The USFL is making a comeback in 2022. The league is returning next year after going dormant since 1985. It once featured stars like Reggie White and Herschel Walker and is the latest spring football league to take a crack at the calendar slot.
The XFL returned and flamed out last year. A global pandemic made things very difficult for the fledgling league, yet the brain trust behind the USFL’s return believes the eight-team league will “deliver high-quality, innovative professional football to fans.”
There hasn’t been an announcement on official team names or cities, but the league has retained all of the original names from the 80s. Fox Sports owns a minority stake in the revamped USFL and will serve as the flagship broadcast partner for the league. Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks marked Thursday as “a landmark day for football fans and Fox Sports.”
Brian Woods is co-founder of the league; he has also helped build “The Spring League” which airs games on Fox.
“I’m extremely passionate about football, and the opportunity to work with Fox Sports and to bring back the USFL in 2022 was an endeavor worth pursuing,” said Woods. “We look forward to providing players a new opportunity to compete in a professional football league and giving fans everywhere the best football viewing product possible during what is typically a period devoid of professional football.”
The original endeavor lasted from 1983 to 1985 and crumbled due to overspending and mismanagement. Former President Donald Trump was an original owner and had a hand in the league’s attempt to play in the fall, right up against the NFL.
There could be two spring football leagues in 2022 after the XFL was purchased out of bankruptcy last year by owners Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and RedBird Capital Partners. There is no confirmed start date for the XFL as they continue negotiating a merger with the Canadian Football League.