TO THE XTREME REALITY TV'S XFL MARCHES ONTO THE FOOTBALL FIELD.

Byline: Tom Hoffarth Staff Writer

Think of it as ``Temptation Football.''

Or maybe ``Survivor'' with helmets and goal posts.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, reality television meets live sports. NBC Sports and partner Vince McMahon, the head of the World Wrestling Federation, will present the newest and maybe most controversial professional football league ever conceived, the XFL.

Officially, the ``X'' in the XFL doesn't mean anything. But between the lines, you can read it as anything from eXtreme to eXploitive.

For TV viewers that means an anything-goes, all-access visual and audio assault. With more than twice as many cameras as used in a typical NFL broadcast - some even in the action on field - and some 20 players wearing microphones, this will be like no sports ever broadcast before.

`` 'Survivor' is a terrific show, but it's in an artificial situation; this has a real game and real athletes, and it fits in with what people are eager to watch these days,'' says NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol.

NBC, which has anted up $50 million in a two-year commitment, is banking on the league so much that it will broadcast one game in prime time every Saturday. The games will be shown live in each time zone, meaning 8 p.m. prime-time kickoffs for East Coast contests will air at 5 p.m. locally. NBC wanted the games to lead into local news at 11 p.m., followed by ``Saturday Night Live,'' and tried to get West Coast affiliates to move ``SNL'' up to 8:30 p.m. A compromise was reached so that ``SNL'' will air at 9:30 p.m. for the next 10 weeks, followed by the local news at 11 p.m. and a repeat of the same ``SNL'' show at 11:30 p.m.

KNBC-TV (Channel 4) will carry Saturday night's first live telecast at 5 p.m. between the New York-New Jersey Hitmen and Las Vegas Outlaws. Los Angeles' franchise, the Xtreme, will play its first game the following day in San Francisco against the Demons, which KCOP-TV (Channel 13) will air at 1 p.m. NBC has sold the rights to Sunday games to UPN (11 games) and TNN (nine games) because of its commitment to NBA telecasts.

From a competitive standpoint, this eight-team, 10-game regular season creation likely will lack punch - the squads are made up of players who couldn't catch on with the NFL or other minor leagues. The base salary for most players is $45,000. Quarterbacks are paid $50,000 and kicking specialists $35,000. The NFL's average salary is $1.1 million. In addition, each regular-season XFL game will feature a $100,000 bonus pool to be divided equally by players on the winning team. The bonus pool for ``The Big Game At The End'' will be $1 million.

NBC, which two years ago balked at the NFL rights fees and gave up coverage of the AFC games, has an interest in this league succeeding if only to provide much-needed sparkle to the otherwise dull Saturday night lineup of programming. But to what extent McMahon goes to provide that sizzle is what has many involved in the ``real'' sports world most concerned.

Most fans realize that pro wrestling's over-the-top, sex-saturated broadcasts aimed at age 12-24 males crosses the reality line. Since this league is McMahon's brainchild, it has been scrutinized and criticized before the players have even set foot on the field.

Will it be phony? Will the emphasis be on cheerleaders giggling on the sidelines? Will naughty words find their way on the air from the broadcasters or players?

Las Vegas oddsmakers are betting on the XFL. Although the maximum bettors can lay down on this weekend's debut of the new football league is $500, some believe that putting a line out in Las Vegas' sports books on the fledgling sport lends it much-needed legitimacy.

``We won't be in the showers but (sex appeal) is part of selling the league,'' said Ebersol, whose network joined McMahon's league almost two months after he announced its formation in early 2000. ``But it will also be family entertainment, not for just hard-core football fans.''

A five-second delay will allow censors to take out words that don't belong on prime-time TV. But other than that, there are no real rules to follow, just McMahon's grand plan to entertain.

Former NFL star Dick Butkus, the XFL's director of player development, says he wouldn't be involved in this league if there was anything to hurt the game's image.

``After meeting with Vince, Dick Ebersol and all the playing partners, they have my full commitment because all they kept telling me is that the integrity of the game wasn't going to be tampered with,'' said Butkus.

``It won't be scripted. Do you think we'd have the caliber of coaches in this league (many are former NFL assistants) with a scripted game? That answer should be obvious.''

A few rule changes will also intentionally make this brand of football different from the NFL.

No penalties for excessive celebration.

No fair catches on punts.

No kicks allowed on points after touchdowns - either run or pass.

Only one foot needs to be in bounds on a catch.

Overtime isn't sudden death, but an exchange of possessions like college football currently uses.

The XFL has also done away with the traditional coin flip to start the game. Instead, one player from each team on his side of the field will charge to midfield for possession of the league's black and red football. The first player to gain control of the ball gets his choice of kicking or receiving to start the game.

Meanwhile, some two dozen cameras will be used for each game, including one that hangs over the field of play on wires. Locker room access is included.

Two sideline reporters, including KNBC's Fred Roggin, will have full access to players and coaches during the game to ask questions - and possibly get yelled at to get away. And the two broadcasters calling the game, who will sit in the stands among the fans, are encouraged to say what's on their minds. Which applies to Jesse ``The Body'' Ventura, the former wrestler turned Minnesota governor who'll be NBC's analyst on Saturday night games.

Advertising is already past 70 percent of inventory, said Ebersol, who added he is not aware of any sponsors who have shied away because of the content. AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Burger King and the Army are among those joining in. Ebersol said advertisers have been told to expect a rating of about 4.5, about 33 percent higher than NBA games averaged on NBC last season.

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Box: New league, new rules