Through three weeks of its third season following the merger of the USFL and the XFL, the UFL continues to have mixed success.
Ben Fisher of Sports Business Journal has taken a look at the numbers.
Attendance continues to be an issue in Dallas and Houston. The Dallas Renegades, who have moved to a smaller stadium, have averaged only 6,601 fans through three games. For last weekend’s game against the Columbus Aviators, the venue seemed to be largely empty on TV.
The new teams are doing OK. Columbus had 14,810 at one home game. Louisville is averaging 12,558. Orlando is at 9,857 through two home games.
The ratings are split, too. On Sunday, Birmingham at St. Louis broke the 1 million barrier on ABC, with 968,000 watching the front end of the doubleheader (Columbus at Dallas). The Week 2 game between Louisville and Orlando, in contrast, attracted a sluggish 308,000. That same weekend, Birmingham-Houston was seen by only 196,000 on NFL Network.
The explanation for low ratings is the presence of sports alternatives in the same windows. But that’s always going to be a factor for spring football. From NCAA basketball to the NBA to the NHL to the MLB, there will be other options from other sports during their normal playing seasons.
Yes, it will take time for the UFL to reach its ceiling. It’s still not known how high the ceiling for any spring football league will ever be.
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