Ah yes, spring football. Proof that America’s appetite for football extends far beyond the realms of the already heaping piles of NFL football and college football. For some, spring football is a wacky experiment that exists to give washed up veterans one last shot at glory. For others, it’s another way to interact with one of the most exciting sports in all of America. But for the XFL and the USFL, it has been a battle to capitalize on a small group of football hungry Americans.

 Both leagues have similar histories, going from once defunct to resurrected by television networks and hungry investors, and both exist as a sort of a football minor leagues for those who can’t snag one of 1,590 full time NFL roster spots. So with the two leagues expected to merge before 2024, according to Front Office Sports, here are some reasons why you should be paying attention to the upcoming combination of spring football’s biggest titans 

1. The new league could be a primetime staple in 2024 due to the Writers strike

With both the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild striking over financial compensation, streaming revenue share and AI creations, Hollywood is at a stand still. This means that television networks have been turning to alternative programming to fill key time slots, including their primetime slates. While game shows and reality television may immediately come to mind, live sports have also been crucial to garnering ratings on the big four networks. For example, ESPN just announced that the entire slate of Monday Night Football games will be simulcast on ABC to fill the Monday Night Primetime slot. 

With basketball and hockey being the only live professional sports through the months of mid-February and early-April, spring football could play a key role in filling crucial time for the networks. Usually, spring football has filled slots on FS1, USA Network, and other cable-only platforms but with a lack of new content, this new league could see a major push by NBC, FOX, and ABC. This will make for a very attractive brand and one that could become the talk of the town.

2. This new league could have way more talent than last years iterations

It’s just simple math, now that both leagues are no longer competing for the same share of athletes, the cream will rise to the top. In 2020, the XFL was able to garner moderately sized names like P.J. Walker, Donald Parham, and Marquette King. In 2022, the USFL was able to kickstart the career of Pro Bowler KaVontae Turpin, and snag guys like Paxton Lynch and Scooby Wright III. In 2023, both leagues suffered from a weakened talent pool due to both leagues fighting for the same pool of non-NFL ready players. Now it is entirely possible that both leagues keep the same number of teams, but it is highly likely that the combined league cuts some teams as both leagues have lost money while only supporting eight teams each. If the new league chooses to only keep eight teams, there will be so much more talent compared to  2023’s spring football slate which will bring up viewership and make the games much more watchable with a higher bar for entry 

3. It is the best of both worlds 

Each league has its strengths and weaknesses. The USFL was able to maximize TV deals with NBC and FOX to canvas television with its matchups and create new ways to make the game entertaining like the helmet cam and drone cam. The USFL was also able to create more parity amongst its teams and allocate talent in a way that saw playoff races come down to the wire. Meanwhile, the XFL was able to actually host games in home stadiums and saw much higher attendance because of this. The XFL was able to accrue way more big names like Ben Denucci, A.J. McCarron, and former USFL star Luis Perez. With the high production value of the USFL, and the home stadium system of the XFL, I truly feel that spring football will hit new heights in 2024.