The rivalry and competition between the United States Football League and the XFL has already begun, and neither league has started up play as of yet.
The Unites States Football League just finished up its inaugural draft as they have snatched up some talent that will not be available to the XFL when they begin play in 2023. According to a report from PFT’s Mike Florio and Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, the USFL is making damn sure to keep top talent from them by protecting athletes with overlapping contracts.
This will stop the XFL from trying to poach their players.
“The USFL’s player contracts cover one year, with a one-year option. Thus, the USFL can choose to squat on any, some, or all of the players for 2023, keeping them away from the XFL (owned by The Rock) for its third inaugural season.
While the USFL may win the short-term fight for players, the XFL’s collaboration with the NFL may help that league win the broader struggle for relevance.”
The USFL plans to begin play April 16 and is owned by Fox Sports, which will be its broadcast partner. This USFL has no ties to the original league that ran from 1983-85.
The USFL features eight teams — the Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits.
The NFL season may end in February, but fans won’t have to wait six months to watch football as they will now have two spring leagues.
