UFL Attendance: One City Dominates, Who’s on Second?

The UFL regular season is over, and the conference championship games are this weekend. Who won the attendance wars between the eight teams? One city so thoroughly dominated the gate that everyone else played for second place.

2024 #UFL Regular Season Avg. Attendance Ladder:

1. STL – 34,365
2. DC – 14,143
3. SA – 11,887
4. BHAM – 10,192
5. ARL – 9,886
6. MICH – 8,133
7. HOU – 7,056
8. MEM – 6,893

*Attendance figures via @ByMikeMitchell* pic.twitter.com/Bs2H3eYy3K

— UFLCenter (@UFLCenter) June 3, 2024

What Happened in 2024?

XFL Conference

St. Louis

St. Louis proved that it’s ready to return to being an NFL city after the Rams left in such a brutally tough manner. The Battlehawks won the XFL conference and will host second-place San Antonio this weekend. Anthony Becht’s men waged a thrilling affair last weekend for the hosting rights. They won several games despite losing starting quarterback A.J. McCarron for stretches. St. Louis is clearly the best overall team in the XFL conference.

San Antonio

San Antonio was the second-best team in the conference despite its struggles to maintain consistency under quarterback Quentin Dormady. Starter Chase Garbers won the starting job out of camp, got injured, returned to action, and was injured again. They relied heavily on the run game, featuring talents like Anthony McFarland, Jr, and John Lovett to supplement a talented passing attack. Coach Wade Phillips led the league’s top-ranked defense as his usual custom.

DC

Not much went right for the plucky Defenders, but the beer snake was alive and well at Audi Field for the entire season. Injuries ravaged them at the most inopportune moments, and their opponents took advantage. They weren’t eliminated until the last couple of weeks of the season despite the odds against them. Who knows the future for starter Jordan Ta’amu portends, but there’s still talent on the team.

Arlington

The Arlington Renegades were snakebit during the season, losing by one score multiple times, resulting in a 3-7 record. Bob Stoop’s charges won the XFL championship in 2023 but regressed badly despite a talented roster. Spring football veteran Luis Perez led the way but wasn’t the most consistent passer. Perhaps Lindsey Scott, Jr. should’ve gotten more runs to inject some life into the Renegades. They did end the season on a high note, winning one of the best games of the season over the Defenders. A positive regression in one-score games could do wonders for this franchise.

USFL Conference

Birmingham

The reigning back-to-back USFL champion Birmingham Stallions romped to a 9-1 record during the regular season. They did have several close calls, with five games being one-score affairs. Birmingham’s only loss came at the hands of the Brahmas. The saying is that it’s hard to beat the same team three times, so Skip Holtz will put that to the test against the Panthers. Quarterback Adrian Martinez is in the running for UFL MVP with his electric play. Birmingham was once again a football hotbed, averaging over 10K fans at home.

Michigan

Michigan clawed its way to second place after a dismal 2023 under a previous coaching staff. They went through a few quarterback injuries, with Bryce Perkins being the most effective replacement for Danny Etling. There’s a lot of like to about the Panthers. The Nacua brothers stood out (Samson and Kai). Marcus Simms was a dynamic receiver weapon as well. The Panthers played the Stallions close in each game, including a last-second field goal miss at the buzzer last week. Ford Field probably wasn’t the ideal setting, given that they only averaged 8K in an NFL stadium. Perhaps a smaller-sized locale would be better for their numbers.

Memphis

Memphis struggled in all aspects but won the infamous “Toilet Bowl” over the similarly hapless Houston Roughnecks in Week 10. With that victory, they secured the first selection in every round of the upcoming UFL draft. Despite its abysmal record, there were talents like Daewood Davis, Maximillian Roberts, P.J. Hall, and Daylon Mack. Attendance was paltry at the Liberty Bowl, ranking dead last in the eight-team league.

Houston

The Roughnecks couldn’t replicate the successes of the XFL version from years before once again. It was a monumental struggle with consistency. Houston was competitive in every game for the most part, but injury and inconsistency doomed them to a 1-9 record. It wasn’t all bad; receiver Justin Hall was a shining light for them. The roster has recognizable names like Reuben Foster, Jimmy Moreland, and Ethan Westbrooks defensively. The attendance was a glaring issue as it ranked near the bottom of the league.

What Needs to Happen in 2025 and Beyond?

In the grand scheme of things, attendance was an issue for some cities but largely in line with expectations. Ratings were above par, given they went against heavyweights like March Madness, Opening Day, the Masters, and other high-profile sporting events.

Expansion / Retraction

The eight-team model succeeded, and the league should expand to 12 teams for now. Perhaps reviving the Seattle Sea Dragons and a Florida market like Orlando or Miami from the XFL is a good avenue to explore. From the USFL side, they could revive the New Jersey Generals and New Orleans.

Another possible idea would be to find out the viability of folding Memphis even if Daryl Johnston is fully committed to the city since it isn’t the best market and exploring a return to football in San Diego. Folding Houston since the appetite for Texas-based teams is seemingly at its limits and moving into a market like Chicago or football-mad Ohio would also be interesting. Michigan is the northernmost outpost in the UFL, and they need buddies in the region. Atlanta is another city that could be of some interest.

NFL Involvement

The UFL and NFL could forge a relationship similar to the NBA and the G-League. With the league’s restrictions on practice time and roster size limits, the UFL could be a great opportunity for fringe players to get reps, particularly with expansion. It could also be based on the old NFL Europe model, in which teams sent their players overseas to get more playing time. Since the preseason was cut down to three games, it just isn’t enough for those on the outside looking in to get quality reps. The UFL could be a perfect springboard for players to compete against similar-level athletes and increase their chances of making the NFL roster. Fiscally, it would make sense for the league to subsidize some of it and decrease the chances of the current owners leaving due to potential financial issues.

The big league has already adopted the kickoff rule from the UFL. Why not go further into the frontier and use it as a testing ground, much like the MLB does with the minor league system? People have been screaming for transparency from the officials for years, and this would be a perfect chance to do so.