Today’s announcement didn’t say much, as it mainly conveyed the fact that the merger was still subject to “regulatory approvals” and “did not come with any guaranteed outcomes,” meaning anything, everything and nothing was still possible.
The announcement was wholly positive, especially in how it framed the merger as a “historic combination” that would “anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together.”
In a nutshell, they are saying they could not resist the opportunity to join together as one powerful entity. This should be good news for players and staff as it implies the new league would have longevity. Unfortunately, right now there is little actual news for staff and players who must be waiting on tenterhooks to see if they still have a professional football opportunity in the new year.
The USFL did take the time to inform their players of the league merging with the XFL.
Dear USFL Players,
Today, the United States Football League (“USFL”) and XFL announced the intent to merge. The new league will establish best-in-class operations atop the foundation built over the USFL and XFL’s most recent seasons, cementing the future of professional spring football, and further enhancing the development of its players, coaches, and staff.
We are extremely proud of what we have built over the past two seasons. We have shown that the professional spring football model can work — and, in many ways, have done what many football and business minds thought was impossible. The USFL became the first spring league at scale in approximately 40 years to come back and play a second season. And it happened because of YOU.
Meanwhile, the XFL defined its own success this past season cementing that the time is right to combine the USFL and XFL into a joint entity. As such, the USFL agreed to terms with the XFL’s ownership group and recently submitted the necessary filings of the proposed merger. The Regulatory review process is underway and, does not come with any guaranteed outcomes. We remain focused and as committed as ever to deliver a heightened level of excellence for the USFL’s third season.
We realize this news creates many questions, and we will continue to communicate with all of you as new information becomes available throughout this process. We are excited about the future and hope be able to share more details regarding the new league at a later date.
Meanwhile, Jason Gonella, XFL Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales, penned a personal email to season ticket holders:
Good Morning or Afternoon,
I’m writing to you with some important news — today we are announcing that the XFL and USFL have announced their intention to merge. The combination of these two leagues will anchor professional spring football with sustainable capabilities and resources to ensure future growth while continuing to enhance the development of our players.
While this is big news, until the deal closes, the XFL will continue to run business and football operations as usual. We look forward to sharing more information with you about the deal when we can.
Most importantly — your money and season tickets are safe. As we continue to discuss and finalize details about what the combined league looks like, we will uphold and honor any decision you make regarding your season tickets.
We have to thank you, our loyal fans, for the ongoing support and immediate embrace of the XFL. We are incredibly excited for the future of our league and for the growth of spring football.
We look forward to sharing more details with you at a later date. In the meantime, we encourage you to reach out with any questions you might have via email at Jason.Gonella@xfl.com.
In a separate statement meant for staff and players, XFL President Russ Brandon indicated that league operations would continue unaffected until the deal closed and regulators approved the merger, and that all contracts with the league would be honored.
Good Afternoon,
Hope everyone has been having a safe and relaxing off season.
l’m writing to you with some important news — today the XFL and USFL announced their intention to merge. The combination of these two leagues will anchor professional spring football with sustainable capabilities and resources to ensure future growth while continuing to enhance the development of our players.
While this is big news, until the deal closes, the XFL will continue to run business and football operations as usual. We look forward to sharing more information with you about the deal when we can.
Today’s news comes after months of productive discussions and, most importantly, mutual respect for the success both leagues have achieved. The combined ownership group shares the same vision for the future of spring football and is aligned in its mission to build a scalable platform that benefits players, fans and partners for the long-term.
Although there is still more to come, here is what I can share with you today:
Our ownership group is committed to seeing the growth and success of spring football.
With the addition of Fox, the combined ownership are undisputable, global leaders across sports, entertainment, media, brand marketing and business building.
Your contract does not change at this time. We will keep you updated as details become available. This is not only the next chapter for the XFL, but for spring football and its role in the greater football ecosystem.
Russ Brandon
There was no mention as to the name of the merged league. Would it go by USFL or XFL? An interesting clue was revealed on September 27, 2023 when it was revealed the USFL had registered the trademarks “National Spring Football League” and “NSFL.” Of course this does not guarantee this will be the name of the new league. In addition, expert opinions have pointed out how “NSFL” may be too similar to NFL, and cause a dispute with the National Football League.
Also, each league has eight teams and it is not sure which teams would survive the merger. These details are yet to be revealed, along with decisions of which rules would be adopted by the merged league and other operational decisions.
