More money will be thrown at an idea that has not worked.
Mike Rapole is the latest individual who is ready to spend money on a business that has not worked. Spring professional football. The landscape is littered with spring football league failures, the United States Football League which operated between 1983 and 1985 being the best example of failure, there were other leagues that failed to get off the ground and somehow another United Football League seemed to meander to a slow death between 2009 and 2012. The Alliance of American Football didn’t last a season in 2019, Vince McMahon’s attempt at establishing the XFL in 2001 and in 2020 lasted a year. A new United States Football League and a third XFL merged after the 2023 season to form the United Football League.
The UFL, which had a terrible year in 2025 from an attendance and TV ratings standpoint, has a new investor in Rapole and Rapole is talking about a big and bright future for the league while admitting it probably is no more than a minor league. “We’re going to be aggressive as far as being nimble and scrappy and gritty and making aggressive moves,” he said. “If by 2035, if we can’t have 16 teams, I’m going to consider it a personal failure. This is it. Other leagues didn’t have the capital that this league has, didn’t have the media giants that this league has, didn’t have the entrepreneurs that this team has.” Repole confirmed that the UFL will move at least two of its home markets and possibly four in time for the 2026 season. One of the markets will be Columbus, Ohio. The league will have eight teams in 2026 and all the teams will practice in one central area again to cut costs. Spring football can’t compete with other sports in the entertainment space. Rapole is the latest individual who wants to prove otherwise.
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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
