USFL: Michigan Panthers ‘have not disappointed,’ will return to Ford Field in 2024

Detroit — The United States Football League is enjoying the Ford Field experience, even if its primary tenants, the Michigan Panthers, aren't exactly showing it yet.

Daryl "Moose" Johnston, president of the second-year USFL, said the league "fully expects" to return to Detroit for Year 3.

"We definitely wanted to press to get into a Michigan hub to give the Panthers that home-game feel," Johnston said Thursday in a conversation with reporters from across the country. "They have not disappointed.

"Our partners up there have been absolutely fantastic, the way they've engaged the fan base, and created a good game-day environment.

"We have loved our first season in Michigan, and we can't wait for our second season in Michigan."

The USFL launched in 2022 with eight teams in one hub, Birmingham, Ala., to be fiscally responsible. For 2023, the league moved into four hubs, two teams in each, including Detroit; Birmingham; Memphis, Tenn.; and Canton, Ohio. It's not yet clear if more teams will be in home cities in 2024, or if there will be a hub change, but the Detroit hub doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

The Panthers and Philadelphia Stars each have played four home games at Ford Field. Attendance figures aren't released by the league, though it was estimated nearly 10,000 showed up for the Panthers' first game. The attendance has dipped in the three games since, though it remains in the thousands, with single-game tickets available for $10 and season tickets available for $25. The Stars have played games in front of significantly smaller crowds.

The Panthers (3-4) are 0-4 so far at Ford Field, with one game left, the regular-season finale against the Stars at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 18.

"Hopefully, we can win a home game," Johnston said with a smile. "That bodes well."

The Panthers were a smash hit in the 1980s in the inaugural version of the USFL, winning the league's first championship in 1983 and drawing more than 60,000 for one playoff game at the Pontiac Silverdome.

The fan turnout never was going to approach matching that with the latest version of the Michigan Panthers. For starters, people have exponentially more entertainment options than they did 40 years ago.

But, attendance isn't everything with the USFL, though, either. Fox is a majority co-owner of the league, and the league plays its games on Fox's and NBC's platforms. TV ratings — and they've been solid in Year 2 — are more important than attendance figures. That's proven by the low ticket prices. Decent attendance, more than anything, can provide a good look on TV, and Michigan is believed to be among the first or second franchises in attendance.

Playing at Ford Field, the only NFL stadium used by the USFL, also provides the league some legitimacy. The Lions have been unofficial partners.

"That's one of the great things, not just for our players, but our coaches — we get to walk into Ford Field. That's a big setting. It's different," Johnston said. "From the moment you walk in ... it's a different vibe, it's a different feeling."It's awesome our teams get to have that experience."

Panthers home games have featured large turnouts of children, with the game-day atmosphere geared toward them, with free shirt giveaways, face painting and even WWE superstar Ettore "Big E" Ewen serving as emcee on game days. More WWE superstars are scheduled to be in attendance for the home finale, as a crossover promotion for SummerSlam, set for Ford Field in August. The USFL has marketed the Panthers as an affordable family entertainment option, with a family of four getting four tickets and food and beverage for under $100.Aside from the children, the other big demographic of Panthers fans has been folks who remember the team from the 1980s. The USFL realized quickly in Year 1 that it could tap into the Panthers' nostalgia; the Panthers were among the league leaders in social-media following and merchandise sales, hence the move to Detroit, where Rocket Mortgage has emerged as a major sponsor of the league.

"We appreciate all the support we've gotten from our fan base," Johnston said. "They've been engaged with us on social media since Year 1."

It's unclear if the Panthers will continue to practice at Eastern Michigan's Rynearson Stadium, which they share with the Stars, in 2024.

The Panthers play the New Orleans Breakers in Birmingham at 4 p.m. Sunday on Fox.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984