'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAEEAQQDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQFAAYRITEIEhQyAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBREAAQMFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEIXGxEv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AiK7VK6NGbSUsMGAJ2PWm6Rqaqz9gSC2Tj9F3vvmgqfyk1pAqYEU62tkGxFZaJ4xP2cUAQVMueyxjDOXDzhClrJMDO89NWbhloOrT5EBRgaxwV//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced that he and business partner Dany Garcia would be buying the XFL and bringing it back, many had their doubts. It was the third attempt at trying to revitalize the league with the most recent being abruptly halted by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
But, the first season under the new ownership showed a lot of positives. Ahead of Saturday's XFL Championship game featuring the D.C. Defenders and the Arlington Renegades, Johnson and Garcia did an interview with USA Today.
During that interview Johnson and Garcia were happy with the growth that the XFL showed in its first season. Johnson said that while there was growth, the overall plan of success that they have for the league won't happen in just one season:
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. This league isn’t going to be built in a day. It’s day-by-day, year over year.”
Garcia then said that while they acknowledge that there is more work to do in the future, she considers the first season a success:
“Knowing that we have a lot of work to do, I just see a tremendous amount of success. And it was an intricate measuring system. We had a lot of marks to hit. So I would say overall, I give us a very high grade.”
Overall the two seem quit pleased with the way the 2023 season played out and have high hopes for the league. They are also impressed with the possibility of XFL players building their resumes through the league. At the end of this week, 54 players in the league received invitations to tryout for NFL teams.
What was the average viewership of XFL games in 2023?
While the second half of the 2023 season had better viewership and attendance, the overall numbers for both exceeded expectations.
There was an average of 561,000 viewers for each of the league's regular season games this year. The average in-person attendance for a regular season game was about 13,000 fans. But there were some games that saw much higher attendance. The St. Louis Battlehawks welcomed over 38,000 fans into The Dome in their home opener against the Arlington Renegades.
Fans definitely seemed to have bought into the newest revival, which coud help for the league's future.
