USFL, XFL football leagues to merge. What will that mean for Canton?

CANTON − The USFL and XFL professional football leagues have announced plans to merge, but what that means for Canton is unclear.

"This historic combination will anchor professional spring football with substantial capabilities and resources to ensure future growth and continue to enhance the development of the collective players, coaches, and staff that are coming together," the two leagues said Thursday in a prepared statement.

The new league will be established with the "best-in-class operations" from the USFL and XFL if it receives the required regulatory approvals, according to a news release.

Canton has had a significant relationship with the USFL since it returned in 2022.

Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals games during the 2023 season, and was the site of postseason games the previous year. It's unclear if that relationship will continue.

The Hall of Fame Village, which oversees the stadium, did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.

"There is no additional information beyond today's announcement," Jeff Altstadter, vice president of communications for the XFL, said in an email. "As we noted, the agreement is subject to regulatory review."

Canton Mayor Thomas Bernabei said he had received no information about the planned merger or how it might affect the city.

Daryl Johnston is a Canton fan

What is known is that USFL President Daryl Johnston is a Canton fan.

"Canton is still one of my favorite game-day experiences," he told the Canton Repository earlier this year. "I'm probably going to be always a little bit biased with the setting and working with the Hall of Fame Village. That's a very unique environment when you're talking about professional football.

"Last year when we had an opportunity to have our playoffs in Canton, I was absolutely blown away. I think the experience there really was the driving force for our league to want to build on that relationship, and we continue to want to do so."

What teams play in the USFL and XFL?

The XFL, first founded in 2001, returned to action in 2020 but had to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league eventually filed for bankruptcy. It was reborn in February.

The USFL played its first season in 2022.

Each minor league has eight teams.

The only city that has a team in both the current configurations for the USFL and XFL is Houston (Gamblers and Roughnecks, respectively), though in the USFL, Houston's hub is in Memphis, Tennessee. The XFL also has teams in Washington, D.C. (Defenders); Seattle (Sea Dragons); St. Louis (Battlehawks); Las Vegas (Vipers); Arlington, Texas (Renegades); San Antonio (Brahmas); and Orlando, Florida (Guardians).

The USFL operated four hubs this year. The Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars played in Detroit; New Jersey Generals and Maulers played in Canton; the Birmingham Stallions and New Orleans Breakers played in Alabama; and the Memphis Showboats hosted the Houston Gamblers in the fourth hub.

What does XFL/USFL merger mean for television coverage?

Another question would be how the TV coverage plays out in a merger. The USFL plays games on the Fox and NBC stable of channels, while the XFL, co-owned by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, plays on Disney's family of channels.

Television ratings have been modest for both leagues in the regular season (the USFL averaged more than 700,000 in 2022 and more than 600,000 in 2023), and decent for the championships games, which have drawn more than 1 million viewers.

The leagues' schedules are different, too. The XFL played in 2023 from mid-February through mid-May, while the USFL played in 2023 from mid-April through early July.

There are some rules differences, as well, between the leagues.

Includes reporting by Detroit News sports writer Tony Paul.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: USFL, XFL to merge. What does it mean for Canton?