• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 30, 2025

Spring Football’s Future: UFL’s Mixed Results, Ambitious Changes Ahead

  • The UFL held its inaugural championship game Sunday.
  • ‘Front Office Sports’ checks in with former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The latest spring football league just concluded its debut season, with some metrics pointing up and others trending slightly down. 

The UFL, a merger of the former XFL and USFL, hosted its inaugural championship game in St. Louis on Sunday, as 27,396 fans watched the Birmingham Stallions beat the San Antonio Brahmas. That brought the league’s final Year 1 attendance total to 581,016, a per-game average of 13,512 across 43 regular-season and postseason contests. That’s lower than the XFL’s average of 14,703 fans per game in 2023. (The USFL didn’t have true home and road games last year, with the league’s eight teams playing in only four markets.)

On TV, though, the UFL saw a viewership boost over its old counterparts. The regular season averaged 816,000 viewers across Fox, ABC, and ESPN, good for a 30% increase over the XFL and USFL average in 2023. Both conference championship games drew more than one million viewers each, representing a 57% bump from the 748,000 average USFL/XFL playoff audience.

Changes Coming

Next year, Fox, a broadcast partner that owns 50% of the UFL, will be making a significant adjustment to its spring football TV schedule. The network will shift “many” UFL games from Sundays to Friday nights, Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks said recently. The move will be made to accommodate incoming IndyCar Series race broadcasts, which Fox has acquired the rights to, starting in 2025. Whether that move impacts UFL ratings remains to be seen.

Expert Opinion

To take stock of the current spring football landscape, Front Office Sports checked in with a man that has plenty of experience in the space: Oliver Luck. The longtime sports executive was most recently the commissioner of the XFL in 2020, when it was under the ownership of Vince McMahon. Luck also was the president of NFL Europe in the ’90s when the former World League played spring games.

“You really need deep pockets,” Luck tells FOS, acknowledging the “spotty history” of spring leagues. “Because you’re going to lose some money in Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, probably into Years 4 and 5.” But if the finances are right, Luck sees plenty of ways that the NFL could benefit from rules, technology, and broadcast innovations. “There’s a whole universe out there of potential things that a spring league could serve as a little bit of a petri dish.”

One change Luck says the UFL should make is its start date, which this year was in late March. “I think one of the good things that the XFL did is we started the weekend after the Super Bowl,” he says. “And I always thought that people still had a football [mindset] going, because they were in that football mode.”

Better Together?

In the NFL Europe days, teams could allocate players to international clubs, a process Luck says most coaches and GMs seemed happy with. No spring league since has struck any such formal relationship with the NFL. 

But finding a peaceful coexistence will be key for UFL—or any other entity looking to break into space. Luck says he met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell twice during his time with the XFL to talk logistics. “That’s a fairly intricate dance,” Luck says. “Because we believed—and I’m sure that’s still the case today—that literally everybody who was playing in the XFL in 2020, the goal was to get into the NFL or have an opportunity to go to a training camp.”

The Lions recently signed Jake Bates, formerly a kicker with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers to a two-year contract. Moves like that will be key for the UFL moving forward, in addition to the NFL’s considering some spring football-led technology changes, as well as adopting a new kickoff rule from the old XFL.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Panthers-Oilers Rematch Could Be Big in Canada. Will U.S. Ratings Dip?

Likely viewership declines in the U.S. are countered by robust Canadian audiences.
Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) scores on a pass in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium.

Why the NFL Isn’t a Sure Bet for Private-Equity Firms

Three teams have gotten PE investments since owners approved the rule change.
Apr 28, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; President Donald Trump welcomes players and staff of the Philadelphia Eagles to celebrate their Super Bowl victory at the White House Monday, April 28, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Josh Morgan-USA TODAY ORG XMIT: USAT-1280532 (Via OlyDrop)

Cycling, Fishing Brands Among 6 Small Businesses That Sued Over Trump Tariffs

An appeals court allowed Trump tariffs to continue—for now.

Featured Today

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 24, 2025

Indiana Is the Center of the Basketball Universe—Thanks to Both Pro Teams

The Fever and Pacers are thriving at the same time.
Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) injures left shoulder whilte attempt to steal second base in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

Yankees-Dodgers Clash Draws TV Spotlight, Sky-High Prices

The teams’ lone regular-season series features three nationally aired games.
May 29, 2025

Panthers Clinch Stanley Cup Final Appearance, Stir Up Dynasty Talk

The Panthers clinched a third-straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Sha'Carri Richardson
May 29, 2025

Sha’Carri Richardson Enters Track Start-Up Fray With Alexis Ohanian

Richardson headlines a group of “advisor owners” with equity in the league.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 29, 2025

NCAA Exploring March Madness Expansion to 76 Teams in 2026

NCAA president Charlie Baker said March Madness discussions are ongoing.
Softball
May 29, 2025

MLB Makes Eight-Figure Investment in New Softball League 

Athletes Unlimited and Major League Baseball announced the deal Thursday morning.
May 25, 2025; MONACO; McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown at Circuit de Monaco.
May 28, 2025

F1’s Monaco GP Draws Third-Largest U.S. Audience Amid Track Criticisms

F1 will race in Monaco until at least 2031.
May 28, 2025

Big 12 Men’s Coaches in Favor of Expanding March Madness

Kansas coach Bill Self said the conference supports the idea.