Getty Image
The United States Army gave Dwayne Johnson and the UFL a ton of cash in the hopes of drumming up enrollment, but it’s now seeking to recover millions of dollars over a lackluster push that may have failed to land a single new recruit.
Dwayne Johnson was a member of the team of investors who dropped $15 million to secure the rights to the XFL in 2020 following its ill-fated reboot.
The league came back from the dead for a second time in 2023, but the powers that be ultimately opted to merge with the USFL to create the United Football League before the UFL kicked off its inaugural season earlier this year.
It’s unclear what the future holds for the UFL, which averaged a respectable 812,000 viewers during the regular season but largely failed to make any major impact as far as the general sports zeitgeist was concerned.
The UFL predicted it would generate around $100 million in revenue over the course of its first season, and while it’s unclear if it managed to hit that goal, we do know that Johnson and the league collectively received $11 million from the U.S. Army.
However, it appears the military branch did not get a very good return on its investment.
On Tuesday, Military.com published a report concerning a partnership that apparently left a ton to be desired to the point where the Army is now trying to recoup $6 million after taking a closer look at the data concerning a fairly catastrophic recruiting campaign.
The outlet reports the Army was counting on the UFL to drum up enlistment with the help of Johnson, who agreed to serve as an ambassador while using his massive social media following to support those efforts.
Internal documents show the Army expected Johnson to throw up five posts (valued at $1 million a pop) as part of that campaign but said he only posted two (this one and the previous link) when everything was said and done.
The Army’s analysis also determined it failed to land a single new recruit thanks to its partnership with Johnson and the UFL and estimated it may have lost out on the chance to land as many as 38 by misallocating the resources it could’ve used for more fruitful endeavors.
Neither Johnson nor the league have responded to the claims as of this writing. However, a spokesperson for the Army said it is currently “working with the UFL to rebalance the contract” and noted “The Rock remains a good partner.”