Two football leagues near merger to battle NFL supremacy
The XFL and USFL are in advanced talks to merge operations, according to Axios. According to the report, the leagues look to combine before the 2024 season. NFL alternative leagues have a history of failure, and a merger could be the best bet for both leagues to find success in spring football ratings.
The XFL was purchased in 2020 by an ownership group that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. USFL is owned by FOX Corp. A source told Axios that post-merge broadcasts would be split between FOX and XFL’s media partner, Disney.
The XFL was first founded in 2001 by WWE chairman Vince McMahon, but lasted just a season. McMahon announced a relaunch of the league in 2018, but it only lasted five weeks in its inaugural 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The XFL returned to play in Feb.
2023, but at that point another NFL alternative had hit the market: the USFL. A previous incarnation of the USFL operated from 1983 to 1985, and it returned in the spring of 2022. Both leagues operate eight teams across the United States.
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