Less Than a Year After Suffering $60 Million Losses, Was Chasing Colin Kaepernick the Biggest Risk Dwayne Johnson’s XFL Has Taken?

Back in 2020, Vince McMahon owned a minor football league, XFL which filed for bankruptcy. Along came Dwayne Johnson and his long-time business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia to acquire the league. They bought it for a total of $15 Million. As the co-owners have said multiple times the league is doing good, the fact that it lost $60 million in the last financial year cannot be ignored. However, recently it was revealed that the Hollywood star wanted former San Francisco 69ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick on his roster. Was this his attempt at saving his beloved franchise?

What’s going on with Dwayne Johnson’s XFL

At the time of purchase, the valuation of XFL was $15 Million. After being acquired by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, it has been said that the league has seen some positive growth. However, it is mostly concerned with its presence. While the presence of XFL is being felt by fans, financially it hasn’t been doing good. As of 2023, XFL has reportedly lost $60 Million which is more than double of its original valuation. According to the reports, the credit for this economic loss goes to a lack of funding, lack of engagement, and lack of comparable talent. However, it can be said that things might take a positive turn for the league.

It has been said that ESPN will be paying $20 million per season to broadcast the game. This will eventually help in boosting the valuation. They also happen to have a target of reaching $100 Million for the coming season. Apart from that deals from Progressive and Under Armour are also underway to provide sponsorship to the league. As both Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia have said this league is a long-term goal and they are planning things accordingly. 

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But it might be a slow process as XFL co-owner Gerry Cardinale has said that the league will become cash-flow positive by 2027. With so many things planned for the league, fans are asking why the Hollywood star decided to chase Colin Kaepernick.

How Kaepernick might save XFL?

The Rock has recently announced that XFL will be merging with USFL. Fans thought this might be the opportunity for Kaepernick to make his return. Colin Kaepernick was one of the most talented players in the NFL. In 2016 despite being a part of just 11 games due to surgeries, he was ranked in the top 20 NFL quarterbacks for the year. Despite being a part of less than 70% of games for the year, he was comfortably sitting at rank 29th in the NFL passing yards and ranked 26th at touchdowns.

As of 2016, he had a quarterback rating of 90.7, with 59.2% completion, 16 touchdowns, and only 4 Interceptions. This is considered very good for a quarterback player. 

Apart from that, even after seven years, the 35-year-old star is still relevant. He had started a conversation about racial discrimination and police brutality. According to author Dave Zerin, this has created something known as the “Kaepernick Effect”. Even though he is not a part of the news, he is still talked about due to various other reasons. Since 2016, he has funded Know Your Rights Camp, Ra Vision Media, and Kaepernick Publishing. The purpose of these organizations is to empower black and brown people by educating them and spreading knowledge. Apart from that he has penned a couple of books and also produced a series Colin: In Black & White on Netflix.

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Although the real reason hasn’t been revealed, this might be the reason for The Brahma Bull to chase the former quarterback. Kaepernick’s presence on the roster might help in boosting the revenue for the time being. Would you like to see the former quarterback on the XFL roster?