The third iteration of the XFL Pro Football League has had a bit of a bumpy start. First the league pushed back from a 2022 kickoff to 2023 which gave their competition the USFL a head start. Then a potential partnership between the XFL and Canadian football League fell through. And now viewership seems to be taking a drop.
Following the sale of the XFL to pro wrestler turned actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson it seemed that the seemingly cursed league had another chance following two previous incarnations. The first in 2001 and lasted only a single season and the second in 2020 only lasting around half a season.
The league partnered with Disney/ESPN in May of 2022 to broadcast the games on ESPN, ABC and FX. The deal was for the league’s first four seasons lasting from 2023 – 2027.
But as we go into week 7 of the regular season it appears that excitement for the league has died down. ABC reportedly had about 1.7 Million views in week 6 but it dropped to only 800,000 in weeks 7. Both FX and ESPN 2 had a combined 740,000 views in week 6 but fell to 502,000 in week 7.
The Arlington Renegades vs. Seattle Sea Dragons game on FX only had 180,000 viewers. That number is now currently the lowest-rated pro football game in modern sports history.
With the upcoming second season of the United States Football League on Fox and NBC, along with other major sports like MLB eating into their viewership numbers the playoffs for the XFL might take even more hits. The only game worth watching would be the championship game.
The XFL has a history of coming back time and time again. But with each new iteration, people seem to think “Fool me once”. Perhaps the league can turn around in the latter weeks leading up to the championship. We’ll have to wait and see.
Source: The Sports Rush
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