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Fox announces USFL will return for 2023 season, may consider expansion in the future

chandler engelbrecht, detroit free press
·2 min read
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Michigan Panthers running back Reggie Corbin (3) celebrates a long touchdown run against the Philadelphia Stars during the first half at Protective Stadium. Michigan Panthers wide receiver Ray Bolden (9) is also in frame.

Spring football isn't going anywhere.

The United States Football League, which concludes its inaugural season on Sunday, will return in 2023, Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks told Sports Business Journal's John Ourand. The league will also consider expansion in the future. Its 2022 regular season was played exclusively in Birmingham, Alabama, and the playoffs are being held in Canton, Ohio.

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The Philadelphia Stars and Birmingham Stallions meet for the USFL's championship game at 7:30 p.m. on July 3 in Canton.

Shanks said the USFL will still feature eight teams next year and will play in multiple cities. The USFL is expecting to add more teams by 2024. The league will also operate on a similar schedule in 2023 as it did this season, with its opening games taking place in late April and its championship game occurring July 4 weekend.

When the USFL returns next season, there will be another kid in the in proverbial spring football sandbox. The XFL, will start up for the third time after being a pandemic causality in 2020. Instead of Vince McMahon running the league, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be in control. Much like "XFL 2.0", this latest edition of the league will kick off just days following the NFL's Super Bowl.

The original USFL, a revival of the 1940s' AAFC league, was operated from 1983-86 and dissolved in 1990. There aren't any legal connections between the initial USFL and the one that exists now, but the current USFL owns and uses the trademarks of its old entity. The USFL previously attempted a relaunch in 2010 but was unsuccessful.

The Michigan Panthers, who finished the regular season 2-8, hold the No. 1 pick in the 2023 USFL Draft, the date of which has yet to be announced.

The Panthers selected former Michigan Wolverine quarterback Shea Patterson with the first selection in the 2023 draft, but he was ultimately cut from the team.

Chandler Engelbrecht is a reporting intern at The Detroit Free Press and can be reached at CEngelbrecht@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @ctengelbrecht.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fox announces USFL will return for 2023 season