With XFL And USFL, Spring Professional Football May Finally Have Found Its Home
Spring professional football has long been a dream of short-sighted investors wanting a taste of what NFL owners get to experience. Now, two leagues have an opportunity to win fans of two very different products.
Last April, the USFL debuted with moderate success, and now the XFL has finally emerged. The first glimpse of what The Rock has to offer may give the USFL some reason to feel squeezed by what fans witnessed this first weekend.
It is important to note that the first version of the United States Football League was up-and-down as teams had to move for financial reasons, with the stability of its viability becoming an obvious issue. That said, it was good football with big names that would end up in the NFL.
Spring Football Launched Some Big-Time Names.
How big? Quarterback Steve Young played with the Los Angeles Express and would end up leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Jim Kelly was with the Houston Gamblers before taking the Buffalo Bills to four championship games, going 0-4 but still wound up in Canton.
Reggie White played with the Memphis Showboats before going to play for the Eagles, Packers, and Carolina. Others like Anthony Carter, Gary Zimmerman, and Sam Mills also cut their teeth in the USFL.
XFL Quarterback And Former National Champion Looking To Make Huge Impact In 2023
It is impossible to tell if any of the players who play in the spring will actually be stars on Sunday in the fall. But the differences are already noticeable to the naked eye telling you that The Rock may already be the better product.
One noticeable change is where the teams are located and where they play.
New Zip Codes For The XFL.
The St. Louis Battlehawks: The Dome at America’s Center.
he St. Louis Battlehawks: The Dome at America’s Center.
San Antonio Brahmas: The Alamodome.
D.C. Defenders: Audi Field in Washington D.C.
Orlando Guardians: Camping World Stadium.
Arlington Renegades: Choctaw Stadium.
Houston Roughnecks: TDECU Stadium.
Seattle Sea Dragons: Lumen Field.
Vegas Vipers: Cashman Field.
Not Exclusively A Birmingham Thing In 2023.
To its credit, the USFL is moving games to “hubs” for the 2023 season. To watch a game last year was to see empty stadiums in Birmingham, AL. That will hopefully change. As the four “hub” cities are as follows:
🤔⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qubo6qNStC — USFL (@USFL) February 1, 2023
Detroit hosting the Panthers and Stars.
Birmingham will be the host city for the Stallions (replacing the 2022 Tampa Bay team) and Breakers.
Memphis will feature the Showboats and Gamblers.
Canton will be the city to have the Maulers and the Generals.
Staying Power For The XFL And The USFL
Both the leagues are hoping to have some serious lasting power. The Rock and his league investors have ESPN and ABC to air games while the USFL has broadcast rights partnerships with Fox, FS1, NBC, the Peacock network, and the USA network.
Of note is the fact that the USFL is the first professional spring football league in nearly 40 years to complete a successful inaugural season and return for a second-consecutive season.
WHAT A WAY TO KICK OFF #XFL2023 Favorite moment from today?#XFL pic.twitter.com/emwrCBUBvs — XFL (@XFL2023) February 19, 2023
As for the XFL, The Rock and co-owners Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale have their “fingers crossed”.
Unlike other football leagues that have tried and failed, both the USFL and the XFL seem to have the type of leadership that can survive the long haul, with perhaps the USFL having a bigger advantage.
The hunger of professional football fans in the United States is palpable. Both leagues have a game with some wrinkles added that give each entity a fresh approach. That alone can keep the interest level going and create a lot of fan discussion.
Spring football has an audience. Both the XFL and the USFL have a good product to fill the football fans’ void and desire for a ballgame. Let us all hope it works out for football fans everywhere.
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