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.
1 Comment
by Ken Granito
I hope both Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson stay involved with the league. I think the league should be run by football people, but they are people who are good for the league, but I truly think, in time, the league will be good for them too. A sure synergy. IF they one day decide that ownership of the league is not in their best interests, maybe Dwayne Johnson and/or Dany Garcia can be the first private team owners. Maybe an expansion team, but my favorite choice would be the Brahmas. They would have a strong team, a great location and a tie to the Rock with the Brahma being his tattoo. If he/they were to own a team it would just make all the sense in the world. It would also allow that each side of the deal is knowledgeable about what challenges each side will be faced and could work together to tweak the deal in a way that makes it most beneficial for all sides. If there is an expansion team near where he lives that may work better, but out of the current squads, the Brahmas seem the best fit. The only issue being that Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia (if she is included) would only be associated with the one team and not the whole league. Just a little something for the Rock and Dany Garcia to think about. If they enjoy being part of the league it might be tough to step back and be tied to one team. Whatever works best for all parties is what I would want for them. I feel though this is a business, the players in this league have wanted good things for this league itself, the players and the fans and I wish for the best outcome for all going forward.