The Last Chance For Spring Football? And Fare Thee Well, USFL Stans
Fit To Speak: From The Archives Host Eugene Obah provides the last word before today's launch of the UFL
We are now (as of the time of publishing) a mere minutes away from the UFL launching—not to be confused with the UFL of lore—which is the result of two spring football leagues (the XFL and USFL) merging. One league was successful, the other, in the words of Borat, not so much. More on that in a bit, but first, a question:
Will this latest attempt at spring football being a thing in the United States be successful and sustainable?
Put another way, is this the last chance for spring football after decades of attempts domestically that have not advanced past three consecutive seasons?
That answer, in my judgment, is yes.
Why?
Spring football, as alluded to earlier on, and as correctly pointed out today by Mike Florio, is not exactly a novel concept for viewing audiences. In fact, taking JUST every high-profile, at scale, nationally televised spring league alone since 2019:
2019: AAF (did not complete their season, folded)
2020: XFL (COVID-shortened season, folded, later purchased out of bankruptcy by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia and Redbird Capital)
2022: USFL (completed their first season)
February 2023: XFL (completed their first season since the original XFL in 2001)
April 2023: USFL (completed their second season, merged with XFL)
There have been 4.5 seasons of spring football in that span. The point of difference at this juncture is that in order to attract viewers and bring long-term success (not to mention long-term profitability), the intangibles and optics have to be close to 100% perfect as possible. Intangibles matter. Optics matter. The AAF had the intangibles, but the optics—and the money—went south. The XFL, with its fan engagement, crowds—crowds—attitude and overall feel, got both right by and large in its COVID-truncated 2020 iteration and 2023 seasons, particularly with younger viewers. Many will point to the $60M loss last year, but anybody with even rudimentary business knowledge knows that startups are going to lose money. Even half of the teams in Major League Soccer—a league founded in the early ‘90s—are not profitable.
The USFL, by contrast, got neither the intangibles nor optics right in anything outside of the gridiron for reasons I enumerated in multiple editions of Fit To Speak, which you are welcome to watch here (and here and here). The Reader’s Digest version is that, besides the fact that far more individuals attended Jeb Bush campaign rallies than most games, which was not helped by the league’s hub model—which, had the UFL implemented such a model, would be dead on arrival—and that the now former league, especially in cable, was far below the XFL’s ratings, the USFL’s overall presentation was probably best served for somnologists looking to prescribe non-medicinal remedies for their patients.
Indeed, it was jarring to look at the crowds for the DC Defenders at Audi Field to later come home to most USFL games where empty bleachers masqueraded as fans. Add to the fact that the USFL championship game was beaten in the key 18-49 demo by the XFL Championship and reruns—reruns—of America’s Funniest Home Videos—the USFL was, as an overall sports package, unappealing to most casual fans, and the vinegar-like messaging last year did not exactly help the cause (it also was, evidently unappealing to NBC who backed out of a three-year deal).
Speaking of vinegary messaging, I received a LOT of incoming over the past two years from USFL stans, shock jocks and paid corporate shills on Twitter—er, sorry Elon, X—most notably one who not only bizarrely sent Morton Salt GIFs days after I questioned the nonsensical claims about advertising make-goods during the XFL Championship (never mind the fact the Championship had higher ratings than the USFL). That particular lackey just so happens to host a radio program for the FOX affiliate in a top 10 market that did not make the merger—not that the team, like nearly all the USFL teams, even played in said market (then again, you and I know that FOX and truth are not exactly winning combinations).
Much of the USFL-centered stenographers media, including the aforementioned Morton Salt GIF shock jock, along with most of the other scolds—including one who believed I somehow was wildin’ (I wish I was making this up) for merely pointing out that Daryl “Moose” Johnston, now EVP of Football Operations for the UFL, was not among those pictured last year at a joint ownership meeting with Congress—not only got the news and details of the merger wrong (one egregious example stating that somehow, all eight USFL teams and just four XFL teams would be part of the merger), but they represent a level of breathtaking delusion unlike anything seen in the history of professional sports in the United States. In fact, the level of insanity was so bad from my observation that much of the fanbase of the Philadelphia Eagles are tame by comparison.
I am one of those people who believes that spring football can work in the United States, but it does not mean blind support. I liken it to a job interview; just like you would not wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt, the leagues have to put their best foot forward to attract audiences, especially younger audiences. I keep going back to intangibles and optics. Established leagues like the NFL with teams playing in front of (next to) no fans? They have over 100 years of runway. Nascent ones? Again, to quote Borat, not so much. Yes, the product on the field, especially at quarterback, also has to be great, and with the consolidation of teams, the talent level should, at least on paper, be much stronger, but it is really the intangibles and optics that make the difference, which is where the bulk of my critiques were on the program.
I wish the USFL, for the cause of spring football, did put its best foot forward during its run, but it did not. Its best was not good enough; the mere criticism of the USFL on X sent most people in a tizzy, and it is one of many things about the league and most of its fans that I absolutely will not miss. While I have indeed been less than charitable about the USFL as a product, I will say that one thing they did get right, which is reflected in the merger, is the relative consistency of scheduling, which, like the NFL, makes it very easy for casual fans to latch onto. The added benefit with FOX’s presence? More games are available over-the-air than just with ABC, which should help exposure. But other than those details and the three added markets in Birmingham, Detroit and Memphis, the USFL, as I mentioned in this article, adds very little value to the merger—and that’s actually being charitable.
Even their kickoff was only added to placate the diehards, and it is a pity that the games starting later today will not have the innovative kickoff that helped define the XFL, and set the tone. The only comfort is that with the NFL implementing the kickoff that the XFL had in 2020 and 2023–and the European League of Football is using—its only a matter of time before the UFL adopts it (not to mention college football and other levels of the game).
I truly look forward to seeing how everything shakes out. But if this latest iteration fails to capture the imagination of the public, especially with this merger, two networks and all that comes with it, then we can safely conclude that the fork should be stuck into spring football in the States for good.
And with me (and NBC) bidding adieu to the USFL and their stans…
Spring just got stronger.