The XFL and the United States Football League (USFL) announced their intentions to merge into a single league, according to a press release.
More info linked below: https://t.co/R7t3qTjX4D pic.twitter.com/hYkKxRhOVA
— XFL (@XFL2023) September 28, 2023
The deal is pending regulatory approval, per the statement.
“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,” the statement said.
More details will be announced “at a later date,” per the release.
The USFL announced the merger in their own release.
Today’s announcement that the USFL and XFL officially intend to merge: pic.twitter.com/p8Yoo9A7rv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 28, 2023
“We are extremely proud of what we have built over the past two seasons,” the league said in a letter to their players. “We have shown that the professional spring football model can work — and, in many ways, have done what many football and business minds thought was impossible. The USFL became the first spring league at scale in approximately 40 years to come back and play a second season.”
The USFL, owned by Fox Sports, was seeking investment to expand into more markets, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: Is It Worth Getting The Sh*t Kicked Out Of You For An XFL Salary?)
The Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-owned XFL has struggled to gain viewership in a saturated content market. They’ve served as more of a feeder system to the NFL rather than a competitor.
The NFL averages over 16 million views a game, while both the XFL and the USFL barely cracked three million in their highest viewed games.
The two will now combine and potentially stop competing for viewership, giving fans a chance to watch football in the NFL offseason and giving more athletes a chance to showcase their skills and keep their dreams alive.