The XFL was born to be the primary competition of the NFL. It has not been easy for the league to find success, and the last season was the prove of it. Under the new management, led by Dwayne Johnson, the organization lost $60 million, and now the actor has addressed the matter.
Back in 2018, WWE Executive Vince McMahon decided to create a football league to compete against the NFL. The competition has different rules, as the founders wanted something unique that would caught everybody’s attention.
Two years later, McMahon sold the league to a consortium led by Dwayne Johnson and his ex-wife Dany Garcia. Unfortunately, the business has not worked very well, as they had huge financial problems last season.
Dwayne Johnson gets real on XFL’s losing $60 million last season
Everybody knows that the NFL is the most relevant football league in the United States. However, the XFL was created as an alternative that could be attractive for those spectators who want something fresh and different from their beloved sport.
Once McMahon left, Johnson and Garcia took the league to continue with this idea. However, things seem to not be working really well. Forbes recently reported that the XFL lost around $60 million last season, including the cut of several jobs during the process.
“My goal was to get through the first season,” Dwayne Johnson said, downplaying this millionaire loss. “This is not just an endeavor that’s going to fill up a portfolio and one day we flip it and we’re out. This is legacy. This is the long game.”
After the end of the campaign, both Johnson and Garcia confirmed that the XFL will return in 2024. “This isn’t one-and-done,” The Rock said to USA Today. “This isn’t ‘let’s expand the portfolio, let’s make a little money and let’s get out of the game.’ This truly is a passion project that has dated back to when we were kids coming out of the University of Miami.”