urbanSTL

So does anyone see some of the Ram's settlement funds going back into the Dome for some minor updates, etc...   now that XFL return is looking legit?

I either had the 2022's worst prediction or not in that the County want to pursue a new stadium in West County by committing part the Rams Settlement Funds.  In part, letting the dome come down for future Convention phase II expansion/upgrade.    Yes, I know the county's funds wouldn't pay for the whole thing and not even close to NFL size stadium but it would cover land acquistion cost, design, utilities & basic infrasctructure and kick start a 30k seat stadium (more then adequate for XFL and or local colleges and a few monster trucks rallies).   Of course, I agree the region doesn't need another stadium outright but if you take down the Dome you got an argument why a county stadium would be floated IMO, sooner than later w settlement funds in hand.

Yeah after folding twice (once due to bad management, once to the pandemic), them being a spring league, only having 8 teams, and not being a top tier league...  No city is going to build a stadium to attract or house an XFL team.  The XFL will simply sign leases in cities they want to play in at whatever stadium they can get.

All that said I had so much fun at the XFL game I went to for the Battlehawks, still wear the gear I bought, and excitedly await their return. (KA-KAW!) But the XFL is in no way going to get stadiums built specifically to house them.

The Dome is where they would most likely return, they sold out the lower bowl that was opened and reportedly sold out the entire stadium for the game vs LA that was cancelled.  If they are unable to secure the Dome for whatever reason, the MLS Stadium would be a good venue as well.

XFL games at the new MLS stadium would be so legit. But when I mentioned that on this forum a year or so ago, I got a lot of comments about how St. Louis City SC would likely never allow American football clubs to tear up their pitch. 

I mean outside of the dome, what other spaces can frequently handle football and 30k+ crowds?

It would be great if the XFL took the more reasonable approach and came out right now against using public tax dollars.

Instead work within what regions have and sell ownership of teams based on who is willing to invest in space and teams.

npav wrote: ↑

Jan 06, 2022

Yeah after folding twice (once due to bad management, once to the pandemic), them being a spring league, only having 8 teams, and not being a top tier league...  No city is going to build a stadium to attract or house an XFL team.  The XFL will simply sign leases in cities they want to play in at whatever stadium they can get.

All that said I had so much fun at the XFL game I went to for the Battlehawks, still wear the gear I bought, and excitedly await their return. (KA-KAW!) But the XFL is in no way going to get stadiums built specifically to house them.

The Dome is where they would most likely return, they sold out the lower bowl that was opened and reportedly sold out the entire stadium for the game vs LA that was cancelled.  If they are unable to secure the Dome for whatever reason, the MLS Stadium would be a good venue as well.

Agree with all of this. I think people are overestimating how much pull XFL would have for anything. No one is building them anything. No one is giving them tax dollars to be here. It’s a minor league team. If they want to be here then great but no one is going to help them out. They will just go to cities that already have venues they can rent.

addxb2 wrote: ↑

Jan 06, 2022

I mean outside of the dome, what other spaces can frequently handle football and 30k+ crowds?

It would be great if the XFL took the more reasonable approach and came out right now against using public tax dollars.

Instead work within what regions have and sell ownership of teams based on who is willing to invest in space and teams.

Again, nobody is going to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into building stadia for XFL teams right now. Not cities, not owners. The league needs to survive and thrive for probably at least 10 years before anybody will consider putting serious money into new facilities with XFL teams as the primary tenants. As of this moment, odds are that the XFL won't even exist ten years from now, simply because most new sports leagues fail. I believe it has potential, but it needs to show long term consistent results in revenue generation to get the sort of commitment necessary to fund a stadium.

Rumor I'm hearing is they are going back to the old 2001 logo colors.

npav wrote: ↑

Apr 05, 2022

Rumor I'm hearing is they are going back to the old 2001 logo colors.

Supposedly

I'll be real, I think I prefer the 2020 logo the best.

Four pillars you say?

Spagnuolo brought the Four Pillars: Faith, Character, Core Values and Team-First Mentality. “It's going to be a slow, gradual process,” Spagnuolo said to the NFL Network prior to the 2009 season

They’re baaaaack! #kakaw (maybe)

I wonder if this iteration of XFL is going to bring back the old team names or not. 

It seems like this ownership group is trying to build its own product, separate from what we saw in 2020. The branding seems to be very different. 

I guess I'm saying I wouldn't be surprised if St. Louis lands another XFL team, but with a different name. 

I'd love to keep the team name, and to get our quarterback from KC!  I am sure he makes more money sitting o the bench there. He was great for us.

I sure hope the XFL doesn't follow the USFL and use a host city. That's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard, outside of a special circumstance like the Covid pandemic (ex. NHL bubble).

Why the USFL is hosting all games in Birmingham is beyond me! I know they are catering  mainly to TV and gamblers, which is their goal along with travel cost savings. This is so against what I believe the true fan experience should be. Can you imagine watching the STL Battlehawks playing at their home field in Alabama?! 

Maybe I'm missing something, but this is dumb. 

^ If the XFL does a single site bubble season, and rebrands teams that were hugely successful in their markets like the Battlehawks, they are shooting themselves in the foot and shouldn't even hold a season.

Do a real season with teams in their respective cities, put the Battlehawks back in the Battledome, hold home/away games.  The fun of the XFL wasn't that it was the highest quality of football and a great must see TV product... It was the joy of being at a live game, with a really fun atmosphere, with rules designed to make it the most enjoyable product to see in front of you.

If they think fans will get invested without ever being able to see their team live in action, when there is no long-term fandom or attachment built up, this version of the XFL will flop.

The XFL 2020 was exceeding expectations in many markets, before COVID hit and put the stop on everything.  Roll that blueprint back out and try again.

^Agree 100%!

Rumors I have seen are LA, NYC and Tampa are out. Orlando, San Antonio, Vegas are in. Which makes sense. LA was dumb to begin with. They barely care about NFL, let alone XFL.