Michigan Panthers officially named to new USFL-XFL merger
The merger of the USFL and the XFL is official, and now tickets are available for another season of Michigan Panthers football.
The legacy USFL franchise is one of four to survive the merger to the new United Football League, which was announced in a series of appearances on "Fox NFL Sunday" and ESPN's "College GameDay" by Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, who are the figureheads of the new league.
Both Johnson and Garcia were at the top of the organizational chart for the XFL, which was in its third iteration of spring football. Last year, it competed with the USFL, which re-debuted in 2022 after a 37-year break in Birmingham, Alabama, and last year was in select sites, including Ford Field.
The merger between the two league leaves four teams from the XFL and four from the USFL and the Michigan Panthers, which one the first USFL title in 1983, is a part of the new league which will kick off its 10-game regular season on March 30. Players will report to training camp on Feb. 24 in Arlington, Texas.
Season tickets are on sale for the UFL now via the league's website. It is not clear if the Panthers will return to Ford Field this upcoming season. The games will be on ABC, ESPN, Fox and Fox Sports 1.
The USFL Conference features Michigan, the Birmingham Stallions, the Houston Roughnecks and the Memphis Showboats. The XFL Conference is comprised of the Arlington Renegades, the D.C. Defenders, the San Antonio Brahams and the St. Louis Battlehawks.
The Panthers' head coach is Mike Nolan, leading them to a 4-6 record last season.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Panthers officially named to new USFL-XFL merger
