The Rock is Refuting!
The Rock pushed back against New York Post reporter Andrew Marchand, who is now receiving criticism directly from the man himself.
During the latest episode of The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, reporter John Ourand put The Rock in his “Who’s Down” segment, stating that the XFL lost a significant amount of money during its first season back.
“The XFL lost an estimated $60 million in 2023, according to industry sources, and cut some jobs,” wrote Young. “Next season, the league projects $100 million in revenue, said people familiar with its finances. About a quarter of its income comes from ESPN, which pays the league $20 million per season.
Ourand referenced a piece from Forbes by Jabari Young that highlights how the XFL’s financial outlook fails to match The Rock’s hype, as it lost an estimated $60 million in 2023 and cut several jobs.
While Ourand noted that losing money was expected, the fact that even its biggest marketing executives were laid off implies that the league did worse than anticipated.
Marchand refuted some of the information being reported in the Forbes piece, stating that the XFL was not receiving any rights fees from ESPN and was only on the air. The Rock caught wind of this, and responded.
Not true.
ESPN is a stakeholder in XFL.
Long term partners.
Big plans for ‘24 season.
Back to work.— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 14, 2023
Johnson responded, noting that ESPN is a stakeholder in XFL and a long-term partner with big plans for the 2024 season.
While there is a financial arrangement between ESPN/Disney and the XFL, the details of the deal remain unclear.
However, The Rock remains motivated to make it work, and ESPN apparently doesn’t mind having football content during the spring.
For all the latest breaking in sports entertainment news, be sure to follow TMSPN.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
