MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: CLOSE GAMES, RAVE REVIEWS

An amazing nine of the 12 NFL Monday Night Football games this year have been decided in the game’s final minutes, and all nine by seven points or less. The MNF thrillers have included two overtime games: the Jets’ 40-37 comeback win against the Dolphins (10/23), and ANTONIO FREEMAN’s miracle catch in sudden death to help the Packers defeat the Vikings 26-20 (11/6). The games are receiving media raves: "The Monday night magic is back. Monday Night Football has again become must-see TV. Start to finish" – CNN/Sports Illustrated; "The show has regained its status as a television event. Miss the last play this year, and you’ve missed the most crucial talking point around the water cooler. Monday Night Football is still king of regular-season event-style sports" – FOXSportsBiz.com; "Monday Night Football is on a remarkable roll" – Kansas City Star; "ABC has had an NFL season for the ages" – USA Today. Monday Night Football consistently ranks in the top 10 of prime-time television programs.

NFL.COM MOVES TO NO. 2; NFLHS.COM’S HITS UP…REALLY UP!

NFL.com, the league’s official web site, has become the second most popular sports site on the Internet, according to Media Metrix. In October, the NFL Internet Network pulled in 6.4 million unique visitors, ranking it behind only ESPN.com (7.1 million) as the most visited sports web site. The No. 2 ranking is especially impressive because NFL.com is a single-sport site, while ESPN.com and CBS SportsLine.com, No. 3 (6.1 million), are all-sports sites……And think high school football players, and those interested in the sport, have "hit" upon a web site that suits their interests perfectly? The number of hits on NFLHS.com between September of 1999, when the site debuted, and September of this year increased by 8,000 percent – from 80,284 in September, 1999 to 6,583,741 in September, 2000.

40 YEARS WITH ELIAS

The NFL and the Elias Sports Bureau – the league’s official statistician – are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their association. Every sports fanatic today knows Elias. But 40 years ago, says its president, SEYMOUR SIWOFF, business was "just OK." Then newly-named NFL Commissioner PETE ROZELLE asked Siwoff if his company would keep the league’s statistics. The arrangement gave the firm the stability it needed. Seven years later, as Siwoff tells the story, he is in Los Angeles at Super Bowl I ready to do the game’s statistics, when he is approached by RAY ROZELLE, the Commissioner’s father. "I’ll never forget what he said," says Seymour. "‘I want to thank you for helping my son.’ Me helping his son!? Can you imagine that? The Rozelle name will always be spelled C-L-A-S-S!"