If the NFL is ever looking to add another expansion team, it might want to strongly consider a return to St. Louis. Based on the turnout for the city’s XFL squad, there’s still a massive amount of interest in football in the city — regardless of the level.
Fans turned out in waves for the St. Louis Battlehawks home opener on Sunday against the Arlington Renegades. More than 38,000 fans showed up to The Dome at America’s Center for the contest.
That’s a new attendance record for the XFL. And it happened during the Battlehawks’ first home game, proving that St. Louis is, most definitely, a football town.
Fans who showed up were rewarded, too. St. Louis defeated Arlington 24-11 in the team’s home opener. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 214 yards with two touchdowns while completing 20-of-27 pass attempts.
Brian Hill rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown and receiver Darrius Shepherd caught eight passes for 91 yards and a score. St. Louis improved to 3-1 on the year.
Fans Call for NFL to Return to St. Louis
After seeing the massive turnout for the St. Louis Battlehawks game on Sunday, several fans and media members called for the NFL to consider a return to the city. The town last hosted a franchise in 2015, when the Rams made the move to Los Angeles.
The Rams called St. Louis home from 1995-2015 before a return to L.A. But with Sunday’s attendance, many chimed in on social media for the NFL to take notice.
“This atmosphere has been electric,” wrote ESPN‘s Field Yates. “The city of St. Louis still deserves an NFL team.”
The Barstool Sports account added, “Over 38,000 fans turned out for a Battlehawks XFL game today. BRING THE NFL BACK TO ST. LOUIS.”
One NFL fan added, “St. Louis no doubt deserves an NFL team.”
Will we see anyone from the league take notice of St. Louis’ passion for football? Only time will tell.