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118-679: Founded in 2020, after the XFL bankruptcy, to become a "collective voice for professional players in potential leagues who are not covered by contracts like those in the National Football League Players Association or the Canadian Football League Players' Association and in order to avoid more negative situations similar to those that followed the bankruptcies of the XFL and Alliance of American Football ". The UFPA

236-547: 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

354-562: 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

472-429: A "stakeholder" in the league after sports journalist Andrew Marchand claimed the XFL was not receiving a rights fee, which Johnson stated was "not true." The XFL also revealed they have capital commitments through Year 4, including ESPN's annual rights payment and sponsorship deals with Progressive Corporation and Under Armour . On March 27, 2023, Garcia said in a USA Today interview that XFL started planning for

590-590: A 4% stake in WWE) in March 2019 to provide additional funding for the league. The XFL under McMahon discouraged political gestures by players during games such as, for example, taking a knee in protest . McMahon also planned to forbid any player with a criminal record from participating. Commissioner Oliver Luck later walked back the latter decision, noting that the policy had not yet been finalized, and stated in April 2019 that it would allow its teams to sign Johnny Manziel , who

708-516: A Seattle Dragons player, who self-reported symptoms to his team's medical staff, had been tested for coronavirus but had not yet received his results (the unnamed player eventually tested positive). Although teams only played five games, the league announced it would pay all players their base salary for the rest of the season; players who received legitimate offers from the NFL or Canadian Football League (CFL) would be allowed to sign with those teams but with

826-455: A clause requiring them to return to their XFL teams if the league were able to hold its championship game. At the time, the league still planned on having a 2021 season; it was exploring relocating as many as three of its teams, with the league contacting authorities in San Antonio, Texas , in early April about potentially placing a franchise there. Other potential 2021 actions included moving

944-504: A comparable number of plays to an NFL game. Halfway through the first season, the average length of a regular-season game clocked in at 2 hours, 50 minutes, the same as the Canadian Football League . He also noted that by announcing it two years in advance (unlike the original XFL, which was only announced one year in advance), there would also be more time to prepare the league to deliver a more desirable product. McMahon said

1062-410: A draw. The overtime procedure was originally to be five rounds in 2020 had it been needed (none of the 20 games that season ended regulation with both teams tied) before it was reduced to three rounds prior to 2023. 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

1180-599: 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

1298-668: A joint venture between the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and NBC spearheaded by Vince McMahon and NBC executive Dick Ebersol . The league attempted to be a competitor to the National Football League (NFL)—the predominant professional league of American football in the United States (and where NBC had lost its broadcast rights to CBS three years earlier), running during the late winter and early spring to take advantage of lingering desire for football after

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1416-530: 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 was formally announced on Fox NFL Sunday on December 31, 2023, with both leagues cancelling their planned season while surviving teams will play

1534-588: A legal notice to the XFL over similarities between Togethxr's logo and a promotional image that the XFL produced with the word "together" between a vertically split letter X. Both Togethxr's company name and the word "together" in the XFL image are rendered in all caps. On April 13, 2022, the XFL confirmed the hirings of Stoops, Buckley and Barlow, along with the league's five other head coaches, without identifying which teams they would coach. The other head coaches hired were Wade Phillips , Rod Woodson , Anthony Becht , Jim Haslett and Hines Ward . On May 17, 2022,

1652-403: 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,

1770-516: 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

1888-461: A new incarnation of the XFL, which would begin with a 10-week inaugural season beginning in January or February 2020. In a press conference, McMahon stated that the new XFL would be dissimilar to its previous incarnation, stating that "There's only so many things that have 'FL' on the end of them and those are already taken. But we aren't going to have much of what the original XFL had." McMahon stated that

2006-517: A report came out that sources close to the league had mentioned that XFL would be keeping five teams in their original 2020 locations ( DC Defenders , St. Louis BattleHawks , Dallas Renegades , Houston Roughnecks and Seattle Dragons ), following through with the Vipers proposed move to Orlando, and adding two new teams in San Antonio and Las Vegas . The teams in San Antonio and Las Vegas would replace

2124-419: A similar concept for games that reach a fifth overtime starting with the 2019 FBS season . Unlike other football leagues, a coin toss is not used to determine who is on offense first; instead, the visiting team is on offense first and home team on defense first for each round, similar to baseball. The defense is not able to score, as should a turnover occur, the play would be dead. Defensive penalties result in

2242-423: 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

2360-707: A team in Orlando, Florida ; Orlando was not among the eight cities that hosted an XFL team in 2020 but had begun discussions with the XFL during the 2020 season about relocating the Tampa Bay Vipers there. Orlando had hosted the Orlando Apollos , the second top-attended team in the Alliance of American Football in 2019 and the Orlando Rage , one of the most successful teams in the original XFL in 2001. On April 6, 2022,

2478-408: 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

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2596-414: A year before the XFL's first season, it went bankrupt before its first season finished after it twice lost its major investors. On December 15, 2017, Bleacher Report columnist Brad Shepard reported that McMahon was seriously considering a revival of the XFL, with an expected announcement on January 25, 2018. In a statement to Deadspin , WWE did not confirm or deny the rumors, but did state that McMahon

2714-563: Is not a legal union. Instead, it is billed as an advisory organization that is meant to advise players and advocate leagues on behalf of players, especially in the realms of pay scales, schedules, safety protocols and legal concerns. In 2022 the union announced its affiliation with the United Steelworkers in order to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the United States Football League . The CBA between

2832-433: The 2020 XFL Draft from October 15 to 16, with schedules released October 22 and ticket sales opening to the general public October 24. Uniforms were revealed December 3. In the week leading up to the kickoff, the XFL secured sponsorships from Gatorade and Anheuser-Busch . The Anheuser-Busch sponsorship was used to promote Bud Light Seltzer ; the "seltzer chug" became a postgame locker room tradition in part because of

2950-512: The 2024 season in the newly formed United Football League . On July 25, 2022, Johnson and Garcia held a XFL Townhall at Texas Live! in Arlington where they confirmed all 2020 XFL markets except Los Angeles , Tampa Bay , and New York would return. Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, and New York would be replaced by teams in San Antonio , Las Vegas , and Orlando respectively. †Full stadium capacity. The large stadiums with multiple decks only open

3068-599: The Buffalo Bills organization, as its new president, replacing the outgoing Pollack. On December 21, 2021, the XFL announced six new additions to the football operations department; two of the six hires returned from the McMahon era. On December 2, 2021, it was revealed on Dany Garcia's Instagram page that the 2023 XFL Season would start on February 18, 2023. It was later revealed on January 4, 2022, on Dwayne Johnson's and Dany Garcia's social media pages that training camp

3186-475: 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

3304-486: The Fall Experimental Football League : The conventional extra point kick was replaced with a scrimmage play, varying in point value depending on how far the touchdown-scoring team chooses to take the snap from the goal line: a two-yard attempt scores a single point, a five-yard attempt two points , and a ten-yard attempt three points. (This rule is also a carryover from the original XFL, which added

3422-934: The Los Angeles Chargers . McMahon stated that he wanted to play in existing NFL markets but did not identify potential cities specifically and did not rule out any specific cities. McMahon also did not rule out playing on artificial turf . The original XFL avoided artificial playing surfaces (as most such surfaces then were more carpet-like); however, the technology advanced considerably since 2001, with modern artificial turfs mimicking real grass more closely. John Shumway from KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and local media from Orlando and San Diego both inquired about potential teams in their respective cities, but McMahon (while stating that "I love Pittsburgh") declined to name any cities for teams. McMahon also stated that teams would have new identities compared to recycling old identities from

3540-521: The Los Angeles Wildcats would return. They would be replaced by a team in San Antonio , with the Tampa Bay Vipers and New York Guardians relocating to Las Vegas and Orlando respectively. On August 8, 2022, it was first reported that the XFL was looking for new equity investors in the league. The league had retained PJT Partners to help with the search and raise $ 125 million in equity funding, while new investors could own up to 35%-45% of

3658-453: The NCAA to take over the operations of the XFL. Doug Whaley , most recently general manager of the Buffalo Bills , was hired as the league's senior vice president of football operations on November 8, 2018. On January 22, 2019, Jeffrey Pollack was named the president and chief operating officer , coming from his previous role as the chief marketing and strategy officer and special adviser for

United Football Players Association - Misplaced Pages Continue

3776-572: The NFLPA . On December 15, 2022, the UFPA, United Steelworkers and the league parent company FOX Sports tentatively agreed on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement starting at the 2023 season. The agreement was approved by the union members on January 9, 2023. On March 10, 2023 XFL players (among them Farrow, who had signed with the Arlington Renegades that season) have filed a petition (through

3894-631: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had recognized the vote. The presidents of the United Football Players Association are: XFL (2020) The XFL was a professional American football minor league consisting of eight teams located across the United States in mid-sized to major markets. It is now one of the two-component conferences of the United Football League (UFL), along with

4012-510: The New York Guardians and the Los Angeles Wildcats , respectively. According to the same report, the league was looking to re-hire Renegades head coach Bob Stoops and potentially bring back former Vipers head coach Marc Trestman in another capacity, while noting that in regard to coaches, "the situation (was) fluid" at the time and that several other former NFL players were being considered for coaching positions. Seattle and St. Louis,

4130-466: The New York Yankees ' side projects (such as YES Network and Legends Hospitality ) and Suddenlink Communications . On August 21, 2020, the transition of ownership was completed, with Johnson stating "The deal is officially closed and 'the keys' to the XFL have been handed over." On October 1, 2020, the XFL announced its return in spring 2022. Johnson and Garcia both stated that they would rescind

4248-434: The Tampa Bay Vipers to Orlando and the New York Guardians to a smaller New Jersey stadium, Red Bull Arena . On April 10, 2020, league president Jeffrey Pollack informed employees on a conference call that the league was suspending operations and that all employees would be terminated. Three days later, on April 13, the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, stating that the coronavirus pandemic had deprived

4366-429: The United States Football League (USFL). The XFL league headquarters were in Arlington, Texas . The league was founded by WWE executive Vince McMahon in 2018, as a continuation successor to the league of the same name he founded in 2001. McMahon founded the new XFL to create a league with fewer off-field controversies and faster, simpler play compared to the bigger National Football League (NFL), and one without

4484-509: 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

4602-533: The product placement deal. After averaging 3.1 million viewers in its first week, average ratings for the XFL would drop to 1.5 million viewers during its fifth and final week. On March 12, 2020, the league canceled the remainder of its regular-season games over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic ; similar concerns led other major sports leagues, including the NBA , NHL , MLS , MLB , MLR seasons and NCAA to suspend or cancel games. The announcement came after

4720-422: 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

4838-488: 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

United Football Players Association - Misplaced Pages Continue

4956-467: The 2024 season and declared: "absolutely, there will be a 2024 XFL football season." In May 2023, the XFL made league-wide cuts affecting up to 30 people, including key personnel CMO Janet Duch and VP of Marketing Anthony Zucconi. The league would later state it was part of a restructuring strategy "to transition into a dual full-time and seasonal-based employment model to improve efficiency and drive sustainable business performance across all markets, given

5074-496: The AAF's markets (Birmingham and Memphis, which both had teams in the first XFL) had populations less than half that of St. Louis's. The only 2020 XFL market that did not host an NFL team was St. Louis, which in 2015 saw its NFL team (the Rams ) return to Los Angeles. In May 2019, the XFL placed a bid on some of the AAF's former assets as part of that league's bankruptcy proceedings. The league

5192-607: The Alliance of American Football infamously shut down mid-season in 2019, leaving open medical bills while some players to find their own flights home, and the XFL too shut down mid-season, because of the COVID-19 pandemic , players were left without much recourse after the league's bankruptcy filing. Those two events lead to formation of a player advocacy group, led by Kenneth Farrow II , aimed at representing non-NFL and non-CFL player interests in startup leagues like upstart spring leagues, indoor leagues and international leagues. The union

5310-593: 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

5428-496: 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

5546-430: 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

5664-413: 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

5782-522: The UFL. After the USW and UFLPA parted ways in August 2024, the UFLPA issued a statement warning its members that it preferred affiliating with an established union and to pursue a "confidential background check on any newly organized union posing as 'united'(.)" Despite this warning, on October 12, the UFPA issued a statement claiming the UFL players had ratified an agreement establishing the UFPA as their union, and that

5900-520: 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

6018-524: The UFPA will start the process of being recognized as an official union . The USFLPA followed with a statement claiming that the UFPA had never been directly involved with any of the negotiations and were not authorized to speak on behalf of the USFLPA. The newly merged United Football League later announced that the newly formed UFLPA (through the USW) would be the recognized as the exclusive bargaining representative by

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6136-467: 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

6254-571: 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

6372-484: 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

6490-653: The United Steelworkers) for a representation election with Region 16 of the NLRB, with the backing of the AFL-CIO Sports Council . On April 19, the XFL players decided against joining the union by vote of 124 to 73. By December 2023, the UFPA cancelled the partnership with the United Steelworkers (USW) and the USFL Players Association over disagreements stemming from the USFL's merger with the XFL, while

6608-417: 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

6726-408: The XFL again under new ownership, but also made clear they would not hold any stake in XFL assets. ESPN even stated that the XFL's "services, skills and talents are not fungible ." On July 23, 2020, Fox also filed a motion in court which signaled a willingness to broadcast the XFL as well, but only under the condition that a new league owner could negotiate a new broadcasting agreement. Fox described

6844-425: 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

6962-437: The XFL as a " Debtor ". On July 28, 2020, it was revealed that ABC had joined Fox and ESPN in calling for new television deals via the court system. It was also reported that ESPN, which is also connected to ABC, wanted to sever ties with the XFL. However, Fox was still open to continuing negotiations with the XFL, but wanted new terms for any future broadcasting agreement and was noncommittal. Fox briefly considered purchasing

7080-403: The XFL in partnership with RedBird Capital Partners , but ultimately decided to instead launch the United States Football League in 2022. On August 3, 2020, it 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;

7198-636: 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

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7316-456: The XFL's two highest-attended teams in 2020, were long expected to return. On April 6, 2022, the XFL announced a new brand identity from a partnership with R/GA , including streamlining its logo to distance itself from the original XFL even more; the X in the logo represents the "intersection of dreams and opportunity". Togethxr, a media and commerce company founded by athletes Alex Morgan , Sue Bird , Chloe Kim , and Simone Manuel , issued

7434-447: The XFL. Forbes reported in June 2023 that the XFL had spent approximately $ 140 million in expenses over the course of the 2023 season and earned $ 80 million in gross revenue, roughly $ 20 million of which came from its broadcast contract with ESPN. The league estimated an increase in revenue to $ 100 million for the 2024 season and profitability by 2026. Johnson confirmed that ESPN had become

7552-443: The XFL. The deadline to file as a bidder was set for July 30, the auction was scheduled to take place August 3 and the sale hearing was set for August 7 at 10 am. However, court documents which were made public on July 28, 2020, revealed that the XFL would not sell unless they successfully negotiated a new broadcasting agreement. On July 1, 2020, ESPN filed a motion in court stating that they would be willing to consider broadcasting

7670-717: The announcements was the confirmation of June Jones joining Haslett's staff, as well as Gregg Williams on Barlow's staff. On July 18, 2022, Kevin Seifert announced that cities and stadiums, which would largely be on the same scale as college, NFL, and Major League Soccer (MLS) venues the league had used in 2020, would be announced by the end of July, and implied that teams that did not have trademark disputes and were returning from their home cities would retain their 2020 brands. On July 25, 2022, Johnson and Garcia held an XFL Townhall at Texas Live! where they confirmed team locations, venues, and staff allocation. All 2020 XFL teams except

7788-437: The attempt remains the same as it was prior to the penalty being enforced. Teams can attempt two forward passes on the same play, so long as the ball never crosses the line of scrimmage before the second pass. This also means that if a pass is batted back towards the quarterback, he is eligible to throw it again; Landry Jones of Dallas successfully utilized this rule in a game. Beginning in 2023, if an offensive player fumbles

7906-399: The ball from outside the end zone and it goes through the end zone without being recovered, the offense retains possession at the point of the fumble (if the fumble occurred on fourth down, final possession is determined by whether the ball carrier reached the line to gain before the fumble), consistent with the rule for other forward fumbles. At most other levels (except the USFL, which adopted

8024-477: The ball moving up to the 1-yard line, while any subsequent defensive penalty on any play, even in future rounds, result in a score awarded to the offensive team. Pre-snap offensive penalties result in the ball being respotted under regular rules, while post-snap offensive penalties result in a loss of down and no score. If both teams remain tied after three rounds, multiple rounds of conversions will be played until one team succeeds, thus ensuring that no game can end in

8142-461: The ban on protesting during the national anthem would be written into player contracts as a condition of employment and that the stipulation was McMahon's idea; Luck agreed that the league aimed to be as non-political as possible. Players were not barred from using cannabis , as the league did not test for the drug. McMahon did not initially reveal any specific details on rule changes that the new XFL would feature but did state that he aimed to reduce

8260-504: 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

8378-419: 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

8496-423: The end of the NFL season and before the start of the USFL season. The league had a player personnel partnership with the Indoor Football League (IFL), with the IFL functioning as the XFL's de facto minor league. On September 28, 2023, the XFL announced its intention to merge with the USFL. On November 30, 2023, the leagues issued a statement that they "completed the antitrust review process in connection with

8614-446: The end of the NFL season. It featured various modifications to the rules of football in order to increase its intensity, as well as on-air innovations such as Skycams , placing microphones on players, and in-game interviews with players. The league was criticized for relying too heavily on " sports entertainment " gimmicks similar to professional wrestling . Despite strong ratings for its first games, viewership eventually nosedived, and

8732-416: 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

8850-415: The features inspired by professional wrestling or entertainment elements of its predecessor. The league and its eight teams were originally owned by McMahon's Alpha Entertainment. Seasons ran from February to May, with each of the league's teams playing a ten-game regular season, and four progressing to the playoffs to crown a season champion. After only five weeks of play in its inaugural 2020 season ,

8968-410: 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

9086-438: The league abruptly ceased play due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and filed for bankruptcy on April 13. In August 2020, actor and professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson , along with longtime business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia , led a consortium to purchase the XFL for $ 15 million. The league returned to play on February 18, 2023, positioned as a minor league . The XFL operated in the winter and early spring months, after

9204-422: 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

9322-447: The league and the players was signed on January 9, 2023. There have been professional football leagues of varying levels since the invention of the sport, but all of them acted as "independent" (or "alternative") leagues after the NFL severed ties with all minor league teams in 1948 and again with the cancellation of NFL Europe in 2006, while players were provided with no formal representation and received few, if any, benefits. After

9440-469: 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

9558-466: The league confirmed it would be keeping the rulebook used in 2020. The league has an active interest in reviving the kickoffs as an element of the game, in contrast to the former AAF , which eliminated kickoffs outright, and the NFL and college football, both of which imposed rules minimizing the impact of the kickoff in the mid-2010s to improve player safety. Many of these kickoff rules were adapted from rules created by The Spring League's predecessor,

9676-430: The league folded after the conclusion of the inaugural season. Both partners lost $ 35 million on the XFL, and McMahon eventually conceded that the league was a "colossal failure". In the 2017 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary This Was the XFL , McMahon openly mused about reviving the XFL, noting that changes would need to be made compared to 2001 to make it viable and relevant in the modern era. McMahon had purchased

9794-503: The league had decided to hit the pause button on their planned 2022 season, so they could focus on talks with the CFL. Both sides have declined to rule out any particular outcome from their talks which could have theoretically included a merger or acquisition. On July 7, 2021, both leagues ended the discussions with no agreement; in the same statement, the XFL cancelled its 2022 season, intending to return in "Spring 2023". On October 14, 2021, it

9912-464: The league made its first actions toward resuming operations by asking authorities in St. Louis, Houston and Seattle to reinstate stadium lease agreements that it had previously been attempting to discharge in the bankruptcy. On May 26, 2020, court filings in the XFL bankruptcy case revealed key dates surrounding the possible sale of the league. As part of the bankruptcy agreement, McMahon agreed not to buy back

10030-424: The league of tens of millions of dollars in revenue. With the bankruptcy filing, the league put itself up for sale and began the process of seeking a buyer to maximize the value of its assets to pay off creditors. Luck, who had returned home to Indiana March 13, was fired from his position before the bankruptcy filing, which led him to sue McMahon personally for wrongful termination on April 21. On May 20, 2020,

10148-475: 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

10266-491: The league would feature eight teams as a single entity owned by Alpha (the previous XFL was also a single-entity league), which had been revealed in 2019. Alpha Entertainment was established to keep the league's management and operations separate from that of WWE. McMahon is prepared to invest as much as $ 500 million, five times as much as his investment in the 2001 XFL. He liquidated an additional $ 270 million in WWE stock (representing

10384-428: 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

10502-518: The length of games to around two hours (in contrast to the standard in American football, which generally runs slightly over three hours). The league later revised this to a two-and-a-half-hour target length. Later, when announcing new changes to overtime rules, it was implied that television broadcasts would have three-hour time slots, into which the entire game and overtime would fit. Test games resulted in an average game time of 2 hours and 40 minutes with

10620-421: 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,

10738-624: The lower bowl for XFL games, similar to the former AAF games and MLS matches played in large stadiums. The XFL has a target stadium size of 30,000 seats so that in the event of playoff games, the upper decks can be opened to increase capacity. " * " indicates Championship Season Deactivated Teams in grey The XFL ran test games with community colleges in Mississippi, Your Call Football , and The Spring League during their spring 2019 seasons, to experiment with rule changes. It hired Dean Blandino as its head of officiating. On December 7, 2022,

10856-411: The next largest city without an NFL team and an acceptable stadium. Orlando was also one of the original XFL's most successful markets and second in attendance for the 2019 AAF season ). Not wanting teams to compete against other spring football teams in the same market, the XFL chose different cities than the AAF. The league chose to focus on placing teams in large media markets , selecting five of

10974-644: The official kickoff date for the 2023 season was announced to be on February 18. It was also announced that all XFL games would be broadcast on ABC as well as the networks of ESPN , ESPN2 and FX as part of a deal with The Walt Disney Company that lasts until 2027. On May 18, 2022, two separate reports indicated that The Dome at America's Center had left 5 open dates anticipating the BattleHawks' return, and that TDECU Stadium would host XFL games in 2023. On June 9, 2022, directors of player personnel and offensive and defensive coordinators were announced. Among

11092-442: The old league. The league sent solicitations to thirty metropolitan areas as potential locations for a team. Commissioner Luck announced the eight host cities and stadiums for the first franchises on December 5, 2018, and also announced the starting date of February 8, 2020, the weekend after Super Bowl LIV , the date on which its first two games were later played. Its first head coach and general manager, Dallas 's Bob Stoops ,

11210-415: The organization contacted players from the newly formed United States Football League in attempt unionize, with a petition to represent the approximately 360 USFL players was later filed at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The UFPA would later join forces with the United Steelworkers as the players union representation on behalf the USFL players, after a failed attempt to get representation from

11328-404: The policy forbidding kneeling during the national anthem and would instead openly support and encourage such behavior in an October 14 interview with Vice . On March 10, 2021, it was announced that the XFL and CFL had entered into formal talks ahead of "opportunities for the leagues to collaborate, innovate, and grow the game of football". According to XFL President & CEO Jeffrey Pollack ,

11446-402: The proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30. We are now finalizing terms of the definitive agreement". On December 31, the name of the combined league was confirmed as the United Football League, with each component league surviving as a conference within the UFL. The original XFL ran for a single season in 2001 , as

11564-671: The purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020. The XFL's parent company originally listed the league with assets and liabilities in the range of $ 10 million to $ 50 million. Johnson, who previously worked for McMahon as WWE wrestler The Rock, played collegiate football with the Miami Hurricanes in the 1990s and as a professional with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League ; he and Garcia were married from 1997 to 2007 and have remained business partners since their divorce. Cardinale's previous investments included

11682-411: The rule only for the playoffs. The Stars Football League also used the rule during its existence.) In the event the defense secures a turnover and returns the ball for a touchdown, the defensive team scores the same number of points as the offense was aiming to score. In the event of a defensive penalty during the conversion attempt, the defense is penalized half the distance to the goal but the value of

11800-408: The same rule at the same time), the team on offense loses possession of the ball and the opponent is awarded possession at its own 20-yard line. Overtime is decided by a three-round shootout of two-point conversions similar to a penalty shootout in soccer or ice hockey. Such a shootout had never been attempted in organized football at the time the rule was proposed; in April 2019, the NCAA adopted

11918-444: 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

12036-465: The seasonal nature of the business". In July 2023, league President Russ Brandon also assumed the role of CEO of the organization. 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 the merger to be announced at

12154-449: 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

12272-470: The timing of the announcement was not meant to coincide with a recent ratings downturn being experienced by the NFL, adding, "What has happened there is their business, and I'm not going to knock those guys, but I am going to learn from their mistakes as anyone would if they were tasked with reimagining a new football league." On June 5, 2018, Oliver Luck was named the league's commissioner and chief executive officer . Luck left his previous positions with

12390-476: 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

12508-419: The top seven largest media markets in the U.S.; based on 2017 census bureau estimates, all eight 2020 XFL markets had over 2.9 million residents each (the smallest being St. Louis ). This was seen as a stark contrast to the other emerging spring football league, the Alliance of American Football, which primarily chose markets without NFL teams, seen as a decision to avoid competing with existing fan bases; two of

12626-420: The trademarks of the defunct United Football League (UFL) and an alternative brand, "UrFL" (Your Football League), in early 2017. The following year, the director of the documentary, Charlie Ebersol (son of Dick Ebersol), would go on to help form the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2018, hoping to beat the revived XFL in being the first to play (by a year). While the league was able to launch in 2019,

12744-460: 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

12862-448: 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

12980-437: Was announced February 7, 2019, with the coaches for Seattle ( Jim Zorn ), DC ( Pep Hamilton ), and Tampa Bay ( Marc Trestman ) following later in the month. The last of the inaugural head coaches, Houston's June Jones , was hired May 13 and introduced May 20. The emergence of the Alliance of American Football created issues selecting cities to host XFL teams, as many potential candidates became home to AAF teams (notably Orlando,

13098-692: Was convicted of domestic violence in 2016. Manziel nonetheless was excluded from the inaugural draft and player allocations, with the league later stating that it had "no interest" in him. Felony convictions are still a disqualification. McMahon justified his intentions by stating that the XFL would be "evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are", and that "people don't want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained". He suggested that players who wish to express political opinions should do so on their time. Luck stated in October 2018 that

13216-450: 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

13334-499: Was created in October 2020 and led by Kenneth Farrow II as a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. The organization first action was to warn prospective players from signing with the National Gridiron League , after number of cases in the past have raised questions about whether this is a legitimate league or a scam. They also helped players who wanted to participate in the newly formed European League of Football . In May, 2022

13452-620: Was establishing a new company known as Alpha Entertainment, which would "explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including professional football." On December 21, 2017, WWE issued a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission , stating that McMahon had sold $ 100 million worth of WWE stock to fund Alpha Entertainment. Alpha Entertainment was headquartered next door to WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut . On January 25, 2018, Alpha Entertainment announced

13570-509: Was outbid by former Arena Football League executive Jerry Kurz . Several months earlier in December 2018, Charlie Ebersol asked Vince McMahon about merging the AAF (which had then yet to start its ultimately-aborted sole season) with the XFL. McMahon turned him down. The league signed its first player, quarterback Landry Jones , on August 15, 2019. The XFL revealed team names and logos on August 21, 2019. Players were assigned to each team in

13688-448: 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,

13806-438: Was revealed that the XFL and Jeffrey Pollack had parted ways, leaving the role as president vacant. On November 8, 2021, in its first substantial public actions since its sale, the league announced the hiring of an executive team; five of the nine hires, including Doug Whaley , returned from the McMahon era. The league named NFL Network Analyst Marc Ross as its new EVP, as well as Russ Brandon , under whom Whaley had worked in

13924-511: Was set to begin on January 4, 2023. On March 11, 2022, multiple news reports indicated that the XFL had hired Reggie Barlow away from the Virginia State Trojans to serve as a head coach. Virginia State confirmed Barlow had taken a job with the XFL. On April 6, 2022, multiple news reports indicated that the XFL had hired their second head coach in former NFL defensive back Terrell Buckley . The reports indicated Buckley would coach

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