ST. LOUIS — It was a year in sports unlike any other. The COVID-19 pandemic upended the professional sports industry with cancelled events, shortened seasons, empty arenas and financial challenges for local teams. But despite the pandemic, it was a monumental year for St. Louis’ new sports franchise, St. Louis City SC, which reached several key milestones in 2020. Here's a rundown of this year's biggest stories in sports business:
Ka Kaw!
Professional football returned to St. Louis in 2020, with the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks generating significant fanfare and raucous crowds in their inaugural season. But the fun was short-lived. The BattleHawks topped key business metrics and attendance figures in the XFL, drawing 29,554 and 27,527 fans for its two February home games at The Dome at America's Center. However, the spring football league launched by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon called off its season in March due to the pandemic. The league in April suspended operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A new ownership group has since purchased the XFL and has announced plans to revive the league in 2022.
Canceled events
A number of key sporting events planned for St. Louis in 2020 were called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enterprise Center in March was set to host the first- and second-round men's games of the men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Championship, which was cancelled.
The Ascension Charity Classic, a senior professional golf tournament that was to be hosted in October at Norwood Hills Country Club, was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers rescheduled the inaugural golf event for 2021.
In addition, the 2020 U.S. Olympic team trials for gymnastics, to be held at Enterprise Center in June, are now scheduled for 2021.
One major sporting event unaffected by the pandemic was the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, which the St. Louis Blues hosted in January at Enterprise Center.
Metro East takes a swing at sports gambling
Sports wagering came to the Metro East in 2020, a development that stemmed from betting legislation signed into law in 2019 by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Several Metro East gambling venues have expanded with sports wagering operations. Argosy Casino in Alton opened the Metro East's first sportsbook in March. In August, Boston-based sports betting operator DraftKings Inc. launched a sportsbook at East St. Louis-based Casino Queen and rebranded the casino as Draftkings at Casino Queen. Prominent online gaming company FanDuel Group in November announced plans to add a sportsbook and make a “multimillion-dollar investment” at Fairmount Park horse track in Collinsville.
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