Following several failed spring football league efforts over the years, the USFL and XFL officially completed their merger in Nov. 2023 and formed a new spring football league called the United Football League. After a successful inaugural season, the league is back for its second year. Who owns the UFL?
Examining Who Owns the UFL
Spring football leagues have historically had little success.
The USFL was first founded in 1982 and lasted four years before ceasing operations. The XFL, originally founded by wrestling executive Vince McMahon in 2001, only lasted one season.
The XFL was revived in 2018 but then filed for bankruptcy in 2020. It was bought by a consortium that included Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia. The USFL was reborn in Birmingham, Ala., in 2021.
The USFL and XFL played separate, partially overlapping schedules in 2023. The leagues merged into the UFL toward the end of 2023, with the hopes of taking the best aspects from each.
“As a unified spring league, we are able to deepen our commitment to unlocking and surpassing the dreams of our players, coaches, staff, and fans. This league represents continued legacy and evolution, and we look forward to building the universe of spring football,” Garcia said in a statement.
“This is 30 years in spring football of starting and stopping, starting and stopping,” Johnson said on Fox NFL Sunday, adding that “it feels like we got a shot to establish that spring football is here to stay.”
A news release listed five UFL partners: the three XFL owners (Johnson, Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital Partners), USFL owner Fox Sports (represented by CEO Eric Shanks), and ESPN (represented by chairman Jimmy Pitaro).
Former XFL president/CEO Russ Brandon holds the same title in the UFL, and former USFL president of football operations Daryl Johnston leads the UFL’s football operations.
The UFL has two conferences: the USFL Conference and XFL Conference. The USFL Conference includes the Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats, and Houston Roughnecks (three were USFL teams, while the Roughnecks are a combination of Houston’s USFL and XFL teams). The XFL Conference features the D.C. Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, Arlington Renegades, and St. Louis Battlehawks.
KEEP READING: How Do UFL Salaries for Players, Coaches Compare to NFL?
Four teams qualify for the playoffs, with the top two teams in each conference qualifying for their respective conference championship games. Last year, head coach Wade Phillips led the San Antonio Brahmas to the UFL Championship.
The UFL has television deals with ESPN and Fox.
UFL Players File Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against the League’s Owners
Now, as the UFL kicks off its second season, the players’ union filed unfair labor practice charges against the league’s owners after talks stalled on a new collective bargaining agreement.
With unrest growing between the UFL and its players amidst negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, tensions escalated dramatically. On Friday, March 14, the players filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing the league of 10 counts of unlawful conduct. Those 10 counts include:
- Threatening to cut players for participating in protected union activities
- Cutting Quinten Dormady in response to his participation in protected union activities
- Creating new rules regarding player discipline to discourage participation in protected union activities
- Creating disciplinary rules that have a reasonable tendency to deter players from exercising their rights
- Denying the union access to league facilities
- Threatening to remove union representatives from areas where they have lawful access rights
- Engaging in surveillance of player participation in protected union activities
- Creating the impression of surveillance regarding union participation
- Threatening to discipline players for participating in protected union activities
- Failing and refusing to provide the union with relevant and necessary information for collective bargaining
The UFL Players Association has filed unfair labor practice charges against the UFL today.
The season is supposed to start in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/rW0InrZvjG
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 14, 2025
This complaint comes after negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement have stalled. On its website, the UFPA highlights player welfare concerns as a key reason for its formation in 2020.
“We have seen professional players have poor protection and benefits, injured players released while under contract, among many other hardships due to lack of protection.
“This level of football is extremely important to many players, and making sure players are at the table to discuss the ways this level can be here for years to come is one of the highest priorities.”