Fan frenzy for the St. Louis Battlehawks is the talk of the United Football League.
Unfortunately, that seems to be all anyone is talking about when it comes to the first-year league – a merger of the XFL and USFL.
The Battlehawks draw more fans to the Dome at America’s Center for a game than the combined attendance of the other three UFL games. TV ratings have also not taken off – even in St. Louis.
Through the first three home games, the Battlehawks were averaging more than 36,000 fans. The Washington Defenders were second in UFL attendance at just over 15,500.
While that might not bode well for the long-term success of the UFL, Battlehawks fans aren’t deterred. The games are loud and team support for 5-1 St. Louis is never-ending during the 60 minutes of a home game.
St. Louis has a high-powered offense which features the UFL’s top receiver Hakeem Butler. His 478 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions lead the league.
Quarterback A.J. McCarron has 13 passing touchdowns and 98 points, which are also tops in the league.
The Battlehawks rule the XFL Division, but the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL Division are the UFL’s top team with a 6-0 record. The teams meet at 3 p.m. Saturday in Birmingham, where an average of about 9,700 fans bother to go to games.
By moving to 6-0, the Stallions have already clinched a playoff berth.
An interesting twist to the contest is that McCarron was an All-American quarterback for Nick Saban at Alabama. He was also an All-State football and baseball player at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile.
“It’ll be fun to be back home in the state of Alabama playing versus a good team,” said McCarron.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how many Alabama fans root for St. Louis or how many of them root against me, so it’ll be a fun atmosphere either way. I’m excited about it.”
The Battlehawks and Stallions cannot meet again until the championship game – which regardless of the teams – will be in St. Louis on June 16.
Each division’s two top seeds will play in respective playoff games, and the winners advance to the title game.
The Reid Roundup
If the St. Louis Battlehawks reach the UFL Championship game in St. Louis, attendance could top 50,000. If the Battlehawks don’t reach the title game attendance could be about 5,000…Lebron James just completed his 20th season, and after the L.A. Lakers fired Darvin Ham, James will be on his 11th head coach…New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson’s NBA Playoff run has put him in elite company. His 43 points in Monday night’s win over Indiana was his fourth 40-plus point performance in a row. Michael Jordan,Bernard King, and Jerry West are the only players to accomplish the feat…Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards reminds me of Jordan. His 27-point performance in Monday’s blowout win over the suddenly hapless Denver Nuggets has the T-Wolves up 2-0 in that series… Miami Heat president Pat Riley was correct in telling Jimmy Butler to shut his trap on other teams in the playoffs when he and his team are out…An interesting note: Combined as a player, coach and executive, Riley has participated in more than 20% of all NBA Finals ever played…Minnesota Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA. He could be the next Black ace in Major League Baseball…Since his return to Triple A Memphis, Jordan Walker is hitting .240 in 25 at-bats, with six RBIs and no home runs. Victor Scott II, who was also demoted shortly after the season began, is hitting just .186…Here’s what the Dallas Cowboys think of the returning Ezekiel Elliott; He will receive a $1.25 million base salary and a $375,000 signing bonus. Elliott could earn up to $1 million more in incentives, which include the unlikely chance of him reaching 1,000 rushing yards. Also, all incentives depend on the team reaching the playoffs. Good luck with that.
