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- The new United States Football League kicked off on Saturday night.
- The opening matchup saw the New Jersey Generals take on the Birmingham Stallions.
- According to reports, the game pulled in nearly 3.5 million viewers.
The new iteration of the United States Football League kicked off on Saturday with the New Jersey Generals taking on the Birmingham Stallions. Then, on Sunday, the league’s other eight teams kicked off.
According to reports, the USFL game between New Jersey and Birmingham on April 16 racked up nearly 3.5 million viewers.
USFL’s first game racks up 3.5 million viewers
The USFL debuted on Saturday night, commandeering a pair of three-letter networks and a major streaming platform. That exposure resulted in, according to USFL projections, a total audience of three million for the game between the Generals and the Stallions.
The projected number, per the USFL, peaked at nearly 3.5 million at 10:45 p.m. ET. By way of comparison, the AAF drew 2.9 million for its CBS debut on a Saturday night in 2019. The XFL debut in 2019 racked up 3.3 million on a Saturday afternoon in 2020. [via Pro Football Talk]
While this new USFL owns the trademarks of the old USFL, which originally ran from 1983 to 1985, it is not officially associated with that league. This is now the fourth attempt to launch a league with the USFL branding.
In total, the USFL currently has eight teams: the New Jersey Generals, Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, Tampa Bay Bandits, Michigan Panthers, Philadelphia Stars, and Pittsburgh Maulers. The league is split into two divisions, North and South.
The league’s coaches include the likes of Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, former Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin, and former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fishers.
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