It’s been a busy year for Tre Watson, between getting married, seeing his brother tear up the NFL, and joining the St. Louis Battlehawks for their return to “The Dome” the 26-year-old Linebacker out of Maryland wasn’t done making an impact for the people of St. Louis. Once the season came to a conclusion, Watson wanted to give back just a little bit more in 2023. The Linebacker decided to set up an auction in the middle of May, in which he’ll be auctioning Four pairs of custom game-worn cleats in hopes of supporting the Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis.
The Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls club was founded in 1960 by Martin Luther Mathews and Hubert “Dickey” Ballentine. Per their website the program has impacted over 1 million children from the ages of 5-18 “instilling the values of respect, restraint, and responsibility for the young people of St. Louis. In addition to the impact the club has made on young people’s lives, it’s also drawn the eye of St. Louis royalty like Jack Buck, Emerson CEO Charles F. Knight and Augustus Busch III, the club founders also at one time met President Ronald Reagan where the duo received the “Presidential Citizens Medal” in 1982.
The passion of Mathews and Ballentine, was one that resonated with the people of St. Louis that was channeled through sports. Despite not being viewed as a “football city”, the Battlehawks were the pride of the XFL, when it came fan bases as “The Dome” regularly saw over 33,000 thousand people show up to cheer on their team. That passion led one fan to “DM” Tre, as the Linebacker has always utilized “style and swag” to portray his personality on the field, in which a local St. Louis Artist named Brock Seals offered to customize Watson’s cleats for Four games in the 2023 season.
Watson’s passion to give back to the city of St. Louis and more importantly the children is just one of many stories of Battlehawks players making the XFL special for a generation of Missourians that have a sour taste in their mouth from the Rams leaving almost 10 years ago. The connection between the Battlehawks players like Watson, and the people of St. Louis is the foundation of what the XFL can be if the league continues grow in not only Missouri but throughout the existing markets and beyond.
While Watson waits for another shot at the NFL, the city of St. Louis will always be grateful for his gesture of giving back to the city’s youth organizations, that could pave the pathway for the next wave of NFL stars. Watson’s ability to assist the next generation of local athletes with an avenue to have access for more funding allows fans to truly appreciate his greatness as not only a player but as a man. While the dream to join his brother back in the NFL may be his ultimate goal fans of the Battlehawks and the XFL won’t shed too many tears if the fan favorite is leading Donnie Abraham’s defense in “The Dome” come 2024.
Watson’s auction will end May 26th. You can find a link to Tré’s auction right here if interested in bidding for a pair of his game worn cleats.
I had the privilege of chatting with Tré on Wednesday afternoon. You can check out the interview below on YouTube on my channel Analyze and Educate:
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