Football is returning to St. Louis. The XFL, which started to pick up in 2020 right before getting shut down by the pandemic, is making a return to the Gateway City.
Frank Viverito, President of the St. Louis Sports Commission, said it's good news for sports in the region.
"You know, this is a pretty good deal. We're missing the NFL and the NBA but but we've got pretty much every other base covered," Viverito said.
St. Louis is a city of dedicated sports fans, he added.
"They were hurt by the Kroenke and Rams departure, and they fell in love with the Battlehawks when they came to town," he said. "It's a very personal and passionate relationship that fans have to sports here. And that's wonderful."
The revamped XFL is now owned by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and will make its official return in 2023. Team names haven't been announced yet, but Viverito said he expects St. Louis to stick with the Battlehawks.
Viverito said he thinks the other cities with XFL teams like Orlando, San Antonio and Las Vegas, are good cities for St. Louis to be connected with.
"That they're growing cities, that there are markets that should be able to support football -- San Antonio has a dome just like ours that will really welcome a regular tenant like that," he said. "So I'm pretty positive about it."
Viverito said he believes St. Louis is special when it comes to sports fans.
"I believe St. Louis has the best, richest, deepest sports history of any city in the United States," he said. "And that over generations, breeds the kind of passion that we that we have been talking about."
Listen to the whole conversation from Total Information AM:
