Football fans rejoiced Monday morning as news broke that Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners LLC Founder Gerry Cardinale have purchased the XFL for $15 million. News site Sportico broke the story. This comes just hours before the XFL was set to go on a planned auction earlier in the day.
The XFL had hit the halfway point of the regular season when they canceled the season due to COVID-19. The league was averaging 1.9 million views during the five weeks, beating some NHL, NBA, and college basketball games. Later, the XFL would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and layoff a majority of its employees. In the last couple of months, rumors were beginning to swirl about who was interested in purchasing the XFL. Some reports have gone as far as saying people would be surprised at the names interested in buying the league. MyBookie.com, a sports gambling site listed Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson with a +1200 to win the auction. Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia both confirmed their purchase of the XFL on their Twitter accounts on Monday.
With my trail blazing partner @DanyGarciaCo & Red Bird Capital, we have acquired the XFL. With gratitude & passion I’ve built a career with my own two hands and will apply these callouses to our @xfl2020 brand. Excited to create something special for the fans! #XFL #fullcircle pic.twitter.com/LprJ6HjglD — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 3, 2020
For The Love of Football For The Love of The Athletes For The Love of The Fans@xfl2020 #Owner @TheRock #GerryCardinale pic.twitter.com/gNTHiJeDp8 — Dany Garcia (@DanyGarciaCo) August 3, 2020
As noted by Johnson, Garcia is the first female to own a professional sports league as she will have an equal stakeholder with Johnson. She will also hold an executive position in the XFL as they move forward.
Taking a moment to illuminate this very cool and huge milestone. My XFL partner, Dany Garcia becomes the first woman to OWN an entire sports league independent from a team. She was the architect in this acquisition and now we go to work – for the love of football. @xfl2020 https://t.co/7IOuGBSxYu — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 3, 2020
Dwayne Johnson has accomplished a lot over the years. Fans know him for his appearances in movies and his time in the WWE as The Rock. He also was a football player, playing defensive tackle at the University of Miami, where he was part of the Hurricanes National Championship team in 1991. After his college career, Johnson went to the CFL and played for the Calgary Stampeders until getting cut from the team before becoming a professional wrestler.
Dany Garcia is the founder, CEO, and chairwoman of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management. Her companies oversee portfolios of businesses, entertainment, and food. She also co-founded Seven Bucks Productions with Dwayne Johnson in 2012 that produced movies including Baywatch, Hobbs and Shaw, and Jumanji.
Gerry Cardinale is the Founder and Managing Partner at RedBird Capital Partners LLC. His company RedBird Capital Partners is involved in several sports-related investments, including the YES Network, NFL, and its players. Two weeks ago, his company acquired a French Soccer team called Toulouse Football Club that plays in Ligue 2.
The XFL could become a big deal, especially when some professional and college football seasons either on hold or canceled, including the CFL, Ivy League, SWAC, Patriot League, MEAC, some divisions two and three schools. Players are going to need a place to play, and fans want to watch football, especially if something else happens in the NFL and other college football conferences. The XFL has considered using a bubble system like what the NBA and NHL are doing. One of the considerations for the bubble is TDECU Stadium on the campus at the University of Houston. If all goes according to plan, the XFL could be playing in 2021.
With Johnson, Garcia, and Cardinale now owning the XFL, a new chapter has begun for the league. Several questions a lot of football fans will be asking is when will the XFL return to play. Will they keep the rules that have made the XFL a unique league? Will they keep the teams in their respective cities? When will the teams return to their cities? These are just some of the questions, but one thing is for sure the XFL is not going away anytime soon.
What are your thoughts on Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale owning the XFL? Do you think the XFL is now in a better position? Leave a comment below or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Parler.
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