Hope springs eternal for spring football

With the final gun of Saturday’s USFL Championship game came the first year of two competing spring football leagues finishing a full season.

In 2020, neither the XFL nor the AAF managed to make it to their playoffs, much less their championship games.

While mostly due to COVID and financial issues, it seemed spring professional football was dead.

In 2022 the USFL rose from the ashes of its death over 35 years before and played a full season. This spring, the USFL was joined by the XFL, emerging from a two-year hiatus under new ownership.

The game, for the most part, is football no matter which league is playing. But they vary in many key respects.

Ownership

The USFL is owned by Fox Entertainment. Which means it has a lot of money backing it.

It’s also run by a former player, Cowboys legend Daryl “Moose” Johnston.

The XFL was purchased by a group led by former wrestler and movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for $15 million.

It has backing from investors but lost between $50-60 million this year.

Both leagues claim they have enough operating capital for the next few years and will play a full 2024 schedule.

Home Field

The unique difference between the two leagues is in home games.

The eight-team USFL used a four-city hub in 2023 after playing all of its games in two different stadiums in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022.

Oddly enough, the Birmingham Stallions – the only team that has played all of its home games in its home stadium in front of its hometown fans – has won both USFL championships this century.

The XFL’s eight teams played their home games in their actual home cities.

Which led to bigger crowds for all of its games.

Rules Differences

The XFL adopted the one foot rule for catches in bounds and had an innovative kickoff format.

The latter drew the ire of Johnston.

Johnston disapproves of the XFL rules on kickoffs, namely having to announce an onside kick attempt, in addition to where the teams line up on kickoffs.

The rules regarding punts are also different.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 8: Marquette King #7 of the St. Louis BattleHawks punts the ball during the XFL game against the DC Defenders at Audi Field on March 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shawn Hubbard/XFL via Getty Images)

The leagues have similar OT rules, using two-point attempts instead of possession, with the XFL allowing five attempts while the USFL uses a system similar to the NHL’s shoot-out format.

There are a few others but those were the ones that stand out the most.

But the rules differences aren’t the only bone of contention Johnston has with his league’s competition.

Ratings War

What drew Johnson’s ire was the fact that the XFL’s ratings were as good as the USFL’s. But there may be a couple of very good reasons for that.

The XFL kicked off six days after the NFL wrapped up its season in February.

The USFL’s season started on April 15th – less than two weeks before the NFL Draft.

Between the XFL entering its push for the playoffs and the NFL’s next season starting to gear up, it could be that football fatigue was setting in.

While the USFL is looking to cut costs by operating in four hubs instead of eight cities, the XFL generated more interest in all eight of its cities.

Did the people of New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York (New Jersey), or Houston ever really get behind teams that never played a game in their city?

Likely not.

The USFL says the eventual goal is to have all eight teams located in their home cities.

Until then, the XFL will have better attendance and be competitive in the ratings.

Cowboys Connection To Spring Football

Herschel Walker is probably the most notable player to move from the USFL to the Dallas Cowboys back in the 1980s.

As far as this iteration of the USFL, only KaVontae Turpin has managed to land, and keep, a roster spot.

The Cowboys signed linebacker Christian Sam last year after his time with the New Orleans Breakers.

But he failed to land a spot on the roster when the regular season started last year and was waived before camp ended.

So far, Dallas has not signed any USFL players since the USFL season ended.

The most notable former Cowboys player to make a splash in spring football, aside from Johnston running the USFL, is quarterback Ben DiNucci.

After leading Seattle to the playoffs, DiNucci signed with the Denver Broncos after the season ended.

So far, the Cowboys have not brought on any XFL player onto its roster.

But with two spots open and the Cowboys needing a kicker, they might look at both leagues and see if an option exists there.