There will only be one spring professional football league next year. On Thursday, the XFL and USFL announced that the two leagues will merge and begin play next year. In a joint statement, the XFL and USFL said the merger will be subject to customary regulatory approvals.
“If the transaction is consummated, the new league will establish best-in-class operations based on the most recent seasons of both leagues,” the leagues said. “This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together.”
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Last week, Axios (per Front Office Sports) reported that the XFL and USFL were in “advance talks” to merge. The XFL, owned by Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners, returned to play this past spring after shutting down operations during the 2020 season. It was reported that the league lost $60 million in its first season, but Forbes said the league expects to make $100 million in revenue next year. The USFL, owned by Fox began play in 2022 with a commitment of $150 million over the next three years.
Viewership for both leagues averaged more than 600,000 viewers per game. The XFL’s championship drew 1.4 million while the USFL’s title game earned 1.2 million. Both leagues featured eight teams, and it’s not clear if all the teams will return or if new teams will be added.
In an interview with GQ Sports in May, Johnson revealed the most surprising thing he experienced in his first season as co-owner of the XFL. “With this kind of thing, you never know how it’s going to work out. So that opening weekend—when we bounced around from city to city, state to state—from the moment we went to that first game, my hope was that the fans were gonna come with energy, that they were excited,” Johnson said.
“But at the same time, the reality was that this was all new to the fans. These players are new. They’re not big stars. The fans don’t know who they are. This version of the league is new, the teams are new, the colors are new, everything is brand new. You’re coming a week after the Super Bowl. Is there football fatigue? Historically, spring football hasn’t worked out over the years. So I wasn’t sure what we were gonna walk into. And brother, from that first game…I was at the first game, and I remember sitting on the sidelines going, ‘Holy s—, this feels like there are 100,000 people here.” And then we ended up in DC for our final opening weekend game on Sunday night, and that place was f—ing rocking!”
