Ryan Joe, editor in chief of Adweek recently sat down with UFL minority owner Dany Garcia. Garcia was named the 18th annual Beacon Award honoree, selected by ADWEEK in partnership with Adcolor back in May.
The article goes through her whole career and business ventures like movie production house Seven Bucks Productions and the energy drink company ZOA. It does talk about the XFL and its merger with the USFL to create the United Football League (UFL).
Since the merger, it has been unclear, what role if any, Garcia has in the newly formed league heading into its second season in 2025. It is now a bit clearer that she and Johnson are no longer 50/50 co-owners in the UFL.
Earlier this year, the XFL merged with the USFL and became the United Football League (UFL), with Garcia retaining a minority stake.
UFL News Hub has heard from sources that Garcia is involved with the UFL still and does attend regular meetings. But her influence in the league is not what it was during her run with the XFL. FOX Sports and RedBird Capital Partners are the main players calling the shots in the UFL.
Ryan Joe did ask her what happened between the UFL and the US Army deal. We covered that issue at length on UFL News Hub.
There was a misunderstanding regarding the contract, which did not include recruitment,” Garcia said. “The Army had an agency with a specific point of view, and it was a difference of opinion. Ultimately, the partnership did not move forward on the level that was originally reported.
After the UFL 2024 season concluded. Seven Bucks signed a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company. The deal is to develop films for theatrical and streaming release. Disney (ESPN) is also part owner of the UFL.
“There’s no one better than Disney at that, and a number of our projects are that way,” Garcia said, adding that Disney is also one of her ownership partners in the UFL. “It’s not just an overhead deal. Can we get into that organization and utilize all assets so everyone has more?”
Garcia has had a busy offseason and continues to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Her GSTQ fashion line passion project seems to be no more.
Will she and The Rock be more involved in the UFL in 2025, we will have to find out. Johnson already did lend his voice for some off-season UFL promos.