- The XFL and USFL offered an addition of pro football during the spring
- Both leagues have failed to capture the imagination of most NFL fanatics
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Professional football’s spring slate could soon look a little different as the XFL and USFL consider becoming one before the 2024 season.
According to a Axios According to the report, the XFL – owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, among others – and the USFL, owned by FOX Corp., are in “advanced discussions” with a merger announced as feasible this week.
Should it come to fruition, the respective leagues would be equal in the union, with game broadcasting “likely split” between FOX and the XFL’s media partner, Disney.
The XFL and USFL may be looking for similar players, but there is no rivalry between the leagues.
Moving forward together in partnership makes sense to bring a better product as an alternative to the NFL offseason.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s XFL could merge with the USFL as soon as this week
The USFL and XFL aren’t exactly rivals, so a merger between the leagues makes sense
“We do not comment on rumors and speculation,” the XFL said in an email to Axios.
After the second iteration of the
And while the league returned this year and lasted the entire season, the league still has a long way to go before it is financially viable. Forbes reports it lost an estimated $60 million by 2023.
According to Forbes, about a quarter of the league’s revenue comes from ESPN, which pays the league $20 million in TV rights.
The league was first launched by WWE chief Vince McMahon in 2001, but only lasted one season.
The Rock’s involvement in the XFL stems from his own football experience.
Johnson played at the University of Miami from 1990 to 1994 and dreamed of going to the NFL, but dropped out before making the transition to wrestling.
“I needed the XFL because football didn’t end on my terms,” he said Forbes.
The XFL, according to a Forbes report. lost an estimated $60 million in the 2023 season
‘Football was the dream. Football would be the thing that I could buy my parents’ first house, and my mother could buy anything she wanted, he continued.
“And when that didn’t happen, it all came crashing down for me. And there was something psychological that I realized I hadn’t processed yet.”
The USFL started in its first incarnation in 1983 and existed as a rival until 1985 before folding. It returned in 2021 and the first season came the following year.