By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The following press release was issued on Monday regarding the purchase of the XFL made by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners.
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK , Aug. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners have been selected as the winning bidder for substantially all of the assets of Alpha Entertainment LLC, the parent company of the XFL. The XFL assets will be sold to Garcia, Johnson and RedBird for approximately $15 million, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the asset purchase agreement. The transaction is subject to bankruptcy court approval at a hearing this Friday, August 7 and, assuming that closing conditions are satisfied, is expected to close on or shortly after August 21. The sale auction previously scheduled for today will not occur.
Through this acquisition, the group secures the ability to option live entertainment intellectual property for further expansion across sports, live events and original entertainment programming.
“For Dwayne, Gerry and myself, this property represents an incredible opportunity. It is the confluence of great passion, tradition and possibility” said Dany Garcia. “Sports and entertainment are the foundations of the businesses I have built. 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.”
“The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans,” said Dwayne Johnson. “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.”
“It is a privilege to partner with Dany and Dwayne on the acquisition of the XFL,” said Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital Partners. “Their track record in building dynamic businesses speaks for itself, and their vision and passion for developing the XFL as a world class sports and entertainment property will enable a new future for this organization. As their partner in acquiring and relaunching the XFL, RedBird will bring its own track record and experience in building world class companies in sports and live entertainment to help realize their vision.”
“We are grateful for today’s outcome,” said Jeffrey Pollack, XFL President and COO. “This is a Hollywood ending to our sale process and it is an exciting new chapter for the league. Dwayne, Dany and Gerry are a dream team ownership group and the XFL is in the best possible hands going forward.”
Garcia and Johnson are co-founders of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform enterprise pioneering original content for television, film, emerging technologies and digital networks, and have been behind some of the most successful platforms in global entertainment. Through their joint enterprise, Garcia and Johnson’s work spans all entertainment and creative verticals involving investments, brand integrations, philanthropic endeavors, marketing, and film and television projects that are rooted in authenticity, passion and strong storytelling with a mission of promoting equality and inclusion.
Over the last twenty years, Cardinale has been responsible for the creation of several multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment companies in partnership with some of the most iconic rights holders in the world, including the YES Network with the New York Yankees; Legends Hospitality with the Yankees and Dallas Cowboys; On Location Experiences with the National Football League (NFL); and OneTeam Partners with the Players’ Associations of the NFL, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, United States Women’s National Soccer Team and Women’s National Basketball Association.
About Dany Garcia:
As Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management and Co-Founder of Seven Bucks Companies, Dany Garcia is the visionary architect of some of the most successful enterprises, brands and talent. Her immersive global approach within ever-changing landscapes paired with precise instincts have led to unprecedented box office success and innovative business partnerships across verticals. With unbridled athleticism as a professional bodybuilder, Garcia also flawlessly pioneers her expansive enterprise while competing at the highest level. Her global audience can expect trailblazing initiatives throughout 2020 and beyond, as Garcia continues to keep human needs and experience at the forefront of her endeavors across the spaces of mental and physical wellness, athletics, entertainment, spirits, finance and more. In 2019, Garcia, in partnership with Dwayne Johnson, announced one of their most ambitious endeavors to date – Athleticon, a first-of-its-kind community-driven virtual experience. The inaugural, eponymous counterpart, an immersive event experience celebrating the very best in athletics, wellness and entertainment will take place in October 2021 in Atlanta. Garcia’s passion for bettering the world through socially responsible decisions is consistently reflected in the culture of her teams and the businesses she builds.
About Dwayne Johnson:
As CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainment and entrepreneurial force who continues to grow his groundbreaking success while managing his ever-expanding and diverse entertainment portfolio. In 1995, Johnson had just been cut from the Canadian Football League and famously had just $7 in his pocket. Today, Johnson produces and stars in Seven Bucks’ tent-pole films and television events with box office revenues exceeding $10 billion worldwide. A cultural leader with audiences across the globe, Johnson’s expertise is invaluable not just in entertainment, but for first-class brands as well, including his strategic partnership and investment in VOSS Water, his trailblazing Project Rock collection with Under Armour and new investment in Acorns. In 2020, Johnson launched, TEREMANA, a tequila brand rooted from his passion for spirits as well as Athleticon, a one-of-a-kind virtual experience and inaugural live event with the ultimate combination of athletics, wellness and entertainment, created in partnership with Dany Garcia. Johnson’s mission is to continue using his platform to inspire kindness, humility, and hard work, while entertaining global audiences with unique storytelling and authenticity.
About RedBird Capital Partners:
RedBird Capital Partners is a private investment firm focused on building high-growth companies with flexible, long-term capital in partnership with its Entrepreneur & Family Office Network. Founded by former Goldman Sachs Partner Gerry Cardinale, RedBird today manages $4 billion of capital principally across its core industry verticals in Sports, TMT, Financial Services and Consumer. RedBird invests with an entrepreneurial, company-building mentality, with an emphasis on capital appreciation and compounding equity returns over longer holding periods. RedBird’s network of business founders and entrepreneurs is central to its investment sourcing strategy, and its highly curated group of investors are active co-investors who provide scaleable capital support. For more information, please go to www.redbirdcap.com.
Powell’s POV: It will be very interesting to see if Johnson’s group has any television deals in the works and when they intend to officially relaunch the league. The sale price is affordable, but the real cost comes in running the actual league, which Vince McMahon folded twice. The pandemic played a part in McMahon throwing in the towel the second time, but the television viewership numbers were dropping even before the league was scheduled to face strong competition from other sports. Rock brings a lot of star power and has less baggage than McMahon does in the mainstream sports world, but it still remains to be seen whether enough sports fans will support a secondary football league.
“the television viewership numbers were dropping even before the league was scheduled to face strong competition from other sports.”
The OTA numbers had held strong a for a few weeks. The “drop” was when it was a cable channel and not a regular network broadcast. Not sure why that’s so hard to grasp even though it was pointed out to you time and time again.
The numbers were dropping without strong competition, which was right around the corner via March Madness and other sports, as pointed out by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com and others. For what it’s worth, Florio was far more optimistic about the XFL than I was going into the season. I am a tad more optimistic with Dwayne Johnson running the show due to his star power and because he doesn’t have the baggage that Vince McMahon carries in the sports world from the first XFL failure. Spin these numbers however you like.
All Networks Average
Week One average: 3.118 million viewers
Week Two average: 2.057 million viewers
Week Three average: 1.611 million viewers
Week Four average: 1.376 million viewers
Week Five average: 1.161 million viewers
Network TV Only Average
Week One average: 3.326 million (two Fox games, one on ABC)
Week Two average: 2.289 million (two ABC games, one on Fox)
Week Three average: 1.983 million (one game on ABC and one game on Fox)
Week Four average: 1.68 million (one game on ABC and one game on Fox)
Week 5 average: 1.522 million (one game on ABC and one game on Fox)
Now he’ll bow his head in shame about this and move on to bitching about something else like he always does when you prove him wrong, Jason. He’s just one big walking breathing menstruation.
Did he point that out to you clearly enough, you dolt?