UFL News Hub Fan Survey 2025 Results and Analysis

Last month, I published my third annual UFL Fan Survey. The previous two had been done through XFLBoard/UFLBoard. The survey is an opportunity for fans to answer a few questions related to the league, its performance in the previous season, and where it’s headed in the future. I also allowed for comments to be made so that respondents could use their voice for anything beyond the particular questions asked (or to expand on their answers).

This year, the survey contained 10 questions as well as the space for comments. Some of the questions were repeats from previous years so that I could compare the results over time. Others were new, having to do with current topics surrounding the league. Below are the results compiled from over 120 responses, as well as my analysis.

1. How would you grade ownership on their overall performance in the second season of the UFL?

A 4.1%

B 29.8%

C 47.9%

D/F 18.2%

Analysis: UFL fans were less happy with the overall product in year two than they were in year one: Last year, 57.4% of fans voted for the “B” grade and only 19.3% were at a “C.” “D/F” rose from 1.5% last year to 18.2% this year, while those giving an “A” grade fell from 21.8% to just 4.1%. Fans last year may have been kind to ownership knowing the short ramp they were given for year one with the late approval of the merger by the government. With a full off-season, fans weren’t impressed with the level of improvement made by ownership. Also worth noting: This survey had the unique timing of being open as the news of relocation broke. It’s quite possible that news may have colored some of the results from voters, particularly ones that are fans of franchises rumored to be headed elsewhere. In the comments section, several fans again criticized ownership for their marketing efforts, even with the promise of a more fulsome approach with a full offseason leading up to 2025.

2. What is your confidence level that the UFL will still exist five years from now?

Very Confident 11.6%

Somewhat Confident 50.4%

Not Confident At All 38%

Analysis: Despite the words of UFL President Russ Brandon, who has made the media rounds in the last several months speaking with surety about the future of the UFL, fans aren’t yet buying it. The best phrase to describe where the fanbase may be right now is “cautiously optimistic.” Many of the fans of the UFL have also been fans of other spring leagues and have seen how quickly promise can turn to dust. There are enough red flags about the UFL after its second season that more than a third of respondents are negative on the league surviving into the next half-decade, while just over 11% are “very confident” in the foundation the league has created. The addition of Mike Repole to the ownership group, revealed after this poll closed, has seemed to spark an unusual amount of positivity among UFL fans; had this question been asked prior to Repole’s addition, the numbers may have looked more positive.

3. What is your opinion about when the 2026 regular season should kick off?

Start in February 74.4%

Keep the schedule the way it has been the last two years 18.2%

No Opinion 7.4%

Analysis: I thought February may win this poll, but I didn’t expect to see the results so lopsided in its favor. Almost by necessity given the timeline of the merger, the UFL kicked off in late March 2023. Needing a full off-season to take a breath, assess the first season and make any necessary changes, ownership kept the same schedule for 2025. As for 2026? In a Sports Business Journal interview after the season, Brandon indicated “everything is on the table” to be reviewed by league management for 2026, “…and the season start date is on the table for review.” That will be music to the ears of the 74.4% who want the league to establish a February kickoff. Complicating matters for next season is the potential for the relocation of multiple teams; it would be difficult to make those announcements in August or September and simultaneously move kickoff up a month or more, giving relatively short notice for those new markets to get their ducks in a row. There were many suggestions in the comments about when to kick the season off, from right after the Super Bowl to the first week in March.

4. How would you assess the on-field play during this season of the UFL?

Better than last year 46.3%

About the same as last year 43.8%

Worse than last year 9.9%

Analysis: It seemed to take UFL teams about three weeks of the regular season to really start playing a strong brand of football. And most voters in this survey believe the overall on-field product was better than in 2024. The longer the UFL hangs around, the more apt they are to draw a better pool of talent. High-level players don’t always want to be associated with a league they believe could hang them out to dry. The UFL just passed 50 NFL signings recently, and that’s another aspect that will make the league attractive to potential players. Noteworthy that almost 10% of people thought the quality of play was worse than last year, which is higher than I expected. Last year, I asked about the on-field play, and with no previous UFL season to compare to, I worded the question differently, asking survey-takers to weigh it against their expectations. Over 53% felt the on-field play was better than they expected with 46.3% saying it was about what they expected. Less than 1% said it was worse than they expected, so people clearly liked the football being played last year, making this year a higher bar to clear. Among the comments about this question was criticism of quarterback play in 2025. One fan also noted it was their last year watching spring football, in part because not enough players were making a successful jump to the NFL.

5. Taking into account all aspects of production, which network do you believe had a better presentation of UFL games?

FOX 41.3%

ABC/ESPN 25.6%

No Significant Difference 33.1%

Analysis: By and large, the UFL is a television product: After all, the two networks that air it both have an ownership stake in the league. Therefore, the league is more geared toward the viewer at home than the viewer in the stands, though that may change as the UFL shifts to try to get more butts in stadium seats. Nevertheless, FOX once again came out on top in this survey, as it did last year. However, the margin shrunk: In 2024, voters had FOX winning 46.3% to just 16.7% for ABC/ESPN. FOX’s percentage went down a bit, but those voting in favor of ABC/ESPN rose nearly 10 percentage points. The “No Significant Difference” percentage didn’t change all that much. The one knock against ESPN had been its reliance on betting and odds discussions by the announcers; perhaps the use of Erin Dolan for that purpose was a better way to handle things based on the tallies here. Other than that, there were not a lot of sizable changes year-to-year in how games were broadcast, save for the announcers themselves. ABC’s addition of quality voices like Joe Tessitore and Jordan Palmer may have swung some voters their way.

6. What was your opinion of UFL games airing on Friday nights?

I liked it! 64.5%

I didn’t like it! 25.6%

No Opinion 9.9%

Analysis: The opportunity the UFL had to play games on Friday nights was seen by some as a way to unlock potentially new viewership. Airing in the spring and summer, the UFL followed college football in the fall and college basketball in the winter Fridays on FOX, so there would be a built-in sports audience there. In the end, the ratings were much lower than even most conservative predictions. The UFL finished last among broadcast networks across 10 Friday nights in both overall viewership and frequently in the key 18-49 demographic as well. It was not a good sign when a repeat of a reality show outdid the UFL’s numbers the week after UFL’s regular season ended. The first game of the year, in which St. Louis blew out Houston with sparse attendance at TDECU Stadium didn’t exactly set the tone the way the league would’ve wanted. Though fans in this survey overwhelming approved of Friday night games – if nothing else, it broke up the weekend a bit as four games in two days, even for the superfan, is a lot – it remains to be seen whether FOX and the UFL will have games on Fridays in 2026.

7. During the UFL’s labor dispute, did you side more with ownership or the players?

Ownership 19.0%

The Players 34.7%

I did not feel strongly either way 46.3%

Analysis: Labor disputes are nothing new in sports, but for a spring football league forever teetering on the brink of extinction, such a disagreement between players and the league provided for negative news stories during training camp and could’ve had a significant impact on the long-term financial future of the UFL. There seemed to be a healthy disagreement online between those who believe the players should be paid more (and at least should have access to health insurance year-round) and those who felt an increase in player pay would put the league’s future in jeopardy. Turns out, the voices that were higher in numbers were those who didn’t really care either way but wanted to see football, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. Of those who did pick a side, many more were with the players than with the owners. A few comments indicated players should still be paid more.

8. Should the UFL seriously consider moving one or more underperforming franchises for next season?

Yes 60.3%

No 17.4%

It’s too late to move them now, wait until 2027 19.8%

No Opinion 2.5%

Analysis: This is another one of those questions where the timing of the survey likely played a role in how this question was answered. While this survey was open, news was broken by UFL News Hub’s Mark Perry that the UFL would be moving several franchises for 2026. Obviously, with that in mind, “yes” probably received more votes than it would have otherwise. Notably, a considerable number of people felt it was already too late in the offseason to make any moves, knowing the ripple effect would once again make for a truncated offseason in building a staff, selling tickets, etc. in those cities. One in five voters felt 2027 should be the year to move, a more popular pick than not moving franchises at all – which got a healthy share of the vote, too. Of course, we’re at the mercy of not knowing just how these franchises are adding to – or taking away – from the UFL’s bottom line, which makes it more difficult to come to an educated conclusion on these issues. As you’d expect given the timing, several of the comments sounded off on the UFL’s decision to move franchises. One wrote that “moving teams this early is a mistake.” More than one commenter felt Memphis was the only team that should move in 2026.

9. Should the UFL expand to 10 teams for 2026?

Yes 42.1%

No 21.5%

It’s too late to expand now, wait until 2027 33.9%

No opinion 2.5%

Analysis: At this point, we know that the UFL will not be expanding the number of teams for 2026. Even though that became clear while the survey was open, “yes” still won out. If there’s one thing spring football fans believe will be a cure-all, it’s expansion. If you combine “yes” with “wait until 2027,” you have 75% of fans believing the league should expand in the next two seasons. The same percentage of people voted “no opinion” on questions eight and nine, and I’d wager they were probably the same people. While expansion is often a hot topic, one comment actually suggested contraction to make the league viable, citing an increase in player quality, eliminating games in poorly attended markets, making for a fairer playoff format and opening up dollars for marketing in the surviving communities.

10. How important is it in the next few years for the UFL to have a presence (exclusive games, other content) on a major streaming service (i.e. Netflix, Peacock, Max, Amazon Prime, etc.)?

Very Important 24.0%

Somewhat Important 28.1%

Not Very Important 47.9%

Analysis: There are myriad issues the UFL needs to solve over the next few years to become solvent; finding a major streaming partner is likely not high on the list right now. But it could be soon, given the changing landscape of television and more importantly, sports on television. Major leagues are more and more expanding their footprint, ensuring they have a presence not just on broadcast TV, but also cable and streaming. The UFL is still young and has not reached that point yet. While cable and broadcast are becoming more and more obsolete, they’re still the best way to reach the biggest audience, and in order to grow, the UFL needs to be in front of the most potential eyeballs. Right now, that’s still cable and network TV, though they should have their eye on supplementing with streaming. ESPN’s new streaming network may be a key move. As for fans, they don’t feel streaming is a necessary component over the next few years, even though Pew Research released information stating that 83% of people have a streaming subscription in 2025, while only 36% subscribe to traditional cable or satellite packages. In June, Nielsen data showed that for the first time, streaming is now the most-watched form of television.