U.S. women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe has taken issue with Dwayne’ The Rock’ Johnson on the XFL’s new brand logo. Along with her wife, Seattle Storm star Sue Bird, soccer star Alex Morgan, two-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim and U.S. Olympic swimmer Simone Manuel. They co-founded a company called “TogethXR.” Their logo looks similar to the X in the XFL.
“Welp. This is awkward,” Rapinoe tweeted. “Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on 🔒 boys.”
TogethXR is a media and commerce company for women which launched in 2021.
She isn’t the only one to claim the new XFL logos look similar to their brand. AXE body spray, too, has taken a bit lighter approach to the situation.
Fans on Twitter also pointed out that Crypto XRP looks similar to the XFL’s new logo.
R/GA was the company that designed the new look for the XFL 3.0 era. This is what the XFL’s official press release said about them.
“R/GA, a global brand design and marketing company has been awarded Agency of Record. R/GA started working with the XFL in 2021 to support the league’s marketing efforts, including brand identity, design innovation, and campaign activation.”
The bottom line is no one owns the letter X or the letter X that has space between them. However, it does not mean that lawyers won’t get involved on TogethXR and XFL sides, which will cost the league money. Money that the XFL is trying to save. Setting up a professional football league is expensive and both the USFL and XFL are trying to keep costs down. Ultimately finances has been the death nail for all Spring Football leagues.
This is just another headache in getting the league up off the ground. Did the league need to spend the money on a rebrand? That is up for debate. A slick logo won’t get people to watch the league. Good play on the field will and excitement around the brand will. Like the league did in 2020.
Let’s hope this is just talking and no real money needs to get used to deal with this, so we can get on with playing football. But, looking at both logos, it seems like both organizations will be spending some money on this.
We will keep you posted on XFL News Hub if this situation moves past the talk.
Unleash the Action: Sign up for XFL Insider and Fuel Your Passion for Football!
Mark Perry, a devoted sports journalist and founder of XFL News Hub, has been a key figure in XFL coverage since its 2018 revival. Launching XFL News Hub soon after the league's return announcement, Mark has established the platform as a primary source for comprehensive XFL updates. Renowned for his in-depth knowledge and commitment to sports journalism, Mark actively engages the XFL community, welcoming interactions at mark.perry@xflnewshub.com.
I hope this gets tossed for the reasons you give: The essence of every comparison is that the “X”similar.
Ummm.. thats how letters work. They have a basic shape– deviate too far, and its not that letter anymore —-> b or 6 t or + g or q or 9
I also thought the possibility of overlap/lost business was a required element too: Since the XFL is not selling Crypto, men’s deodorant, or communication/marketing services its not like mistaken identity would get them “extra business” the other brands paid for.
If I opened a coffee shop named Seattle’s Bestest I see a problem there but this isn’t that.
Now, if it’s a good idea to be perceived as similar– that’s a different subjective, and non-legal issue.
4th&long
April 8, 2022 at 2:47 pm
I’d like to AXE the new XFL Logo.
David
April 8, 2022 at 8:08 pm
I hope this gets tossed for the reasons you give: The essence of every comparison is that the “X”similar.
Ummm.. thats how letters work. They have a basic shape– deviate too far, and its not that letter anymore —-> b or 6 t or + g or q or 9
I also thought the possibility of overlap/lost business was a required element too: Since the XFL is not selling Crypto, men’s deodorant, or communication/marketing services its not like mistaken identity would get them “extra business” the other brands paid for.
If I opened a coffee shop named Seattle’s Bestest I see a problem there but this isn’t that.
Now, if it’s a good idea to be perceived as similar– that’s a different subjective, and non-legal issue.