The United Football League is set to kick off its second season tonight in a prime-time game on Fox, should the players show up. The players and UFL owners—a coalition including Fox, ESPN, RedBird Capital, and Dwayne Johnson—have been in a dispute over a collective bargaining agreement. However, Russ Brandon, the UFL president, assured Awful Announcing that there will be football tonight, CBA or not. “We’re playing ball, so that’s what we’re focused on,” Brandon stated, adding that the players have excelled during camp and media days.
Despite the ongoing CBA issue, the UFL—formed last year after a merger of the USFL and XFL—is already among the longer-lasting spring leagues considering the seasons of both leagues. The USFL operated in 2022 and 2023, while the XFL played in ’23. Brandon believes the UFL’s survival, in contrast to many other failed spring leagues, can be attributed to cost controls and structured ownership. “These leagues are expensive to run… you can’t run it like the traditional model of the NFL,” he explained.
When asked about startup football leagues typically requiring a $250 million investment over three seasons, Brandon acknowledged that figure is in the ballpark. Last season, the UFL averaged 845,000 viewers across 43 games on ESPN and Fox. Outside of St. Louis, where fan support has been strong, attendance has struggled. This is partly due to the USFL and XFL merger just months before the UFL’s kickoff and the fact that all eight teams are located in Arlington, Texas, limiting player engagement in their respective communities during the season.
“We’re still building; we’re only 14 months old,” Brandon mentioned. He noted that each team is equipped with staffing models similar to double-A baseball teams, with personnel focused on ticket sales, sponsorships, community relations, and PR actively working year-round to create brand recognition.
The XFL features eight teams and has received strong interest in proposals for expansion cities, according to Brandon. The UFL is known for experimenting with new technologies and gameplay changes ahead of the NFL, such as innovative kickoff formations and digital tracking of first down lines. This season, ESPN is introducing new developments where two players per team will wear chest cams, allowing for an immersive viewing experience. “We’ll be able to see the output from that player’s perspective,” said Bill Bonnell, ESPN’s lead producer for the UFL, highlighting the potential to listen to play calls and observe defensive adjustments.
Additional features include the ability for sideline reporters to showcase what players are analyzing on iPads, and coaches and backup quarterbacks wearing headsets for live questions from announcers. “I view it as a blank canvas that allows us to mold the UFL in a way that could eventually benefit NFL broadcasts,” Bonnell added.
The UFL aims to replicate some of college football’s success with a weekly Friday night game on Fox, a move likely to boost ratings from the previous year. However, the quality of play remains a significant concern, especially in a sport that heavily relies on effective quarterback performance. Brandon notes that the league offers fans a chance to watch future NFL talents, as 51 former UFL athletes are currently signed with NFL teams.
To deal with the challenge of introducing lesser-known players, Bonnell mentioned that ESPN is focused on “humanizing” them through storytelling. He cited Jared Thomas, a lineman for the Memphis Showboats who is also an aspiring broadcaster, as an example of how personal narratives can engage viewers. “We aim to give our audience a vested interest in following these players week after week—that’s the excitement of it,” Bonnell concluded.
