After the 2022 USFL season concluded, the United States Football League moved the Tampa Bay Bandits to Memphis, Tennessee, to revive the Memphis Showboats. In their first season back, the Showboats finished 5-5, tied for third place in the South Division missing the playoffs.
Fast forward to December 31, 2023, the USFL and XFL announced their merger that created the United Football League (UFL) bringing two spring leagues together to grow the game. FOX Sports owns 50% while Redbird Capital, Dwayne Johnson, and Dany Garcia own the other 50%.
The Showboats were one of eight teams that survived the merger. Memphis will play in the USFL Conference with the Houston Roughnecks (formerly Gamblers), Michigan Panthers, and the Birmingham Stallions.
For the last two years, both the USFL and XFL have previously stated they intended to sell the teams starting in 2025. Despite their intentions, potential owners have stayed away from both leagues seeing who will fold first. By coming together, the UFL has a chance to sell the franchises and operate a business model similar to Major League Soccer.
The merger might already have its first owner. In an interview on the Alternative Football Network hosted by Matthew Tyler, he was talking to Mike Mitchell of Sports Illustrated who covers the UFL reported that the Memphis Showboats could be the first team sold. In the interview, Mitchell said, “There’s a lot of smoke right now that Memphis could be the first team sold to an owner.”
The original Showboats played from 1984 and 1985. They were owned by William Dunavant & Logan Young. The Showboats made the playoffs in 1985 but were eliminated by Oakland Invaders 28-19 in the semifinals.
So, who could possibly want to own the Showboats? One person to keep an eye on is FedEx Founder Fred Smith. Smith not only helped bring the Showboats back, but he donated $50 million to the University of Memphis to help renovate Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, which will cost $220 million.
If Fred Smith does decide to buy the Memphis Showboats, it would be a huge step in the right direction for the United Football League. Having Smith involved in the UFL could also help attract other owners for the other seven teams and possibly those that were lost in the merger.
Now, we don’t know how much the UFL is going to charge to own a team but one thing is for sure is it will be cheaper to buy a UFL team than an NFL team.
In 2023, there were a half-dozen people interested in buying the Washington Commanders (formerly Redskins and Football Team). Josh Harris along with a group of partners including Magic Johnson, David Blitzer, and more won the bid to buy the team for $6.05 billion.
For those who lost out on the bid to own the Commanders, including Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, they could look elsewhere to buy a professional team. The UFL should target these people to tell them they can own a franchise at a fraction of the cost versus buying an NFL team. Having Fred Smith be one of the owners would certainly help with that process bringing others into the league.
For now, we will see what happens but if this report is accurate, the UFL would be off to a great start and maybe there is a future of spring football after all.
Do you think Fred Smith will buy the Memphis Showboats? Leave a comment below.
