Watching the parade of twinkling lights arrive in the desert, Dick Ebersol believed that the XFL—the loud, garish football league dreamt up by his friend, the pro wrestling impresario Vince McMahon—might really have a chance. It was the league’s opening night, Feb. 3, 2001, not long before the kickoff between the host Las Vegas Outlaws and the New York/New Jersey Hitmen. Ebersol, the NBC sports boss and broadcasting legend, was high...

Source: Wall Street Journal January 12, 2017 15:10 UTC