We've blown past the halfway point of the UFL season, which makes it a good time to take the temperature of the fanbase with a Mailbag column. Fans had the opportunity to reach out with their questions on social media, and the responses are included here.
Some questions may be edited for length and/or clarity.
Ed Helinski asks, "Good or bad, what has surprised you about the UFL season so far?"
I think scoring being up so significantly has surprised me. I know some of the rule changes this off-season were meant to tackle this exact issue, but I thought given the all-new offensive schemes being implemented throughout the league, that it would be another year of defenses dominating early and offenses catching up late in the year. So far, the average points per game total is at nearly 44, while last year at this time it was 38. That's basically a touchdown per game difference from 2025 to 2026. So that's impressive. I wanted to look at the margin of victory year-over-year as well because sometimes high-scoring games can lead to blowouts. The difference in margin is basically a rounding error: 10.7 points per game in 2025 to 11 points per game in 2026. That's another good sign.
Cole Walters asks, "How do they fix the attendance numbers?"
@rdaex1 asks, "What would YOU do to improve attendance? Is it a cost thing? Marketing?"
Clearly there is angst among the fans about attendance this year, and rightfully so: Improving in this area was one of the main tasks shouldered by new co-owner Mike Repole in the off-season. Through six weeks, attendance in 2025 averaged 12,859; in that same time period this year, the average is 10,654. Now, St. Louis had four home games through six weeks last year; they've had just two this year, so that skews the numbers a bit. Nevertheless, the attendance "issue" has not been solved. The new markets, notably Louisville, have been successful, though some of the old markets like Houston and Dallas are sagging. Even tent-pole franchises like D.C. and St. Louis are seeing significant declines. And you can't just keep moving teams every year.
If I had the silver bullet solution for the problem, I'd probably be in a more high-profile position than I am now. So all I can do is repeat the same refrain we've been touting the last few years: More money invested in the home cities, and more marketing. The good news is Repole has been on the ground in these communities and I'm sure he's gathered a lot of intel during that process. The off-season ahead will be the first in which he'll be able to fully put his stamp on the marketing of the league. What that entails, however, remains to be seen. Improved marketing and elevated costs go hand-in-hand; we'll see if the UFL is willing to pull that trigger or if they're going to continue to try to find solutions on a shoestring budget.
@sams_station asks, "Has this season been a success, and how can the league improve in 2027? Also, is Michigan coming back?"
I'll answer the second question first: I do believe Repole would have interest in a return to the state of Michigan under the right conditions. A suitable stadium and financial deal are critical in allowing this to happen. A soccer stadium with a capacity of 15,000 is currently being built in Detroit, and fans are eyeing that as the future venue of a Michigan team. When the stars align, I think Repole would happily go back to the state - as for whether the franchise is rechristened the Panthers, that I cannot guarantee.
In relation to the first question, I have a pretty low bar for success personally when it comes to spring football, having seen so many fail so spectacularly. The fact that the UFL will complete their third season with plans for a fourth, not to mention expansion in a fifth, is success to me. However, ownership likely wants more. From the numbers we have, television viewership seems to be about the same as last year, possibly up in some timeslots. Attendance is close to the same, down a little bit. Maybe they're getting more money from sponsors or from other avenues to which we're not privy. Ultimately, ownership's goal is to turn a profit with this league. I don't think they're at that point yet, and I'm also not sure how long they're willing to continue to fund the league chasing the promise of big revenue. Improvement in 2027 would be increasing each of the key business metrics, even slightly, so that it gives reason to Repole, RedBird, Fox Sports, ESPN and others to continue investing in this project. They've got to be able to see progress.
Doug Hoek says, "Can't find a bar that knows anything about UFL games."
Okay, this isn't exactly a question, but I thought it was worth addressing. The UFL posted a video of Repole telling reporters about the UFL drawing a million viewers, the same as one of horse racing's crown jewel events. In it, Repole referred to the UFL as "a football league nobody really knows." It was an exaggeration of course, but there's validity in what he says. The UFL brand is still not widely known to the public or even the general sports fan. This despite the league existing now for three seasons. It's a problem, as you can't grow if people don't even know you're a thing. Part of Repole's job will be growing that UFL brand. The trickle-down effect from there will hit TV ratings, attendance, merch numbers, etcetera, etcetera. The "how" is going to be the big question there. So no, bars and the people working there in charge of the TVs, the gatekeepers if you will, probably don't know much about the UFL. If the UFL can increase its presence in these locations, that would help its visibility and just generally people having knowledge of the league.
Jared Schablein asks, "Do you think this is (Defenders offensive coordinator) Fred Kaiss's last season? If so, who is his likely replacement?"
In his fourth season as D.C. offensive coordinator, Kaiss considered retirement last off-season. It's reasonable to think this might be his final year with the Defenders, especially if they win another championship. The in-house candidates to replace Kaiss would be quarterbacks coach David Johnson, receivers coach Andre Simmons or offensive line coach Brian Braswell. Though none of them appear to have ever called plays in college or the pros, Braswell has the most high-level experience of the three. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Harris could choose to call plays next year if Kaiss doesn't return. It seems more likely D.C. goes outside the organization to replace Kaiss unless they're comfortable enough with one of the assistants to overlook their lack of experience, especially if they want to keep the same system Kaiss currently runs.
Cole Walters asks, "Will the UFL ever make jerseys available for purchase?"
One oversight Repole has addressed in his role as co-owner is the UFL Shop. He noted that he underestimated the fans' desire for merchandise. There's no quick fix to this, however, though hats have recently come on sale. Jerseys typically take a little longer, and the move to a new manufacturer this year has probably slowed that process even further. The quality of replica jerseys in the past has been problematic, so the league doesn't want to throw something on the site just to get it sold if the feedback is going to be negative. I think fans would rather wait for something of high quality than get something quickly that's low quality. I would guess that we'll eventually get jerseys for sale; when that will be, I couldn't tell you.