Come on … you knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?
I mean when you think about it, the planned merger of United States Football League 2.0 and XFL 3.0 is the only outcome that makes sense. It was going to be hard enough for one spring professional football league to have long-term sustainability. But two?
That was never going to work.
They aren’t married yet – and they have to work through the prenup – but they did show off their engagement rings via a dual press release on Thursday:
Today, the United States Football League (“USFL”) and the XFL announced their intention to merge.
Subject to customary regulatory approvals and if the transaction is consummated, the new league will establish best-in-class operations based on the most recent seasons of both leagues. 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.
More details regarding the new league will be announced at a later date.
Ah yes … details. That’s what we all want.
Sadly, I don’t have any for you because I’m not an insider. I get press releases from both leagues and showed up for USFL media availabilities and games in Birmingham last year, but I didn’t cozy up to sources.
I stopped getting paid to chase stories when I retired from the newspaper business back in 2017, and no longer have the energy or inclination to do it. Translation: If you’re looking for a scoop, I’m afraid you’ll need to look elsewhere.
That being the case, I’m quite content to sit back and wait and see what happens, although it is kinda fun to envision where all this is headed.
And in a perfect world, it would be a full merger with eight teams from the USFL and eight from the XFL.
Spoiler alert: it’s not a perfect world.
Those supposedly in the know are all over the map as to what the new league will look like; many are suggesting 12 teams will move forward in 2024 with four getting the ax.
One thing that seems obvious on the surface is that either the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL or Houston Gamblers of the USFL will have to go. Two teams in Space City are one too many in a spring league.
Unlike the USFL club, however, the Roughnecks have actually played in Houston. The Gamblers spent their first season in Birmingham and second in Memphis.
Speaking of that …
I hope the combined league will get rid of the hubs.
Yeah, yeah, yeah … it’s financially responsible and allowed the USFL to walk into living rooms before it ran into more markets, first with one hub (Birmingham) and then with four (Birmingham, Canton, Detroit and Memphis). And for two years, the FOX-funded circuit has been as much a TV show as a sports league, so their approach was smart.
But going into year three, I think it’s time to play where your potential fans live.
And if hubs go away, I would guess supporters of the Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers might be worried those teams might go away, too, since they’ve never once played in the cities they rep.
Canton was “home” to the Generals and Maulers last season, and 2024 ticket deposits are already being taken for Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. So maybe it’s time for a modern version of the Canton Bulldogs to make their pro football debut in the … what should we call it?
National Spring Football League is getting the most buzz, and it seems logical. The USFL is owned by National Spring Football League Enterprises Co, LLC, and a trademark for that name has been filed.
I’d be fine with that because, honestly, I hoped the USFL reboot was going to be called something else back in 2022. I’m one of those “get off my lawn!” types who prefers that the United States Football League of 1983-85 is allowed to rest in peace.
And I’ll never understand the obsession with digging up the XFL brand over and over.
The NSFL is as good an acronym as any.
When it comes to rules, those of the USFL and XFL were fairly similar overall, with things like tiered (one, two and three-point) conversions, double forward passes, overtime “shootouts” and a scrimmage play that can be called in place of an onside kick. The USFL did have a traditional kick option for a single extra point, which I like better than the all run-or-pass choices in the XFL.
On the other hand, I hope the XFL’s kickoff rule is adopted.
The placekicker kicks off from his 25-yard line and the ball must be in the air and in play between the opponent’s 20-yard line and the end zone. The coverage team lines up on the receiving team’s 35-yard line with the return team stationed five yards away on the 30.
Each team has three players outside the hash marks on both sides of the ball and can’t move until the ball is caught by the returner.
The USFL’s was good, too (kickoffs from the 20, with kicking team members lined up one yard back and stationary until the ball is kicked to the receiving team that has eight or nine players set up between their own 30 and 40), but this is better.
I doubt the competition committee will start from scratch, so I imagine what we see in 2024 will be mostly familiar. (As a guy who loves a good gimmick, I still long for defensive scores where a team gets one point for an interception, recovered fumble or turnover on downs).
Whatever the case, I’m quite interested in how all this plays out in terms of TV coverage, number of games on the schedule, start of season, etc. And based on the executive structure of the league, we should find out fairly soon whether this was a traditional merger of equals or an absorption.
If we don’t see Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia at every photo op, we’ll know the USFL held the upper hand.
Most important of all, I think this gives organized minor league football its best path forward. There are many obstacles to overcome, but hopefully it can grow into a viable developmental/experimental outlet for the NFL.
May the marriage be a long and happy one.