The USFL revival was a branding exercise, not a continuation of football history

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When the United States Football League returned in 2022, it captured the nostalgia of the 1980s with familiar team names and colors. Yet, this modern iteration shared no legal ties to the original league, operating instead as a Fox-backed venture that prioritized television production over traditional home-market fan engagement.

The 2022 USFL was a standalone entity, owned by Fox Corporation through its National Spring Football League subsidiary. Despite utilizing the trademarks of the original league that played from 1983 to 1985, the new organization had no official association with its predecessor. The rights to these names were acquired after previous attempts to revive the league, such as the 2014 A-11 Football League, allowed them to lapse. This branding strategy faced legal scrutiny when 'The Real USFL, LLC'—a group representing former franchise owners—sued to block the use of the name. In April 2022, a federal judge denied an injunction, noting that while the plaintiffs might win on trademark infringement, any harm could be settled through monetary damages. The suit was eventually withdrawn.

Operationally, the league departed from standard sports models by employing a 'hub' system. During the 2022 inaugural season, all eight teams played exclusively in Birmingham, Alabama, at Protective Stadium and Legion Field. This centralized approach aimed to control costs and logistics, with players and staff housed locally. By 2023, the league expanded to include additional hubs in cities like Memphis, Tennessee, though many teams still did not play in their namesake metropolitan areas. This model was intended to be a temporary measure, with the league projecting a transition to individual home markets by its third season.

The league's trajectory shifted rapidly following the 2023 season. In September 2023, the USFL announced its intent to merge with the XFL, a process finalized by the end of the year under the new name, the United Football League. The USFL's four surviving teams transitioned into a conference within the UFL. However, the consolidation was short-lived. By July 2026, the final two USFL-branded teams, the Birmingham Stallions and the Houston Gamblers, were discontinued. This marked the end of a five-year effort to establish a sustainable spring football league, leaving behind a complex legacy of corporate ownership, trademark disputes, and a reliance on television-friendly production over local community roots.

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