television contract to CBS, it decided to spend around $100 million to help start a new league. The ratings fell and so did NBC’s credibility with many serious sports fans. Xtreme pride led to an Xtreme downfall.

The writer of Proverbs knew pride can be a problem in life, too. The dictionary gives several definitions of the word. Sometimes pride can mean a proper sense of worth or something we’re rightly proud of, like our country or working hard to get good grades. Those things aren’t a problem.

Destructive pride develops from an extreme sense of superiority, including arrogance and conceit. God wants us to steer clear of that.

GOAL! Think of athletes who possess pride that involves a healthy sense of worth. Then think of some who exhibit arrogance, conceit, and false superiority. Ask God to help you always show the right kind of pride.