With the lack of an official announcement regarding the return of the BattleHawks, there has been an air of alarmism regarding the team’s future among a portion of those who are eager to see the second coming of their beloved franchise. While such concern is understandable, with the news that’s come forth in recent months, the odds for the BattleHawks not making a return in 2023 border impossibility.
Here are three reasons why:
1. The Dome has reserved dates for Spring 2023
Clearly interested in seeking future opportunity in what was their strongest market in 2020, news broke out on January 18 that the XFL had made contact with officials at The Dome at America’s Center.
Officials at The Dome @AmericasCenter have been contacted by @XFL2023 Makes sense #XFL would contact St. Louis after success of @XFLBattleHawks , but there is no agreement in place. https://t.co/9Fb6jMPPCM
— Martin Kilcoyne (@martinkilcoyne2) January 18, 2022
With both sides reportedly open to working with one another, it appears their talks have led to fruition. Reported by Frank Cusumano of NBC 4 KSDK, the Dome has reserved five weekend dates next spring for possible XFL home games in St. Louis. With the league and venue’s former success in putting together a successful product, it seems likely that they would have worked together to seal the deal and make another arrangement.
For more information, check out the article here: https://xflnewsroom.com/news/st-louis-battlehawks-xfl-return-likely-dome-reserves-spring-2023/
2. The BattleHawks name and logo were secured by the XFL
As of May 19, 2022, several trademarks from the prior season came under the ownership of “XFL Properties LLC”. Such trademarks included both the BattleHawks’ primary and secondary logos, alongside the name of the team itself.
These logos are now all owned by “XFL Properties LLC”, the new LLC for holding @XFL2023 trademarks.
Date of prosecution history change: May 19, 2022
Included are also the names “Houston Roughnecks and St. Louis Battlehawks.”
Take that as you will.#XFL#KaKaw @XFLNewsHub
1/2 pic.twitter.com/TepocJsB4E— The Markcast® (@the_markcast) May 20, 2022
The secondary logo features the Arch, the glittering icon of St. Louis’ skyline, with the implication that the team will stay put right where it is. Of course, if the XFL’s securing of the name “St. Louis BattleHawks” somehow wasn’t already satisfactory.
3. It would simply be bad business to leave
At the end of the day, like any business, the XFL is looking to make money, and the more the better. It doesn’t take any business savvy to understand that cutting yourself off from your greatest source of revenue is a bad idea. As aforementioned, that is what St. Louis is to the XFL. In 2020, as the only hosting city in the league without an NFL team, fans in the Gateway City were ecstatic to have a football team of their own. Leading the pack in social media following, attendance and merchandise sales, St. Louis as a market likely made the XFL a pretty penny. It’s hard to see them giving it up.
Do you think it’s possible the BattleHawks won’t make a return? Share your thoughts in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
