Last week we reported that the USFL may be working on a Hard Knocks type weekly series for the league.
At the time, there wasn’t many details known on the situation. The news stemmed from an interview with Houston Gamblers RB Coach JD Runnels and the USFL Network on Youtube. Runnels stated that the USFL was working on some type of weekly documentary series to follow the up and coming stars in the league.
It was seemingly further confirmed when players started reporting to training camp. Boogie Roberts of the Pittsburgh Maulers shared a Instagram story with the caption “USFL Hard Knocks coming soon”.
Now, the speculation can come to an end. Variety officially confirms the news, reporting that NFL Films and FOX Sports will produce a 13-episode documentary series titled “United By Football”
“United By Football,” a 13-episode documentary series produced by the league, NFL Films and Fox Sports, will try to give fans a feel for what happens as cadre of hopeful athletes compete in the USFL, a new league controlled by Fox that will have its games broadcast on both the Fox and NBC broadcast networks. The one-hour series premiere will debut at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 on Fox leading into the league’s first game of the season between the New Jersey Generals and the Birmingham Stallions at 7:30 p.m.
The first episode is set to debut on FOX directly before the opening matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and New Jersey Generals.
The remaining 12 episodes will have a 30-minute runtime and will reportedly generally air prior to or proceeding the USFL matchups on FOX. FS1 and Tubi will host encores of the episodes the week after the initial debut.
United By Football is set to follow the players from end-to-end. The show starts with the USFL Draft, and will conclude at the inaugural championship at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
“United by Football” will start in Birmingham with the inaugural USFL Player Draft held in February of this year, and move through training camps and a 10-week regular-season. The series will conclude with the USFL Championship game in Canton, Ohio, where a winner will be crowned on July 3 in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
USFL Spokesman Darryn James tells us “Everyone at the new USFL, FOX Sports, and NFL Films is united by our love for football. We’re working together to unite fans across the country who love the game as much as we do.”
FOX is definitely taking an interesting approach with the new league, we’ve seen them partner with NBC and now NFL Films. The machine is in place to create as much exposure for the new football organization.
Patrick Kelleher of NFL Films had the following to say about the new project:
“We here at NFL Films could not be more excited and eager to partner with the USFL and FOX Sports on this upcoming series,” said Patrick Kelleher, NFL Films Vice President and Executive Producer. “The opportunity to document the start of a new professional league is incredibly rare, and we look forward to capturing the incredible sights and sounds throughout this inaugural season.”
UPDATE: The USFL has now put out an official press release, which you can read here.
We're taking you behind the curtain 👀🎥
We're teaming up with @NFLFilms & @FOXSports to produce United By Football: A Season in the USFL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dQkP5UsUBM
— USFL (@USFL) March 30, 2022
When the news originally surfaced, many were quick to dismiss it as a rumor. Now, we can finally conclude that we will see extra USFL programming throughout the season.
Do you plan on watching “United By Football”? Which players would you like to see featured? Let us know down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
