It was third and 6 for the visitors, and it wasn't just loud; it was "scream so Stan Kroenke can hear you" loud. It was "unabashedly St. Louis proud" loud. It was "1999 Rams game" loud. It was "my brain and body feel like there's an earthquake in it" loud.
There were 38,310 St. Louis fans Sunday at the Battlehawks' first home game of the latest version of the XFL. Biggest crowd in league history.
Thirty-eight thousand, three hundred and ten.
They came, they saw, they KaKaw'd.
"St. Louis, for us, is an icon city for the XFL — it is an example of when everything is going right," said Dany Garcia, chairwoman and co-owner of the XFL, from The Dome at America's Center field before kickoff. "We look at the city, we look at this relationship, with inspiration. And we know that this is the bar. It's wonderful to have so many passionate fans. I will say, as we go to all of our cities, we see and feel that same passion — but here, you've got the volume, you've got the commitment, you've got fans that have been waiting for us. And it just makes football so exciting."
You've just read her comments and I think I know how they made you feel. Validated, right? St. Louis sports fans know they didn't do anything wrong, yet the National Football League and Rams owner Kroenke moved St. Louis' team to Los Angeles. St. Louis knows it's a baseball town, yes, but also a sports town — unequivocally.
So, yeah, it feels good to be wanted. And it feels good to show the NFL and Kroenke and skeptical Americans and, even, skeptical St. Louisans that this town loves pro football and can support pro football.
"We may never get an NFL team again, but the fact that we're portrayed as not supporting the team is extremely inaccurate," said Jerry Winkler, a longtime Rams season-ticket holder, while at a boisterous Battlehawks tailgate event outside The Dome. "We love our sports, we love our teams. And we felt like we were shortchanged. So now, we will show them today. We do love football in general. I would love to have an NFL team here. We had a new stadium ready to go."
Alas, the billionaire Kroenke moved St. Louis' team so he could make more billions in his own new stadium.
But what we do have is the Battlehawks — hey, it's something, right? — and there were nearly 40,000 St. Louisans there Sunday, representing the entire city, just like those Battlehawks.
Now, admittedly, it's an odd relationship between the Battlehawks and the city. The players sure seem to love the fans and show love to the fans, yet the players don't reside here or even practice here (the XFL is based in Arlington, Texas). And as for the fans, even when the previous 2020 Battlehawks were living and practicing here, it's not like casual St. Louis fans could've named more than 10 players on the team anyway. Yet, the team and players gave the city something to be proud of and something to enjoy, while the city gave the players a chance to still play and be adorned.
It's this mutual situation of admiration between St. Louis and the Battlehawks — we'll feed off you, you feed off us. Or, even — we'll use you, you use us. And we'll all have a bunch of fun along the way.
"It's (bleeping) football!" screamed Brittany Duwe, in a Battlehawks shirt, outside a tailgate event. "St. Louis needed its football! Do you see how many people came out today?"
As one gawked at the tailgates, it was stunning how many people were outside — and so many in Battlehawks stuff. On a cloudy day, there was as much blue and gray on the streets as in the sky. It was a party (Mardi Kaws?). There was beer and brats, and bass thumping and kids chirping. One shirtless fan wore blue-and-white wings on his back and had a cigar in his mouth. And one tailgate served a huge Gatorade cooler of, per the sign, BATTLE JUICE. Those tailgating there regaled one another with tales of said juice from a 2020 game, at which one partaker found himself running around The Dome shirtless.
Now, as for the 38,310 fans Sunday, the XFL announced that it sold all of its sellable seats. Makes one wonder if the league could've gotten in front of the situation and prepared to sell even more? Still, it was a stunningly impressive showing. For perspective, the biggest crowd in the 2020 version of the XFL was 29,554 — also in St. Louis, for the first home game.
And on Sunday, the Battlehawks won. They defeated the Arlington Renegades, 24-11.
And the old rafters rattled.
Now, we won't know how long this will last. Will there be 38,310 fans at the home opener in 2027? Will there be a XFL in 2027?
But in the short term — we'll feed off you, you feed off us.
St. Louis, for many reasons, has a chip on its shoulder. But days such as this give St. Louis broad shoulders.
