1,516 days. That’s how long it has been since professional football has been played in the city of St Louis. The Dome at America’s Center, which once played host to the greatest show on turf, had been reduced to a glorified convention center.
But on Sunday, the dome will be rocking again. According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Battlehawks will be bringing an estimated 28,000 fans to the first professional football game held on the Mississippi river in 4 and a half years.
The newfound franchise has been off to a hot start after blowing out the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis blues in the ratings with a 5.3 local rating. If you saw last year’s championship parade, you would understand what an improbable stat that is.
Maybe this is the city trying to stick it to Stan Kroenke for taking the NFL team away. Maybe this is an honest attempt by St. Louis to embrace their shiny new toy. Either way, all eyes are going to be on the boys in blue to see if they can capitalize on the hype.
The people of St. Louis were in a split whether to follow their old NFL team or to find a new squad to cheer for on Sunday. But all of this was about to change when Vince McMahon took to social media to announce the launch of the XFL.
Everyone in the St. Louis area immediately began pleading their case as to why the newly abandoned team should be in the running for being a part of the XFL inaugural class. It didn’t take too long before they would get their wish.
But now, the long-suffering fans only have to survive their Mardi Gras celebration today before their home-grown professional football team makes their debut against the New York Guardians on Sunday. And they have been coming out in droves to support their St. Louis Battlehawks.
St. Louis has sold out the entire lower bowl of the dome. Tickets on the XFL’s website are starting at 100+ dollars. People are screaming Ka-Kaw in the streets randomly. The table is set for the Battlehawks to have a stronghold on the city if they can take care of business.
As a native St. Louisan, let me be the first to tell you that the city is BUZZING. This city has always had a sort of “us against the world” mentality. Others may call it a little brother complex.
Nonetheless, St. Louis always shows up to support their teams. And with the Battlehawks being the new show in town, the sold-out crowd is evidence of the unwavering support this team has gotten since the name was announced. Will the energy still continue to be at this high of a level as the season goes on? Only time will tell. But in one humble fan’s opinion, I must say i don’t see the heat getting turned down any time soon.
