The NFL abandoned St. Louis, but now the XFL and AJ McCarron-led Battlehawks has the city rejoicing over football's return
The Rams left St. Louis to win a championship in Los Angeles, but the XFL's Battlehawks are proving St. Louis still has a passion for football.
Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
- The St. Louis Battlehawks are setting attendance records for the renewed XFL.
- At a recent home game, more than 38,000 fans packed The Dome at America's Center.
- After the Rams left St. Louis for Los Angeles, there was an opening for another team to swoop in.
The city of St. Louis is happy to have some football in its backyard again.
In 2016, the NFL's Rams, which had called St. Louis home since 1994, moved to Los Angeles, leaving the city without a professional football team. The divorce was ugly, with the city suing the team, and owner Stan Kroenke ultimately ponying up more than $500 million as part of a settlement.
But the revamped XFL, now in its third iteration, brought football back to the city once again in the form of the St. Louis Battlehawks.
While some XFL teams are still looking to find their audience, it's clear that the Battlehawks have found theirs, as the team, led by former Alabama star A.J. McCarron, has been embraced by St. Louis.
On Saturday, the team announced that its home opener on March 12 had brought out more than 38,000 fans to The Dome at America's Center, setting a record for XFL attendance.
—Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 18, 2023
Momentum built from there with another packed house for the team's second home game.
Clearly, St. Louis was ready to embrace football again
Videos from the tailgate scene outside the arena showed fans grilling, drinking, and celebrating their team.
—Gateway Grinders (@gatewaygrinders) March 18, 2023
—St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) March 13, 2023
A week earlier at the team's home opener, fans made their voices heard in the stadium early, letting out chants of "Kroenke Sucks!"
Stan Kroenke, the aforementioned owner of the Rams who ultimately pulled the team out of St. Louis in favor of Los Angeles, remains a much-vilified figured. St. Louis has not forgiven nor forgotten.
—Spring Football Zone (@SpringFBZone) March 12, 2023
But while some of the excitement surrounding the Battlehawks may stem from spite of the team that spurned them, The Dome at America's Center is getting behind its new home team.
"This place is just getting back alive again. We were down on ourselves for a while with the Rams leaving and all that. Now it's like we're back, we're back," Jeff Mack, a fan tailgating ahead of a Battlehawks game, told local NBC affiliate KSDK.
"Football belongs in St. Louis. I hope everyone out here can prove that. I mean I love it. The Battlehawks being back is great, we've been waiting for it. We were here last weekend; we'll be here every weekend. St. Louis is a football and a sports town," James Hohmeier II, another fan, told the network.
As the Battlehawks marched to victory in their home opener, a packed lower bowl cheered them on.
—St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) March 12, 2023
—Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 13, 2023
—Hunter Gaffney (@Gaffney_09) March 19, 2023
To be clear, not all XFL games feel like this.
Vegas Vipers home games, for instance, do not have near the same support from the home crowd.
—Vegas Vipers (@XFLVipers) March 19, 2023
But something is working in St. Louis, and the team is taking notice.
"It's surreal man," said wide receiver Austin Proehl after the Battlehawks first home game.
"Growing up here in St. Louis. Having the opportunity to come out and play in front of these fans. They never deserved to get this taken away from them. This city, these fans, they're some of the best in the country."
Proehl's father, Ricky, played 17 seasons in the NFL, including four with the Rams, and is currently a wide receivers coach for the Battlehawks.
—St. Louis Rams History (@STLRamsHistory) March 13, 2023
While the Battlehawks fell short against the D.C. Defenders this past week, the home crowd still got quite a show, with quarterback A.J. McCarron slinging a huge touchdown to get the Battlehawks back within striking distance late.
—DEE SPORTS GUY (@DSports75727469) March 20, 2023
McCarron has been a breakout star of the league in this latest iteration. McCarron spent nearly a decade in the NFL as a backup, but he took a steep pay cut to be a starter in the XFL.
"My 6-year-old loves watching tape of me on YouTube. That's a big reason I chose to return this way," McCarron told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I probably could've tried to come back with an NFL team and had a chance to probably made bigger money, but no one knows what the future holds. I'm enjoying this, and it's a great way to create some memories for me and my boys."
—St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) March 12, 2023
Halfway through the season, the Battlehawks have a feel-good story both at quarterback and with their home city.
Spring football leagues have come and gone again and again over the years, but in St. Louis, a passion for football has remained a constant.