At 48, Dwayne Johnson returns to his first love. The actor is indeed part of a group of investors who did not hesitate to pay $ 15 million to buy the XFL, an American football league which filed for bankruptcy last April after a first season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
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I'll start this post with a heartfelt & excited, THANK YOU for the incredible responses I've been seeing from you all day. With my trail blazing partner @DanyGarciaCo & RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale - we have acquired the XFL. With gratitude & passion I've built a career with my own two hands and will apply these callouses to building our @xfl brand to create something special for the fans. My dreams of playing professional football never came true, however - this passion venture allows me to create opportunities for other players to showcase their talents, take care of their families and make their own dreams come true. Now, my partners and I go to work - for the love of football. #XFL #Owner #FullCircle
A post shared by therock (@therock) on Aug 3, 2020 at 2:06 pm PDT
Founded by Vince McMahon, the all-powerful boss of WWE, the multi-media company that reigns in professional wrestling, the XFL isn't exactly a success story, but for Dwayne Johnson (who rose to prominence as scene from The Rock for WWE, precisely, and had athletic ambitions in American football before his college career was wiped out by injuries), whatever: “My desire to buy the XFL is rooted in two things - my passion. for this sport and my desire to take care of the fans, ”he explained in a statement relayed by CNN.
Not for now
To disburse this sum, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is not alone, he has teamed up with Dany Garcia, his ex-wife and production partner (with whom he has already collaborated on some of his latest cartoons like Jumanji , Hobbs and Shaw , or the Ballers series ), and the Redbird Capital investment fund. The bet is risky however, since the main league of American football, the NFL (National Football League), is currently in a complicated period while the coronavirus still threatens the organization of sports meetings where players are naturally encouraged to be very, very close, since it is a contact sport… Certain stars of the NFL have already announced that they prefer to “opt out” of their contract, that is to say take advantage of the opportunity offered by the league not to endanger their health and not to play this season. Difficult for the XFL, which does not benefit from the aura of the NFL with fans, to consider a return to the field in the coming months. Dwayne Johnson's investment may therefore not pay off right away ...
Cinema
Dwayne Johnson could have played Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Tim Burton
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