121-528: United Football League (2024–present) The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (UFL) . The team was founded by Vince McMahon ’s Alpha Entertainment and is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson 's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation . The Defenders play their home games at Audi Field . The Defenders have
242-604: A New Orleans antiques dealer, who would be instrumental in bringing the New Orleans Saints (and building their current home stadium, the Superdome ) to his hometown, began to envision football as a possible spring and summer sport. This was not the first time the United States Football League name was used; there had been a previous, short lived attempt in 1945 to start up a league with that name. Over
363-593: A combined season to begin March 30, 2024. The merger was formally announced on Fox NFL Sunday on December 31, 2023. 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 . 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
484-562: A trademark for the United Football League name. 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
605-459: A contract with one major network. The lawyer for the USFL, Harvey Myerson, had what he felt were three " smoking guns ". All but one of the league's 28 teams was named as a co-defendant. Al Davis , owner of the then- Los Angeles Raiders , was a major witness for the USFL and his team had been excluded from the lawsuit in exchange for his testimony. ABC Sports' Howard Cosell was also a key witness for
726-538: A fall season in 1986. Tampa Bay Bandits owner John F. Bassett , who had registered one of the two "nay" votes, declared his intention to pull his team out of the USFL and organize a new spring football league. However, failing health (he died from cancer in May 1986) forced Bassett to abandon his plans and sell the Bandits to minor partner Lee Scarfone, who agreed to keep the franchise in the USFL. The spring advocates had lost, and
847-509: A handful of USFL franchises abided by the Dixon Plan and were relatively stable, others suffered repeated financial crises, and there were many franchise relocations, mergers, and ownership changes during the league's short existence; however, none of its teams actually folded during any given season. These problems were worsened as some owners began engaging in bidding wars for star players against NFL teams and each other, forcing other owners to do
968-527: A handful of other owners as a way to force a merger between the leagues. As part of this strategy, the USFL filed an antitrust lawsuit against the National Football League in 1986, and a jury ruled that the NFL had violated anti-monopoly laws. However, in a victory in name only , the USFL was awarded a judgment of just $ 1, which under antitrust laws, was tripled to $ 3. This court decision effectively ended
1089-597: A hub in Arlington, Texas . 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 . 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. USFL President Daryl Johnston expressed disappointment and anger that
1210-641: A lease to play at Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University , a facility that seated only 21,000 people. There were plans to establish four franchises in Canada prior to the inaugural season, located in Vancouver , Edmonton , Montreal and the Toronto/Hamilton metroplex (with the last of these to play at Ivor Wynne Stadium ). The proposal was pushed by John F. Bassett , the Canadian who would go on to own
1331-403: 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. Players that have three or four years in the NFL and want to kind of rewrite that narrative,
SECTION 10
#17328693826581452-516: A matchup between the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades and the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions . 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
1573-459: A merger did occur, the surviving teams' original investment would more than double. A consulting firm recommended sticking with a spring season. Despite the protests of many of the league's "old guard", who wanted to stay with the original plan of playing football in the spring months, on August 22, 1984 the owners voted to move to the fall starting in 1986. On April 29, 1985, the league's owners voted 13–2 to reaffirm their decision to begin playing
1694-457: A minority owner (and eventually majority owner) of the NFL's San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers . Jim Joseph, a real estate developer who had lost out to friend Tad Taube for the USFL's San Francisco Bay Area franchise, had thought he would be content to be a part-owner of the Oakland Invaders . When the potentially more lucrative Los Angeles franchise became available, Joseph snapped up
1815-550: A regular season record of 12–3 (.800), the second-highest win percentage among UFL teams as of its 2024 season . They were also the top team in the 2023 XFL, boasting a 9–1 record and scoring 49 more points than the next closest team, the St. Louis Battlehawks . On December 5, 2018, Washington, D.C., was announced as one of eight cities that would join the newly reformed XFL, as well as Seattle , Houston , Los Angeles , New York , St. Louis , Tampa Bay , and Dallas . On February 21, 2019,
1936-423: A single-campus bubble format 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. Fox aired the autumn 2020 and spring 2021 seasons of The Spring League. Following the 2021 season, Woods and Fox announced they had acquired the trademarks of the original 1980s incarnation of
2057-478: A standard player contract. Nonetheless, the other owners did not raise any objections, knowing that having the reigning Heisman winner in the fold would lend the league instant credibility. Other marquee stars to sign with the league were Craig James , Anthony Carter and Kelvin Bryant as well as some familiar NFL vets like Chuck Fusina and members of the NFL vet laden Chicago Blitz , like Greg Landry , showed that
2178-466: A team for the final lame duck spring 1985 season. Within a few weeks of the decision, the USFL had been forced to abandon four lucrative markets, abort a move to a fifth and suspend operations in a sixth. In hindsight, this destroyed the USFL's viability, although the Maulers folding likely would've happened anyway due to the team being owned by shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. (who also owned
2299-408: 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). The overall league player budget is $ 24 million. Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino are in charge of the UFL's officiating and rules. The league rulebook
2420-410: A weekly multi-platform post-game show. Both ESPN and Fox will carry audio simulcasts of their coverage on their Sirius XM Radio feeds, ESPN Xtra and Fox Sports Radio , respectively. Beginning in the 2025 season, Fox will include the UFL as a permanent part of its Friday night schedule . Informational notes United States Football League The United States Football League ( USFL )
2541-493: Is responsible for excessive wear and tear on a natural grass playing field, baseball clubs were not keen to see football played in their parks throughout the entire baseball season. Thus, the need to use ballparks played a large part in ensuring that the National Football League and early rivals would delay the start of their seasons until September when the baseball season was winding down, thus affording baseball teams
SECTION 20
#17328693826582662-598: Is the top team in the division at that point in the season. At the end of their first meeting of the 2023 season, three players were ejected after a brawl broke out. A week later, the Battlehawks' quarterback, A. J. McCarron , called their competition the "first XFL rivalry." The Baltimore–Washington area has a history of several teams in alternative professional football. The USFL had the Washington Federals (a mostly unsuccessful franchise) in its first two years. Then
2783-658: The 21 Club in New York City on May 11, 1982, to begin play in 1983. ESPN president Chet Simmons was named the league's first commissioner in June 1982. According to the Dixon Plan, if the league was going to be a success, it needed television revenue and exposure. In 1983, the league signed contracts with both over-the-air broadcaster ABC and a cable TV broadcaster, the four-year old ESPN , to televise games. The deals yielded roughly $ 13 million in 1983 and $ 16 million in 1984, including $ 9 million per year from ABC. ABC had options for
2904-736: The Breakers , also had stadium problems. The Boston ownership group wanted to play in Harvard Stadium , but were unable to close a deal with the university; Sullivan Stadium was owned by the New England Patriots , who were unwilling to share their venue with a rival, while Fenway Park was being used in the spring by the Boston Red Sox and was also unavailable, and Alumni Stadium on the campus of Boston College , for reasons never made public, also declined. Finally they were able to negotiate
3025-523: The COVID-19 pandemic and declared bankruptcy in April. 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 . The XFL chose not to play a 2021 season (most gathering restrictions would not be lifted until spring of that year) and cancelled
3146-457: The Concordes , was on precarious financial ground, having just been established to replace the recently folded Alouettes. This led Bassett to drop the idea. Once play actually started, the league experienced the same kind of franchise instability, relocation, and closures that almost all pro football leagues, including the NFL, experienced in their early years. On the whole, the inaugural season
3267-528: The Denver Broncos and Houston Oilers , respectively. In spite of all of these changes, the USFL would never play a fall game. In another effort to keep themselves afloat while at the same time attacking the more established National Football League , the USFL filed an antitrust lawsuit against the older league, claiming it had established a monopoly with respect to television broadcasting rights, and in some cases, on access to stadium venues. The case
3388-1103: The Grey Cup , the CFL's championship). Indoor teams to have played in Washington include the Washington Commandos and the Washington Valor (which folded two months before the Defenders' first game) of the Arena Football League , and the D.C. Armor of American Indoor Football Association , in addition to several teams based in Maryland. The Defenders join the Washington Commanders , Washington Nationals , Washington Capitals , Washington Wizards , Washington Mystics , D.C. United , Washington Spirit , Capital City Go-Go , and Old Glory DC as professional sports teams based in
3509-557: The National Hockey League 's Pittsburgh Penguins at the time), whose son Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. owned the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers (a team now owned by his sister Denise DeBartolo York ), causing a potential conflict of interest for the family between the USFL and the NFL. ABC offered the USFL a 4-year, $ 175 million TV deal to play in the spring in 1986. ESPN offered $ 70 million over 3 years. Following all
3630-585: The Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars moved from Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , to Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland , in 1985, winning the USFL's final championship. The Canadian Football League 's Baltimore CFL Colts/Stallions were the only successful American team in the league during their two-year existence in the mid-1990s (and were the only American-based team to win
3751-695: The Pittsburgh Maulers . Future Pro Football Hall of Fame members defensive end Reggie White of the University of Tennessee, offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman of the University of Oregon , quarterbacks Jim Kelly of the University of Miami and Steve Young of Brigham Young University , and linebacker Sam Mills of Montclair State began their professional careers with the USFL's Memphis Showboats , Los Angeles Express , Houston Gamblers , Los Angeles Express , and Philadelphia Stars , respectively. A number of NFL veterans of all talent levels played in
DC Defenders - Misplaced Pages Continue
3872-789: The Tampa Bay Bandits USFL team. However, Senator Keith Davey warned that the Canadian government would act to protect the Canadian Football League (the league in which in all four of the aforementioned Canadian cities had teams in) from competition. The Canadian Football Act had been proposed, but not approved, when Bassett had tried to establish the Toronto Northmen in the World Football League in 1974. Such legislation would have banned US football leagues from playing in Canada. In particular, Montreal's CFL team,
3993-580: The United States Football League and would be launching a reboot of the USFL in spring 2022. 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. The playoffs were held in Canton, Ohio . Woods eventually backed out of
4114-495: The 1983 champion Michigan Panthers surprised the commissioner with an announcement that they would not be playing in the Detroit area for the 1985 season. Panthers owner A. Alfred Taubman informed the league at the meeting that he had negotiated a conditional merger with Tad Taube's Oakland Invaders depending on the outcome of the vote, with Taubman as majority owner. With an expectation of fall play in 1986, Einhorn decided not to field
4235-511: The 1985 season at $ 14 million and 1986 at $ 18 million. Each week, there would be a nationally televised game, as well as the USFL's own version of Monday Night football. Like almost all startup pro football leagues, the USFL had some off-the-field factors that prevented the league from starting out with their preferred membership. The problems started when the original owner of the Los Angeles franchise, Alex Spanos , pulled out and instead became
4356-422: The 2022 season after partnership discussions with the Canadian Football League collapsed without any agreement in fall 2021. 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 under
4477-488: The 2023 XFL season, quarterbacks would not be allowed to sign for salaries higher than the other positional players. 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. 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
4598-514: The Blitz to Hoffman in order to clear the way for his purchase of the Wranglers before the 1984 season, they did not take a close look at Hoffman's financial statements. Realizing he was in over his head, Hoffman was forced to scramble to find minority partners. When there were no takers, he walked away from the team after the second preseason game, forcing the league to take over the team. In San Antonio,
4719-616: The Defenders won the first game in modern XFL history, defeating the Seattle Dragons by a score of 31–19. On February 15, 2020, the Defenders beat the New York Guardians by a score of 27–0, which was the first shutout in modern XFL history. On March 12, 2020, the XFL announced that the remainder of the 2020 XFL season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On April 10, 2020, the XFL suspended operations and terminated all employees, players, and staff. On August 3, 2020, it
4840-514: The Dixon Plan. Like the NFL, the USFL barred underclassmen from signing. However, league officials were certain that this rule would never stand up in court, so they allowed Walker to sign with the New Jersey Generals . More importantly, Walker signed a three-year contract valued at $ 4.2 million with a $ 1 million signing bonus. Due to the USFL's salary cap rules, this was a personal-services contract with Generals owner J. Walter Duncan, and not
4961-502: The Dixon plan. The plan allowed the league to compete not just by playing its games on a March–June schedule during the NFL off-season, but also by having the following conditions: The Dixon plan laid out a budget to allow all teams to manage losses in the initial lean years. As mentioned earlier, prospective owners had to meet strict capitalization requirements and post a $ 1.3 million line of credit for emergencies. The league's TV revenue met
DC Defenders - Misplaced Pages Continue
5082-593: The Gamblers changed their name to the Roughnecks. 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). The minimum stay on injured reserve is five games, while season ending injured reserve designation guarantees player a camp invite the following season. While the UFL embraced more of a "developmental league" mentality, they are also targeting veteran backup players, with Johnston saying: "there are
5203-452: The Invaders and Generals. The USFL sought damages of $ 567 million, which would have been tripled to $ 1.7 billion under antitrust law . It hoped to void the NFL's contracts with the three major networks. The USFL proposed two remedies: either force the NFL to negotiate new television contracts with only two networks, or force the NFL to split into two competing 14-team leagues, each limited to
5324-759: The Jacksonville Bulls, with the Bulls as the surviving team. Trump bought the assets of the Houston Gamblers for an undisclosed amount and merged them with the New Jersey Generals. While the Generals were the surviving team, Gamblers coach Jack Pardee was named as the merged team's new coach. Both the Gold and Gamblers had seen their attendance plummet to unsustainable levels, as their fanbases were not willing to abandon
5445-399: The NFL had held a draft in 1984 for teams to acquire the rights to USFL players, in the event of the league (or teams in the league) folding. However, it is unlikely the USFL would have been able to put together a viable product in any case. Many of its players had signed contracts with NFL teams after the 1985 season, and the league was some $ 160 million in debt. Five days after the verdict,
5566-511: The NFL to pay a substantial settlement. It considered the television-related claims to be the heart of its case. On August 4—four days after the announcement of the verdict—the USFL owners voted to suspend operations for the 1986 season, with the intent of returning in 1987; the league accurately foresaw the 1987 players' strike and had hoped the strike would give the league access to star players. Players signed to contracts were free to sign with NFL (or other professional teams) immediately. Indeed,
5687-496: The NFL, on that fringe, on that cusp". It was later announced that the XFL's previous agreement with the NFL would continue for the 2024 UFL season. The league was created as a "merger of equals", with the respective leagues' owners assuming 50% ownership of the newly formed UFL and The Walt Disney Company also holding a minority stake. RedBird Capital Partners owner Gerry Cardinale called it "a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique. A legitimate shot at becoming one of
5808-574: The Tampa Bay Bandits were effectively shut down when a judge placed a lien on the franchise to satisfy back pay owed to former player Bret Clark . All of the team's remaining assets were seized to satisfy the debt. In a desperation move, the Arizona Outlaws arranged a meeting in January 1987 with officials with the Canadian Football League hoping to negotiate a merger between the USFL and CFL;
5929-430: The UFL announced they are officially initiating a team expansion process, and they are welcoming proposals from potential markets interested in spring pro football. 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. In essence
6050-413: The UFL are held by Fox and ESPN , which held the rights to the USFL and XFL, respectively. 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. There had been one year remaining on NBC's contract. ESPN will also air
6171-598: The UFLPA with an established union, strongly hinting not to affiliate with the United Football Players Association. The UFPA stated that it had won an election to serve as the UFL's union on October 12. 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
SECTION 50
#17328693826586292-467: The USFL after the 2022 season. The XFL and USFL played separate, partially overlapping seasons in 2023, to roughly similar television viewership numbers. The USFL expanded to four home cities, adding Memphis, Tennessee (backed by former Memphis Mad Dogs owner Fred Smith ) and Detroit, Michigan , 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
6413-428: The USFL based upon securing NFL-caliber stadiums in top TV markets, securing a national TV broadcast contract, and controlling spending—and found investors willing to buy in. Though the original franchise owners and founders of the USFL had promised to abide by the general guidelines set out by Dixon's plan, problems arose before the teams took the field, with some franchises facing financial problems and instability from
6534-571: The USFL in 2023, continued in that capacity for the UFL for the 2024 season, operating as the United Football League Players Association . (This is not to be confused with the United Football Players Association , which Local 9004 disowned during the 2023–24 offseason.) The league will continue operating under the USFL's collective bargaining agreement . Initial reports suggested that, contrary to
6655-500: The USFL took his word as evidence that he would be a solid owner for one of its marquee franchises. However, in June 1984, investigations by the FBI, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal revealed that the man who made waves by signing a roster of high-priced young talent did not have even a fraction of the money to buy the team. He abruptly walked away from the team during the playoffs. Gamblers minority owner Jay Roulier took over
6776-484: 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." The USFL was already seeking additional investors prior to the start of the 2023 season and had hired Allen & Company to assist in
6897-529: The USFL were conceived in 1965 by New Orleans businessman David Dixon , who saw a market for a professional football league that would play in the summer, when the National Football League and college football were in their off-season. Dixon had been a key player in the construction of the Louisiana Superdome and the expansion of the NFL into New Orleans in 1967. He developed "The Dixon Plan"—a blueprint for
7018-452: The USFL's existence. The league never played its planned 1986 season, and by the time it folded, it had lost over $ 163 million (equivalent to $ 380 million in 2023 dollars). Three consecutive Heisman Trophy winners signed with USFL teams directly out of college: Georgia running back Herschel Walker and Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie signed with the New Jersey Generals , and Nebraska running back Mike Rozier signed with
7139-456: The USFL's other claims. The jury found that the USFL had changed its strategy to a more risky goal of forcing a merger with the NFL. Furthermore, the switch to a fall schedule caused the loss of five major markets (Philadelphia, Denver, Houston, Pittsburgh, Detroit , the Bay Area) and derailed a move to a sixth (Miami). The jury also made note of a memo Tad Taube wrote about the dispute, which quoted
7260-435: The USFL. The case went to trial in the spring of 1986 and lasted 42 days. On July 29, a six-person jury nominally returned a verdict for the USFL. However, the jury's findings were devastating to the upstart league. The jury declared the NFL a "duly adjudicated illegal monopoly", and found that the NFL had willfully acquired and maintained monopoly status in professional football through predatory tactics. However, it rejected
7381-615: The USFL. Certain NFL backups such as quarterbacks Chuck Fusina and Cliff Stoudt , G Buddy Aydelette , and WR Jim Smith had limited success in the NFL but became major stars in the USFL. But many NFL backups struggled or never made it in the USFL. Additionally, the USFL also lured in NFL starters, including a handful in the prime of their careers including 1980 NFL MVP, Cleveland Browns ' quarterback Brian Sipe , Buffalo Bills ' three-time Pro Bowl running back Joe Cribbs and Kansas City Chiefs ' three-time Pro Bowl safety Gary Barbaro . For many decades after its inception, American football
SECTION 60
#17328693826587502-465: The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Defenders fans have taken up a tradition of assembling beer snakes out of empty beer containers. The snake constructed at the March 8, 2020, game vs the St. Louis Battlehawks ended up spanning several rows, including a contribution from then-Commissioner Oliver Luck . In the 2023 season opener against the Seattle Sea Dragons , fans threw lemons onto
7623-417: 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. 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
7744-425: The XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date. The merger would also require regulatory approval. In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League" . 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
7865-591: 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". 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. In 2023, Dwayne Johnson said that "the XFL specifically designed its schedule to give its players
7986-577: The baseball season. Los Angeles was seen as critical to the league's success, and Dixon and Simmons felt that two cable moguls would be better suited to head the league's efforts there. Joseph was forced to move his operation. The team opened play in Phoenix, Arizona , where it became the Arizona Wranglers . Daniels and Harmon's team became the Los Angeles Express . The League's Boston franchise,
8107-421: The beginning. Due to pressure from the NFL, some franchises had difficulty securing leases in stadiums that were also used by NFL teams, forcing them to scramble to find alternative venues in their chosen city or hurriedly move to a new market. The USFL had no hard salary cap , and because of this, some teams quickly escalated player payrolls to unsustainable levels despite pledges to keep costs under control. While
8228-458: The best chance of latching on with an NFL team in May", while Gerry Cardinale stated that "the minor league analogy is valid, that's an important part of this." 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
8349-420: The comic strip Pogo : " we have met the enemy and he is us ." Most importantly, the jury found that the NFL did not attempt to force the USFL off television. (Indeed, ESPN remained willing to carry USFL games in the fall, several of the league's teams also had local broadcast contracts, and 1986 also happened to be the inaugural season of the Fox Broadcasting Company , a network that would establish itself as
8470-419: 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". Local 9004 of the United Steelworkers , which had served as the labor union for
8591-505: The era. Even in cities where the fans were not numerous, the fan base was passionate; the documentary Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL? made note of a regular-season game in which Boston Breakers fans stormed the field following a come-from-behind victory over the Stars at Nickerson Field . Arizona, Baltimore, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Memphis, New Jersey, Orlando and a newly reorganized Tampa Bay team were scheduled to play an ultimately aborted 18-game fall schedule season in 1986. At
8712-513: The exclusive use of their facilities in the spring and summer. Starting in the 1950s, a number of technological changes and trends eventually caused some to question the traditional timing of the American football season. In particular, football became a much more lucrative sport, the invention of artificial turf and developments in the growth and maintenance of natural grass made it more practical for baseball and football to be played at elite levels in
8833-416: 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. 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
8954-657: The fall advocates now set their sights on forcing a merger with the NFL, or at the very least winning a sizable settlement and securing a TV network for fall broadcasts. As a direct result of this decision, the Pittsburgh Maulers folded rather than compete with the Pittsburgh Steelers , the sale of the struggling Washington Federals to Weiser's Miami-based ownership group collapsed, the New Orleans Breakers and 1984 champion Philadelphia Stars had to relocate, and
9075-495: The field after stadium security personnel confiscated several attempts at making a beer snake, delaying the game for a few minutes. This prompted the Defenders to discuss the issue with Audi Field security and set new guidelines that allowed the beer snake to return during the next home game on March 5. United Football League (2024) The United Football League ( UFL ) is a professional American football high-level minor league which started play in March 2024. The league
9196-460: The field. For instance, the Michigan Panthers reportedly lost $ 6 million—three times what Dixon suggested a team could afford to lose in the first season—even as they became the league's first champions. The desire to compete with other loaded USFL teams and for the league to be seen as approaching NFL caliber led to almost all of the teams exceeding the Dixon Plan's team salary cap amount within
9317-462: The first employee, Dixon signed up 12 cities—nine where there already were NFL teams and three where there were not. The Dixon Plan called for teams in top TV markets to entice the networks into offering the league a TV deal. All but two of the 12 initial teams were located in the top 13 media markets in the US at the time. After almost two years of preparation, Dixon formally announced the USFL's formation at
9438-473: The four initially envisioned by Dixon, to pocket two more expansion fees. This put more pressure on the TV deal, which was not designed to support an 18 team league. A frustrated Dixon sold his stake and got out. Additionally, the league was so determined to appear to put a credible product on the field that on some occasions, it set aside its own vetting procedures–all of which backfired disastrously. When Diethrich sold
9559-412: The growing popularity of college football (which also played a fall season to coincide with the fall semester) led to the construction and expansion of dozens of large stadiums for collegiate teams, which were mostly football-specific or at least designed primarily for football, and were primarily in cities without professional football franchises. It was in this environment, in 1965, that David Dixon ,
9680-410: 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
9801-422: The league and ESPN indicated that they considered the season a success. Like the USFL, the XFL was also seeking additional investors with the assistance of PJT Partners . 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. Both the USFL and XFL believed that the leagues could be independently viable in
9922-469: The league at no nominal charge to save costs. In March, 2024, Under Armour announced they extended the multi-year agreement signed in 2023 with the XFL. Later that month, Michael Strahan 's MSX brand was announced as the "Official Off-Field Apparel Partner". 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
10043-459: The league began discussing the possibility of competing head-to-head with the NFL by playing its games in the fall beginning in 1986. The strongest proponents of playing in the fall were Chicago owner Eddie Einhorn and Generals owner Donald Trump. Einhorn and Trump argued that if the USFL moved to the fall, it would eventually force a merger with the NFL in which the older league would have to admit at least some USFL teams. They also argued that if
10164-531: The league to promote their own brands, Teremana Tequila and ZOA Energy Drink. On April 6, 2024 the league announced a partnership with the United States Army , who paid an estimated $ 10 million for jersey patch sponsorship and other promotional considerations. In April Upper Deck announced they'll release "2024 UFL Game Dated Moments Cards". Source In the United States, the television rights for
10285-496: The league was so enamored at Manges' apparent oil wealth that it not only did not closely vet his application, but did not require him to make an initial capital investment. Instead, Manges paid team expenses out of pocket as they arose, resulting in an operation that appeared short of professional standards. The Gunslingers' offices were in a double-wide trailer, and they used folding chairs to bring Alamo Stadium up to minimum capacity. Manges' practices caught up with him in 1985, when
10406-430: The league's first 6–18 months. Dixon urged the members of the league to reduce spending. Rather than backing off spending, recommitting to a firmer salary cap, and dispersing some of the larger contracts to expansion teams to alleviate the problem, the league sought other options to take on revenue to cover increased costs overruns. These actions magnified the problem. The league added six more teams in 1984 rather than
10527-514: The league, citing the pay cut as a contributing factor. 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. On August 12, 2024, the UFLPA announced that United Steelworkers had ceased representing UFL players. In a statement, the UFLPA recommended its members affiliate
10648-421: 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. 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. On September 28, 2023,
10769-406: The merger to be announced at a later date. The merger would also require regulatory approval. In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name "United Football League" . 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. The merger
10890-485: The mergers and shutdowns, there just were not enough spring football advocates left in the league to accept those contracts. The owners in the league walked away from what averaged out to $ 67 million per year starting in 1986 to pursue victory over the NFL. After the 1985 season, more plans were announced to accommodate the fall schedule, pool financial resources and avoid costly head-to-head competition with NFL teams. Two mergers were announced. The Denver Gold merged with
11011-415: The most basic expenses. With this in mind, Dixon wanted to ensure that USFL teams had the wherewithal to put a credible product on the field. To that end, the league required potential owners to submit to a detailed due diligence and meet strict capitalization requirements. They were also required to post a $ 1.5 million letter of credit for emergencies. With respected college and NFL coach John Ralston as
11132-428: The nation's fourth major broadcast network .) In essence, the jury felt that while the USFL was harmed by the NFL's de facto monopolization of pro football in the United States, most of its problems were due to its own mismanagement. It awarded the USFL nominal damages of $ 1, which was tripled under antitrust law to $ 3. When NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and NFL broadcasting chief Val Pinchbeck initially heard
11253-475: The next 15 years, Dixon studied the last two challengers to the NFL's dominance of pro football—the successful American Football League and the troubled World Football League . In 1980, he commissioned a study by Frank Magid Associates that found promising results for a spring and summer football league. He had also formed a blueprint for the prospective league's operations, which included early television exposure, heavy promotion in home markets, and owners with
11374-506: The oil market collapsed. The result was a litany of bounced checks, culminating in the team going the last four games without pay. It later emerged that Manges had been in financial difficulty as early as 1980. The worst situation of all, however, was in Los Angeles. Original owners Alan Harmon and Bill Daniels sold the Express to mortgage banker J. William Oldenburg before the 1984 season. Swayed by Oldenburg's apparent net worth of $ 100 million,
11495-408: The requirements of the Dixon plan. The Plan called for first year attendance over 18,000 per game. In 1983, 10 of the 12 teams exceeded that threshold. Player spending was where the league deviated from the plan, in the name of pursuing stars. The league's biggest splash—the signing of Herschel Walker, a three time All-American and the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner—represented a significant breach from
11616-441: The resources and patience to absorb years of losses—which he felt would be inevitable until the league found its feet. He also assembled a list of prospective franchises located in markets attractive to a potential television partner. Dixon was well aware that many attempts to challenge the NFL had foundered due to financial troubles. The WFL, for instance, was plagued by teams that were so badly underfinanced that they could not meet
11737-464: The rights to the area. The owners of the USFL's San Diego franchise, cable television moguls Bill Daniels and Alan Harmon , were denied a lease for Jack Murphy Stadium . While this was in part due to pressure from the Chargers, the main opposition came from Major League Baseball 's Padres who held the lease to the stadium at the time and did not want to see football played at the facility throughout
11858-426: The same facility at the same time of the year, and the increasing influence of television combined with the prevalence of a farm system in which Major League Baseball controlled the rights to baseball levels in all levels of play caused many minor league baseball clubs (some of whom played in large facilities that could be easily re-purposed for major league football) to be much less lucrative in their own right. Finally,
11979-583: The same or face a competitive disadvantage. On the field, the USFL was regarded as a relatively good product. Many coaches and team executives had NFL experience, and many future top NFL players and coaches got their start in the new league, including several who were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and/or the College Football Hall of Fame . The Michigan Panthers won the first USFL championship in 1983. The Philadelphia Stars won
12100-444: 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. 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 . Executives with
12221-462: The second USFL championship in 1984, and after relocating to Baltimore , won the final USFL championship in 1985 as the Baltimore Stars in what was effectively a rematch of the first USFL title game. In August 1984, the USFL voted to move from a spring to a fall schedule in 1986 to compete directly with the NFL. This was done at the urging of New Jersey Generals majority owner Donald Trump and
12342-464: The team hired Pep Hamilton , who was most recently an assistant with the Michigan Wolverines football team, as their first head coach and general manager. Hamilton is an alumnus of Howard University and was familiar to XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck through Hamilton's work with Luck's son, former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck . The team name and logo were revealed on August 21, 2019, followed by
12463-571: The team in October, only to be pushed out just months later when it emerged that he too had lied about his net worth. The league was forced to run the team on a shoestring that season. With the new wave of teams, more college stars like Marcus Dupree , Mike Rozier , Reggie White , Jim Kelly , Steve Young and other young stars of the day signed high dollar contracts to play for USFL teams in 1984, as did high-profile NFL stars like Doug Williams , Brian Sipe , Joe Cribbs , and Gary Barbaro . In 1984,
12584-495: 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." 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, while some players decided not to return to
12705-453: The time, only New Jersey and Tampa Bay shared markets with an NFL team (in New Jersey's case, they shared with two NFL teams). It was announced that the USFL would be returning in March 2022 with at least eight teams and a broadcasting deal with Fox Sports . Despite claims that this was a reactivation of the old league, no figures from the original league were involved in the new league, which
12826-476: The top professional leagues in the country after the big four leagues ". 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. The league's ownership partners each provide "business services" to
12947-460: The two brands and to give the winner of the league's championship "bragging rights." President/CEO Russ Brandon would later say that the league would be looking at expansion shortly, while Defenders defensive coordinator Gregg Williams revealed plans to expand to 12 teams by 2025 and to 16 teams by 2026. In a May 2024 interview, Johnston stated that he did not anticipate any relocations for 2025. The 2024 UFL season began on March 30, 2024, with
13068-480: The uniforms on December 3, 2019. On October 15, 2019, the Defenders announced their first player in team history, being assigned former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones . Later that day, the 2020 XFL Draft took place. The Defenders selected wide receiver Rashard Davis with the first overall pick, but he did not play for the team and later signed with the Tennessee Titans . On February 8, 2020,
13189-431: The upstart league was a credible challenger to the NFL. The league also made a serious run at some other stars, such as Eric Dickerson and Dan Marino . The pursuit of top-level talent proved to be a double-edged sword. While the presence of many blue-chip stars proved the league could put a competitive product on the field, many teams wildly exceeded the league's player salary cap in order to put more competitive teams on
13310-417: The verdict, they were devastated; Pinchbeck later recalled that he thought Rozelle would have a heart attack. While on their way to the league office, however, they heard that the USFL had lost nearly all of its claims, and headed back to the courthouse. The verdict was a classic Pyrrhic victory . The USFL had essentially staked its future on winning the suit, hoping to finance the move to the fall by forcing
13431-448: 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". 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
13552-414: Was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin. The ideas behind
13673-455: Was a success for the league. Attendance was in line with league expectations at about 25,000 fans per game, and television ratings slightly exceeded projections (an average Nielsen rating of 6.1, when the league had aimed for 5.0). The brand of play was exciting and entertaining, and the 1983 championship was generally recognized as being a more entertaining game than most of the Super Bowls of
13794-450: Was created following the merger of the latest incarnations of the XFL and United States Football League (USFL). 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 . In 2017, Vince McMahon , who had previously launched the XFL in 2001 as a partnership with NBC Sports , registered
13915-537: Was first heard by United States District Judge Peter K. Leisure in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York . The USFL claimed that the NFL had bullied ABC, CBS and NBC into not televising USFL games in the fall. It also claimed that the NFL had a specific plan to eliminate the USFL, the "Porter Presentation." In particular, the USFL claimed the NFL conspired to ruin
14036-417: Was instead backed by the principals of the extant developmental showcase The Spring League , Brian Woods and Fox Sports . On June 3, 2021, the new USFL confirmed a return in the spring of 2022. In December 2023, it was announced that the new USFL had merged with the XFL to form the United Football League . At first the USFL competed with the older, more established National Football League by following
14157-476: Was made official on December 31, 2023. Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams Unsigned draft picks Roster updated November 13, 2024 The Defenders have a rivalry against the St. Louis Battlehawks. The Defenders have won all three matchups between the two teams. In addition, every game has been decided by one possession and has determined who
14278-462: Was official on April 13, 2022, as well as the return of the D.C. franchise on July 24, 2022. On October 31, 2022, the XFL announced that the Defenders name would be returning, this time with a brand new logo. In September 2023, Axios reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons. On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding
14399-448: 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: In February 2022,
14520-479: Was reported that a consortium led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson , Dany Garcia , and Gerry Cardinale (through Cardinale's fund RedBird Capital Partners) purchased the XFL for $ 15 million just hours before an auction could take place; the purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020. In March 2022, a report emerged that Reggie Barlow would become the new head coach of the D.C. XFL franchise, confirming that Washington, D.C., would return as an XFL city. Barlow's hire
14641-475: Was widely regarded as a second-tier sport behind baseball which was long-regarded as America's national pastime. As a result, even the elite levels of American football generally lacked both the financial wherewithal to build their own facilities and the political clout to secure significant public funds to construct such venues, and as such were compelled to play primarily in ballparks hastily re-purposed for football. However, since gridiron football in particular
#657342