Dwayne Johnson Buys XFL -- Success NOT Guaranteed

By Alexandria Kim

Dwayne Johnson gives hope to the football community by teaming up with his ex-wife to save XFL.

According to an ESPN report, The Rock heads the group that has agreed to purchase the bankrupt XFL for $15 million. To revive the league again, his ex-wife and business partner, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners will be helping him acquire the assets from Alpha Entertainment.

The company founded by WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon announced XFL's bankruptcy in April 2020. The league ended their season early due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 season of XFL was supposed to be its grand return after playing only once in 2001 despite the partnership they established with co-owner NBC Sports.

Meanwhile, Johnson -- as a former WWE star -- took the initiative to take part in the group that bought the XFL.

In a statement he sent to Entrepreneur, the 48-year-old actor said that the acquisition of XFL was rooted deeply in two things: his passion for the game and desire to always take care of the fans

"With pride and gratitude for all that I've built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football," The Rock went on.

Meanwhile, Dany also said that sports and entertainment are the foundations of her businesses.

"Melding our expertise combined with our commitment to deliver exciting and inspiring unique content, has us all focused on developing the XFL brand into a multi-media experience that our athletes, partners and fans will proudly embrace and love," Dany said.

The deal goes to the bankruptcy court for approval on August 7. It is expected to close on or before August 21. Once approved, the purchase could be completed by the end of the month.

Success Not Guaranteed

However, despite the massive purchase and positive approach, Dwayne Johnson's presence does not guarantee the football league's success -- at least not anytime soon due to coronavirus concerns.

It is worth noting that even the NFL, which is among the Top 50 most valuable sports leagues in the world, has been affected due to the alarming number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. The league is starting to get back on track, but it is worth noting that a large number of players have opted not to play in its 2020 season.

Sure enough, the MLB and NBA's TV ratings have been skyrocketing as sports fans rely on them for entertainment after a four-month lockdown. However, the fact that the MLB and the NBA are also the best baseball and basketball leagues in the world puts XFL in an intrinsically second-rate position.

In addition, despite the worldwide insatiable desire to watch football, spring professional leagues have flopped this year. With that said, XFL is risking another major failure should they return so soon.

One can compare it to American Alliance Football, which also enjoyed early rating success but folded only eight weeks into its first campaign.

Only Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia can control XFL's fate once the purchase has been successfully closed.