United Football League (2024)

This article is about the gridiron football league. For the soccer video game, see UFL (video game). For other uses, see UFL.

United Football League

Current season, competition or edition: 2025 UFL season
Classification	Spring football league
Sport	American football
Founded	December 31, 2023
First season	2024
Owner(s)	National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC [1] (Fox Corporation) (50%) XFL Properties LLC [2] (RedBird Capital Partners) (Dwayne Johnson) (Dany Garcia) (50%)
CEO	Russ Brandon
President	Russ Brandon
Motto	"If you like great football, you will love the UFL"
No. of teams	8
Country	United States
Headquarters	Centerfield Office Building Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Most recent champion(s)	Birmingham Stallions (1st title)
Most titles	Birmingham Stallions (1 title)
TV partner(s)	United States: ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 Fox/FS1 International: ESPN/Disney+ [a] Sportklub
Related competitions	Direct: XFL, USFL Affiliated: IFL Other: NFL, CFL
Official website	theUFL.com

The United Football League (UFL) is a professional American football high-level minor league which started play in March 2024. The league was created following the merger of the latest incarnations of the XFL and United States Football League (USFL). ^[3] It consists of eight teams, all of which were members of the XFL or USFL prior to the UFL's creation, concentrated in the Midwest and Southern United States. ^[4]

Background

Main articles: XFL (2020–2023) and United States Football League (2022–2023)

2020–2021

Main articles: 2020 XFL season, 2020 The Spring League Fall season, and 2021 The Spring League season

In 2017, Vince McMahon, who had previously launched the XFL in 2001 as a partnership with NBC Sports, registered a trademark for the United Football League name. ^[5] An unrelated United Football League, founded by Bill Hambrecht, had played four abbreviated seasons from 2009 to 2012. McMahon ultimately did not use the UFL trademark, as response to the ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary "This Was the XFL" in 2017 showed that the XFL brand was still viable, and in February 2020, McMahon relaunched the XFL with a similar business structure (though, unlike the 2001 XFL, operated as a sole proprietorship of McMahon's separate from his professional wrestling corporation, WWE) and an emphasis on speed and innovation. ^[6] The XFL, which was largely successful with its attendance and television ratings, was forced to shut down halfway through its 2020 season in March due to stay-at-home orders imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and declared bankruptcy in April. ^{[7] [8]} Later that year, McMahon sold the league to a consortium led by businesswoman Dany Garcia, Garcia's ex-husband and former WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson (also known as "The Rock"), and private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners. ^{[9] [10]} The XFL chose not to play a 2021 season (most gathering restrictions would not be lifted until spring of that year) and cancelled the 2022 season after partnership discussions with the Canadian Football League collapsed without any agreement in fall 2021. ^[11]

While the XFL was on hiatus, Fox Sports—which had been one of the XFL's broadcast partners along with ESPN in 2020—entered a partnership with Brian Woods, who had been operating The Spring League (TSL) as a non-paying, pay-to-play developmental showcase for professional players ^[12] under a single-campus bubble format ^[13] since 2017. The XFL had funded The Spring League's 2019 season to test rule changes and were holding discussions about a potential affiliation between the two leagues before the bankruptcy. ^[14] Fox aired the autumn 2020 and spring 2021 seasons of The Spring League. ^[15]

2022–2023

Main articles: 2022 USFL season, 2023 USFL season, and 2023 XFL season

Following the 2021 season, Woods and Fox announced they had acquired the trademarks of the original 1980s incarnation of the United States Football League and would be launching a reboot of the USFL in spring 2022. ^[16] The 2022 USFL season, though its eight teams nominally bore the names of eight former USFL franchises including their cities, continued to use the bubble format with all eight teams based in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 2022 season. ^[17] The playoffs were held in Canton, Ohio. ^[18] Woods eventually backed out of the USFL after the 2022 season. ^[19]

The XFL and USFL played separate, partially overlapping seasons in 2023, to roughly similar television viewership numbers. ^[20] The USFL expanded to four home cities, adding Memphis, Tennessee (backed by former Memphis Mad Dogs owner Fred Smith ^[21] ) and Detroit, Michigan, ^[22] to Birmingham and Canton, with each city hosting two teams, while the XFL moved three of its eight teams to new cities and held all eight teams' practices at a hub in Arlington, Texas. ^[23]

For the 2023 season, the USFL average viewership in 2023 was down 16% from its debut season to 601,000 and 3% lower than the 2023 XFL season, despite having 28 over-the-air network games compared to eight for the XFL. ^[20] The championship game also saw a significant decline in viewership from 2022 as the game averaged 1.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms. ^[24] USFL President Daryl Johnston expressed disappointment and anger that the USFL was comparable to the XFL in ratings for the 2023 season, dismissing the XFL as "no competition" to the "far superior" USFL and musing "to be on par with our competition from a ratings standpoint in Year 2, I'm still trying to figure out: How did that happen? (...) they're not even close." ^[20] The USFL was already seeking additional investors prior to the start of the 2023 season and had hired Allen & Company to assist in the search; Fox lost an unspecified amount of money on the venture in 2023 due to the high startup expenses for a professional football league. ^[25]

At the same time, the XFL lost nearly $60 million during the season after spending approximately $140 million in expenses over the course of the 2023 season and earning $80 million in gross revenue, including roughly $20 million that came from its broadcast contract with ESPN. ^{[26] [27]} Executives with the league and ESPN indicated that they considered the season a success. ^[28] Like the USFL, the XFL was also seeking additional investors with the assistance of PJT Partners. ^[29] After the season ended, the XFL made league-wide cuts affecting up to 30 people, including two marketing executives, and shifted other employees to seasonal work. ^{[30] [31]}

Both the USFL and XFL believed that the leagues could be independently viable in the long term even if they continued to compete against each other but, by the time of the 2023 USFL championship, they had decided that setting aside the business rivalry and merging the two leagues would be even more financially advantageous. ^[32]

History

XFL–USFL Merger

See also: 2024 UFL dispersal draft

In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons. ^[33] On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date. ^[34] The merger would also require regulatory approval. ^[35] In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League". ^[36] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a combined season to begin March 30, 2024. ^[37]

The merger was formally announced on Fox NFL Sunday on December 31, 2023. ^[38] The eight surviving teams were announced the following day on College GameDay , along with the alignment; the XFL and USFL will survive as separate conferences. ^[39] Daryl Johnston would note in February that maintaining the XFL and USFL conferences as separate entities was designed to build an on-field rivalry between the two brands and to give the winner of the league's championship "bragging rights." ^[40] President/CEO Russ Brandon would later say that the league would be looking at expansion shortly, ^[41] while Defenders defensive coordinator Gregg Williams revealed plans to expand to 12 teams by 2025 and to 16 teams by 2026. ^{[42] [43]} In a May 2024 interview, Johnston stated that he did not anticipate any relocations for 2025. ^[44]

2024 season

Main article: 2024 UFL season

The 2024 UFL season began on March 30, 2024, with a matchup between the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades and the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions. ^[38] It concluded with the 2024 UFL Championship Game between the Stallions and the San Antonio Brahmas on June 16.

The UFL exceeded internal expectations for the 2024 season, with Fox Sports executive Eric Shanks commenting that, though the league still lost money, it was "ahead of the expected pace" in terms of achieving self-sustenance. Television viewership rose substantially compared to the previous season as separate leagues, while ticket sales in most cities declined, prompting the league ownership to shift investment toward local ticket sales teams. ^[45]

2025 season

Main article: 2025 UFL season

The 2025 UFL season will begin on March 28, 2025 and will conclude with the 2025 UFL Championship Game on June 14. In November 2024, the UFL announced it was officially initiating a team expansion process, and was welcoming proposals from potential markets interested in professional spring football. ^{[46] [47] [48]}

Teams

See also: Timeline of the UFL

Four teams came from the XFL and three came from the USFL, while each league's Houston-based teams merged, maintaining the branding of the XFL's Roughnecks, and the divisional alignment, players rights and coaching staff of the USFL's Gamblers. ^{[38] [49]}

Overview of United Football League teams

Conference	Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity	First season	Head coach
USFL Conference	Birmingham Stallions	Birmingham, Alabama	Protective Stadium	47,100	2022	Skip Holtz
	Houston Roughnecks	Houston, Texas	TDECU Stadium	40,000	2022	Curtis Johnson
	Memphis Showboats	Memphis, Tennessee	Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium	58,325	2023	Ken Whisenhunt
	Michigan Panthers	Detroit, Michigan	Ford Field	65,000	2022	Mike Nolan
XFL Conference	Arlington Renegades	Arlington, Texas	Choctaw Stadium	25,000	2020	Bob Stoops
	DC Defenders	Washington, D.C.	Audi Field	20,000	2020	Reggie Barlow
	San Antonio Brahmas	San Antonio, Texas	Alamodome	64,000	2023	Wade Phillips
	St. Louis Battlehawks	St. Louis, Missouri	The Dome at America's Center	67,277	2020	Anthony Becht

Arlington

DC

Houston

Memphis

Michigan

Birmingham

San Antonio

St. Louis

class=notpageimage|

Locations of teams for the 2025 UFL season (USFL Conference in red, XFL Conference in blue)

Timeline

Players

Each team carries 75-men roster to training camp, then in the regular season rosters will cut down to 50 (45 active on game day). ^{[50] [51]} The minimum stay on injured reserve is five games, while season ending injured reserve designation guarantees player a camp invite the following season. ^[52]

While the UFL embraced more of a "developmental league" mentality, ^[53] they are also targeting veteran backup players, with Johnston saying: "there are a lot of guys who are at peace that their NFL window has closed, but they love the camaraderie of the locker room. They love the day-to-day grind... That's been the really inspiring thing to me, is there is a number of guys in our league who just love the game and want to keep playing it as long as they can. ^[54] Players that have three or four years in the NFL and want to kind of rewrite that narrative, the way that they’re being viewed by front office’s in the NFL, they want an opportunity to come into the UFL and change that narrative". ^[55] Johnston also mentioned that the league would like to change the narrative, from "developmental league" and starting to talk about the "sustainability of spring football": "I think one of the things that we’ve started to have conversations is what do we want our new messaging to be? We do want to move off of the developmental component. We want to get away from the opportunity component. We want to talk about the talent of the players that are in this league... (compare to) spring football that you have seen in other iterations, this will be the best talent that if you’re a fan of spring football, you will have seen in recent history". ^[56]

Unionization and compensation

Local 9004 of the United Steelworkers, which had served as the labor union for the USFL in 2023, continued in that capacity for the UFL for the 2024 season, operating as the United Football League Players Association. ^[57] (This is not to be confused with the United Football Players Association, which Local 9004 disowned during the 2023–24 offseason.) ^[58] The league will continue operating under the USFL's collective bargaining agreement. ^{[57] [59]}

Initial reports suggested that, contrary to the 2023 XFL season, quarterbacks would not be allowed to sign for salaries higher than the other positional players. ^{[60] [59]} However, the UFLPA later clarified that the agreement with the league is for minimum salary only, and any player could sign a personal contract above the minimum. ^[61] As late as January 2024, the league had resisted "pushback" from some of the higher-paid XFL quarterbacks to increase quarterbacks' salary, with Johnston at the time refusing to deviate from the plan to pay all players equally while acknowledging "there's a good argument for both sides. How do we manage this situation(...)? It's hard to thread that needle." ^[54]

Select XFL players, who had voted against joining the USW in 2023, expressed concern about the lack of winning bonuses (a key feature of the XFL's pay structure) and a requirement to pay union dues, ^[59] while some players decided not to return to the league, citing the pay cut as a contributing factor. ^[62] On an interview after the merger, Battlehawks QB AJ McCarron revealed that XFL players were in advanced talks with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) for exclusive representation. ^[62]

On August 12, 2024, the UFLPA announced that United Steelworkers had ceased representing UFL players. In a statement, the UFLPA recommended its members affiliate the UFLPA with an established union, strongly hinting not to affiliate with the United Football Players Association. ^[63] The UFPA stated that it had won an election to serve as the UFL's union on October 12. ^[64]

Salary

UFL players' minimum salaries will be $5,500 per week ($2,500 for inactive players) and $150 a week toward 401K contributions, with $400 a week house stipend and $55-a-day per diem stipend during travel days. All contracts will run from January 1 to August 24. During training camp, all players will receive $850 a week. Players on injured reserve will receive $2,500 a week (plus house stipend). UFL players will also be entitled for "players accolade bonuses" for Player of the week ($1,000), All UFL ($2,500), Player of the year ($5,000), and MVP ($7,500). ^[52] The overall league player budget is $24 million. ^[32]

Rules

Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino are in charge of the UFL's officiating and rules. ^{[41] [65]}

The league rulebook was released February 13, 2024. Though most of the UFL's unique rules were common to both the USFL and XFL (such as allowing a second forward pass if the first does not cross the line of scrimmage, and the treatment of a fumble through the end zone the same as other forward fumbles in that it is brought back to the spot of the fumble), a limited number required compromise or were changed entirely from both leagues' rules: ^{[66] [67] [68]}

• The league will use the USFL's kickoff rule, which resembles that used at most levels of the game but kicks off from the kicking team's 20-yard line instead of the 35-yard line used at the college and NFL levels at the time (as opposed to the XFL rule—also adopted by the NFL in 2024—which kicked off from the 30-yard line but had the opposing teams line up 35 and 40 yards downfield from the kick respectively and required the kicker to land the kick within 20 yards of the end zone without going in). ^{[69] [70]} A rule proposal would replace the kickoff with a punt, thereby resembling the safety kick at other levels of the game, but this rule did not make it into the rule book. ^[71]
• The onside conversion option will remain available, with a team trailing in the fourth quarter allowed to attempt a single scrimmage play to gain 12 yards from its own 28-yard line. (The XFL used 15 yards from its own 25-yard line; the USFL used 12 yards from its own 33-yard line.)
• Pass interference penalties will be limited to 15 yards from the previous line of scrimmage or the spot of the foul, whichever is less.
• The league will use the XFL's variable-distance conversion rule, offering one, two or three points depending upon how far away from the goal line the offense chooses to attempt the play, and prohibiting kicking for the extra point. (The USFL had allowed the two and three point scrimmage conversions but allowed for an extra point kick.)
• All touchbacks will come to the receiving team's 25-yard line. Any coffin corner punt that goes out of bounds beyond the 25-yard line will be treated as a touchback, a rule previously used in the XFL (though that league had used the 35-yard line for its touchbacks).
• The league will use the National Football League rule requiring a receiver to land both feet in bounds for a forward pass to be counted as complete. This was a change from both the XFL and USFL, along with most other professional leagues other than the NFL, that only required one foot in-bounds for a completed pass.
• The XFL overtime rule will be carried over, in that tie games will involve a best-of-three shootout of two-point conversion attempts from each 5-yard line. If the tie persists, multiple attempts will be played until one team scores, which wins it. One timeout can be called per attempt. The overtime has no game clock, but the play clock will still be used.

Partnerships

In February 2022, the XFL signed a collaboration agreement with the NFL to "experiment with proposed rules, test new equipment and develop prospective officials and coaches and explore new ways to address player safety". ^{[72] [73]} In October 2022, the XFL announced a player personnel partnership with the Indoor Football League (IFL), with the IFL functioning as the XFL's de facto minor league. ^[74]

In 2023, Dwayne Johnson said that "the XFL specifically designed its schedule to give its players the best chance of latching on with an NFL team in May", ^[75] while Gerry Cardinale stated that "the minor league analogy is valid, that's an important part of this." ^[76] After the merger, UFL Executive VP of Football Operations Daryl Johnston refuted the notion of a "minor-league" when he said in an interview: "I don’t want to be considered a developmental league or a feeder league. We’re a professional, stand-alone football league", but he also acknowledged the importance of an NFL partnership: "the number of people we have at the top of our league office that have connections to the NFL, I’m hoping we’re able to accelerate that process and have meaningful conversations with the NFL about what our league can provide (...) What we’re trying to do is maximize the talent and quality of play in our league. One way we can do that is having access to guys who are in the NFL, on that fringe, on that cusp". ^[4] It was later announced that the XFL's previous agreement with the NFL would continue for the 2024 UFL season. ^[41]

Records

All-time UFL leaders
Leader	Player	Team	Record	Year Accomplished
Passing Yards	Luis Perez	Arlington Renegades	2,309 passing yards	2024
Passing Touchdowns	Luis Perez	Arlington Renegades	18 passing touchdowns	2024
Rushing Yards	Adrian Martinez	Birmingham Stallions	528 rushing yards	2024
Rushing Touchdowns	Ricky Person Jr.	Birmingham Stallions	6 rushing touchdowns	2024
Receiving Yards	Hakeem Butler	St. Louis Battlehawks	652 receiving yards	2024
Receiving Touchdowns	Sal Cannella	Arlington Renegades	6 receiving touchdowns	2024
Receptions	Jontre Kirklin Justin Hall	San Antonio Brahmas Houston Roughnecks	56 receptions	2024
Tackles	Willie Harvey	St. Louis Battlehawks	78 tackles	2024
Sacks	Breeland Speaks	Michigan Panthers	9.5 sacks	2024
Interceptions	A. J. Thomas Markel Roby Kai Nacua Kameron Kelly	Birmingham Stallions Houston Roughnecks Michigan Panthers St. Louis Battlehawks	3 interceptions	2024
Coaching wins	Skip Holtz	Birmingham Stallions	9 wins	2024

UFL Attendance Records [77]
Year	Week	Team	Attendance
2024	2	St. Louis Battlehawks	40,317
2024	10	St. Louis Battlehawks	34,379
2024	6	St. Louis Battlehawks	32,969
2024	8	St. Louis Battlehawks	32,403
2024	4	St. Louis Battlehawks	31,757
2024	Conference Finals	St. Louis Battlehawks	30,237
2024	Championship	UFL Championship in St. Louis	27,396
2024	5	DC Defenders	16,058
2024	2	DC Defenders	15,052
2024	6	DC Defenders	14,303

League finances

The league was created as a "merger of equals", with the respective leagues' owners assuming 50% ownership of the newly formed UFL ^[78] and The Walt Disney Company also holding a minority stake. ^[32] RedBird Capital Partners owner Gerry Cardinale called it "a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique. A legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country after the big four leagues". ^[79] In the event that the league, in the future, begins accepting individual team owners, it stated in 2024 that it would follow the Major League Soccer business model of buyers buying into the league itself and not separating the teams into individual business entities. ^{[32] [45]} The league's ownership partners each provide "business services" to the league at no nominal charge to save costs. ^[45]

In March, 2024, Under Armour announced they extended the multi-year agreement signed in 2023 with the XFL. ^[80] Later that month, Michael Strahan's MSX brand was announced as the "Official Off-Field Apparel Partner". ^[81] Other UFL's sponsors include: Westgate Resorts, Progressive Insurance, PepsiCo (Gatorade), The Coca-Cola Company (Simply Spiked), CBD Kratom, and Molson Coors. Johnson and Garcia also use the league to promote their own brands, Teremana Tequila and ZOA Energy Drink. ^[82] On April 6, 2024 the league announced a partnership with the United States Army, ^[83] who paid an estimated $10 million for jersey patch sponsorship and other promotional considerations. ^[84] In April Upper Deck announced they'll release "2024 UFL Game Dated Moments Cards". ^[85]

Personnel

• Dany Garcia: Chairwoman
• Russ Brandon: President/Chief Executive Officer
• Daryl Johnston: Executive Vice President of Football Operations
• Doug Whaley: Senior Vice President of Player Personnel
• Russ Giglio: Senior Director, Player Administration and Officiating Operations
• Jim Popp: Director of Player Administration
• Eric Shanks: Representative of Fox Corporation

Source ^[86]

Broadcasting

In the United States, the television rights for the UFL are held by Fox and ESPN, which held the rights to the USFL and XFL, respectively. ^{[87] [88] [89]} NBC Sports, which had shared broadcast rights to the USFL with Fox Sports in 2022 and 2023, will not carry UFL games due to an increase in schedule conflicts, stemming from the proposed start date being slightly earlier than 2022 and 2023. ^[90] There had been one year remaining on NBC's contract. ^[91] ESPN will also air a weekly multi-platform post-game show. ^[92] Both ESPN and Fox will carry audio simulcasts of their coverage on their Sirius XM Radio feeds, ESPN Xtra and Fox Sports Radio, respectively. ^[93]

Beginning in the 2025 season, Fox will include the UFL as a permanent part of its Friday night schedule. ^{[94] [95]}

Champions

UFL Champions

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Score	Stadium	Location	MVP	Attendance	Network	Viewership
June 16, 2024	Birmingham Stallions	25	San Antonio Brahmas	0	The Dome at America's Center	St. Louis, Missouri	Adrian Martinez	27,396	Fox	1.60 million

Notes

Informational notes

1. Spanish audio/broadcast

References

1. "USFL, BJCC reach tentative MOU to bring relaunch season to Birmingham". AL.com. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
2. Perry, Mark (August 3, 2020). "More Details On The Rock Purchase Of The XFL, How Many Bidders". XFL News Hub. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
3. "UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE ("UFL") SET TO LAUNCH AS THE PREMIER SPRING FOOTBALL LEAGUE". theufl.com (Press release). December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
4. Schneider, Joey (January 3, 2024). "'St. Louis was all in' – UFL leader Daryl Johnston speaks on Battlehawks and new merger". FOX 2. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
5. Bixenspan, David (December 19, 2017). "Timing Of Trademarks Suggests "New XFL" May Be A Response To NFL Protests". Deadspin.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
6. Silverstein, Adam (December 16, 2017). "Will the XFL actually be making a return? WWE is not exactly denying the rumors". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
7. Florio, Mike (March 13, 2020). "XFL will release to NFL or CFL players with a "credible contractual offer" – ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
8. "XFL suspends all operations, lays off employees". ESPN. April 10, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
9. Millitzer, Joe (August 3, 2020). "XFL purchased by a group including Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson". Fox 2 Now. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
10. Seifert, Kevin (August 3, 2020). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, investor group agree to buy XFL for $15M". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
11. Seifert, Kevin (July 7, 2021). "XFL planning 2023 return after talks on partnership with CFL tabled". ESPN . Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021. The XFL announced on Wednesday that it is planning to relaunch in 2023 after talks with the Canadian Football League about collaboration between the two leagues were tabled.
12. Davis, Josh (November 13, 2020). "The Spring League Week 3: Coaching Changes, COVID, Rumors Addressed". XFL News Hub.
13. "The Spring League will be first to use bubble concept in football for October tournament in Las Vegas". August 11, 2020.
14. "Unique Revenue Streams, Elimination of Costly Expenditures Keys to The Spring League's Success". Sports Illustrated. John Wall Street. Maven. July 30, 2019. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
15. Casselberry, Ian (October 2, 2020). "Fox Sports will televise The Spring League football games this fall".
16. Marchand, Andrew (June 3, 2021). "The USFL is officially back".
17. Johnson, Roy (January 18, 2022). "USFL announce plans for inaugural season in Birmingham". AL.com.
18. "USFL announces inaugural playoffs, championship game in Canton, Ohio". FOX Sports. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
19. Fedotin, Jeff. "Former Dallas Cowboys Star Daryl Johnston Is New USFL President". Forbes. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
20. Fischer, Ben (June 30, 2023). "USFL baffled by TV viewership drop ahead of championship game". Sports Business Journal.
21. Davis, Corey (November 15, 2022). "Local leaders: Why USFL Memphis Showboats' return could boost Memphis' economy". American City Business Journals. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
22. "'Too good an opportunity': USFL explains move to Detroit, Ford Field". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
23. Williams, Madison. "Report: XFL Assigns Coaches to Franchises for 2023 Season". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
24. "USFL 2023 Championship Game TV Rating Sees Significant Decline In Viewership From 2022". usflnewshub.com. July 5, 2023.
25. Kosman, Josh (June 28, 2022). "Fox's USFL seeking outside investor to help fund expansion: sources". NY Post .
26. Young, Jabari (June 10, 2023). "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Says The XFL Will Succeed. Who Wants To Tell Him He's Wrong?". forbes.com.
27. "Report: XFL Loses Nearly $60 Million This Season". yahoo.com. June 12, 2023.
28. Shea, Bill (May 16, 2023). "XFL title game TV viewership sluggish, but ESPN says season met expectations". theathletic.com.
29. Coffey, Brendan; Soshnick, Scott (August 8, 2022). "XFL Seeking New Equity Investors, Retains PJT Partners For Search". sportico.com. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
30. "Exclusive: Major Changes in XFL As League Makes Widespread Cuts". xflnewshub.com. May 30, 2023.
31. Keeley, Sean (June 15, 2023). "The Rock refutes Andrew Marchand's report on ESPN's XFL rights fees". Awful Announcing. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
32. Fischer, Ben (March 25, 2024). "UFL combines forces to tackle spring football opportunity". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
33. Baysinger, Tim; Primack, Dan; Fischer, Sara (September 19, 2023). "Scoop: Football leagues XFL and USFL in merger talks". Axios. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
34. TSN ca Staff (September 28, 2023). "XFL, United States Football League announce intention to merge". TSN. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
35. Schad, Tom (September 28, 2023). "XFL, USFL confirm intention to merge into single spring football league". USA Today. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
36. Moyle, Nick (October 18, 2023). "XFL files trademark applications for 'United Football League' and 'UFL'". San Antonio Express-News.
37. "We are pleased to have completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement and will share more about this new League in the coming weeks". Instagram.
38. Russell, Jake (December 31, 2023). "XFL, USFL announce merger to form the United Football League". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
39. UFL reveals team markets and head coaches for 2024 season press release.
40. Stansell, Jake (February 9, 2024). "Stallions hold social event at Protective Stadium ahead of upcoming UFL season". WBRC . Retrieved February 10, 2024.
41. "UFL President Reveals League's Future Plans, Schedule, Vision". SI.com. January 4, 2024.
42. "Defenders Greg Williams Talks UFL Expansion In 2025, DC Ticket Demand". UFL News Hub. March 16, 2024.
43. "UFL 2025: Number Of Teams, Start Dates, and Behind-the-Scenes Updates". UFL News Hub. May 20, 2024.
44. Infield, Matt (May 24, 2024). "Moose Johnston says Showboats likely to return to Memphis next season". WMC-TV . Retrieved May 25, 2024.
45. Cahillane, Mollie; Fischer, Ben (June 21, 2024). "UFL's first season provides a building block". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
46. Mitchell, Mike (November 25, 2024). "UFL 2025: Make or Break Season for Spring Pro Football's Staying Power". SI.com.
47. Perry, Mark (November 26, 2024). "United Football League Launches Expansion Process for New Team Markets". UFL News Hub.
48. Perry, Mark (November 27, 2024). "UFL Expansion: Seattle Leads 10 Markets Eyeing 2026 Entry". UFL News Hub.
49. "United Football League reveals team markets and head coaches for 2024 season". theufl.com, January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
50. "United Football League 2024 Training Camp Details". SI.com. February 16, 2024.
51. "Around The UFL: Training Camp News". SI.com. February 27, 2024.
52. "Revisiting UFLPA's negotiated contract details for 2024". UFLBoard. March 5, 2024.
53. "UFL's Russ Brandon on Naysayers, United Football Leagues Ownership & More". UFL News Hub. March 24, 2024.
54. Seifert, Kevin (February 24, 2024). "Welcome to the UFL! Laying out the new(ish) league heading into the 2024 season". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
55. "With the merger, Daryl Johnston sees strength and depth in the new UFL". UFLBoard. March 17, 2024.
56. "UFL VP Daryl Johnston Talks UFL Messaging, Kick Off, Logistical Challenges, Betting & More". UFL News Hub. March 24, 2024.
57. "UFL Launches UFLPA: New Era of Player Representation, Adopts USFL-USW CBA". UFL News Hub. January 27, 2024.
58. "UFPA And The United Steelworkers Drop Partnership As XFL-USFL Merger Looms". XFL News Hub. December 30, 2023.
59. "AJ McCarron Unsure About Playing for UFL, St. Louis Battlehawks". SI.com. January 31, 2024.
60. "D.C. Defenders Breakdown: Jordan Ta'amu Fate, Changes, Dispersal Draft Options". SI.com. January 5, 2024.
61. "x.com".
62. "QB AJ McCarron Unveils UFL Challenges: Player Pay, Union, Will He Come Back". UFL News Hub. January 31, 2024.
63. USW Withdrawal from UFL. United Football League Players Association. News release. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
64. Larsen, James (October 11, 2024). "UFPA Officially Voted In As UFL's Player Union For 2025". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
65. "UFL League Rules: NFL Testing Ground Through Spring Football". SI.com. January 12, 2024.
66. "United Football League Rules for 2024 Announced". www.theufl.com. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
67. "An in-depth look at the UFL rules: Similarities, differences from the XFL, USFL, and more (part one)". UFLBoard. February 17, 2024.
68. "An in-depth look at the UFL rules: Similarities, differences from the XFL, USFL, and more (part two)". UFLBoard. February 20, 2024.
69. "UFL Head Coaches Looking for Distance in Kickoffs". UFLBoard. March 14, 2024.
70. Palermo, Gregg (January 16, 2024). "Expect a McCarron decision on a Battlehawks return in next two weeks". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
71. "Panthers Mike Nolan Talks UFL Evolution, Rules Next Week, and More". UFL News Hub. January 26, 2024.
72. Seifert, Kevin (February 21, 2022). "XFL to be 'petri dish' for football innovation, prospect development as part of partnership agreement with NFL". ESPN.
73. "RedBird Capital Partners' Gerry Cardinale Talks XFL-NFL Partnership, Future Of XFL". XFL News Hub. April 8, 2022.
74. "XFL & IFL Announce Player Personnel Partnership" (Press release). XFL. October 12, 2022.
75. "XFL owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson take stock at season's midway point". USA Today. March 27, 202.
76. "Why this time might be different for the XFL". Axios . March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
77. "UFL Attendance". UFL News and Discussion. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
78. "Common Cents! UFL Born Out Of Financial Reckoning For Both USFL, XFL". SI.com. January 14, 2024.
79. "Newly Formed UFL Draws Equally From USFL-XFL Merger". Front Office Sports. January 2, 2024.
80. "UFL and Under Armour Announce Partnership for 2024". UFL. March 8, 2024.
81. "MSX by Michael Strahan Named Official Off-field Apparel Partner of the UFL". UFL. March 13, 2024.
82. "Blue Chip Companies Commit To Innovating And Unleashing Football's Power With UFL Partnerships". UFL. March 26, 2024.
83. "U.S. Army Becomes the Presenting Partner of the UFL". The UFL. April 6, 2024.
84. Crupi, Anthony (April 12, 2024). "Spirit of St. Louis: UFL's Battlehawks Are Proof of League's Concept". Sportico.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
85. "Upper Desk Announces 2024 UFL Game Dated Moments Cards". UFL News Hub. April 7, 2024.
86. "Moose Johnston will serve as executive V.P. of football operations with UFL". NBC Sports. January 2, 2024.
87. Seifert, Kevin (December 31, 2023). "Merged XFL-USFL to be rebranded as United Football League". ESPN.
88. Steinberg, Brian (May 17, 2022). "Disney Strikes Deal to Put XFL on ESPN, FX, ABC". Variety. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
89. Shea, Bill (March 22, 2023). "XFL midseason TV report card: Ratings have dropped, but is a rebound ahead?". The Athletic.
90. "NBC won't carry USFL, XFL games". Sports Business Journal. December 5, 2023.
91. Ourand, John (December 15, 2021). "USFL adds NBC as rights holder for when games start in early '22". Sports Business Journal.
92. "ESPN To Expand UFL 2024 Coverage with Weekly Multi-Platform Show". SI.com. March 14, 2024.
93. "UFL Games to Air Nationwide on SiriusXM". www.theufl.com. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
94. Andreeva, Nellie (May 13, 2024). "Fox Fall 2024 Schedule: 'Lone Star' Succeeds '9-1-1', 'The Floor' Moves, 'Family Guy' Among 8 Scripted Series Held For Midseason". Deadline. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
95. "Report: Friday Night UFL Games On FOX in 2025". May 13, 2024. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024.

External links

• Official website