The jury is still out as to whether Alamo City residents will welcome the Brahmas sufficiently to ensure the team’s future viability. Credit: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Brahmas

Even though 24,000 fans packed into the Alamodome Sunday to watch the San Antonio Brahmas’ inaugural game, a team executive’s sudden departure has sparked fear on social media that the XFL football league may be in financial trouble.

The the reincarnated XFL confirmed Wednesday that Brahmas General Manager and Vice President of Business and Event Operations Mike Sheehan had been fired.

Sheehan’s sudden departure, especially after what appeared to be a successful first weekend for the Brahmas and the XFL overall, left some fans uneasy. SA’s last semi-pro gridiron team, the Alliance of America Football’s San Antonio Commanders, folded in 2018 before that league finished its first season.

“Uh Oh… is this the AAF all over again?” WOAI-TV sports anchor Don Harris, said in a Tweet on Tuesday.

Twitter user @hackster66 responded the tweet by saying the AAF debacle was the reason he refrained from buying Brahmas season tickets. Another Twitter user, @JohnFNally, agreed, arguing that the league’s questions about the league’s long-term viability means he only spends money to watch UTSA Roadrunner football.

The XFL later told Harris and other media outlets that Sheehan’s departure was a personal matter and not financial, adding that that the league is “solid and built for the long-term future.”

However, the XFL’s lackluster TV ratings also suggest cause for concern. The league’s inaugural nationally televised game garnered only 1.54 million viewers, significantly less than more than 3.3 million that tuned in the first game of the AAF’s 2019 season, according to online sports blog Sports Media Watch.

Despite the bleak ratings and Sheehan’s sudden firing, some Brahmas fans, including Twitter user @MaxScouts, said they still believe in the long-term future of the XFF.

“What does somebody getting fired have to do with the AAF? Get outta here,” @MaxScouts shot back at the WOAI broadcaster. 

Just the same, the Alamo City’s been through a string of failed football leagues. That history is bound to leave some San Antonians wondering whether the Brahmas will be the latest to leave us in the dust.

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This article appears in Feb 22 – Mar 7, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...