ST. LOUIS — At the top of 2022, the XFL is expected to make some exciting news on what's next for the league.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson recently appeared on CNBC and shared the teaser on Instagram a few days ago.
"We should know in the next month or two months, we will be announcing our broadcast partners, new teams, and new cities," Johnson said.
So what does this mean for St. Louis? Will the BattleHawks return?
When the BattleHawks first flew into St. Louis in 2020, it drew in 29,554 and 27,527 fans for its two February home games at The Dome at America's Center.
"We were told St. Louis was not a football town," State Representative Nick Schroer, who represents parts of St. Charles County, said.
Despite what's been said, he said the numbers speak for themselves.
"We were number one in attendance, number one in sales, and number one in TV ratings," Schroer said.
Sales also spiked for businesses like Arch Apparel, which produced BattleHawks tees, hoodies, hats and more.
"That was our highest Saturday takings as a store ever," owner Aaron Park said.
Downtown sports bar Jack Patrick's Bar and Grill saw a similar boost.
"We don't do every Sunday, but we did for the BattleHawks. It was worth every penny, a profitable day. It was excellent," Owner Kevin Liese said.
However, the biggest opponent that year was COVID-19, wiping out the rest of the season.
Now as we approach 2022, the fun could come back into play.
"We heard there were preliminary discussions with the city to see if we can get Dome leases and all the employees back in place, but nothing has been set in stone," Schroer said.
Schroer was appointed on the BattleHawks Board of Advisors during the inaugural season.
Despite the absence, he continues to advocate for them, even writing this letter to the higher-ups:
"I'm encouraging this new ownership group to bring the BattleHawks back to their home in St. Louis," he said.
He tells 5 On Your Side about the hundreds of jobs it could provide from employment at parking garages to vendors inside.
Liese believes this could also bring in a much-needed crowd downtown, an area that felt the blow from COVID.
Jack Patrick's has been on Olive Street for almost 23 years. It opened the year the Rams won the Superbowl.
"Right off the bat, Rams was huge in our success," he said.
However, he closed up shop on Sundays once they left because there wasn't any business.
That all changed when the BattleHawks made a comeback.
That's why he's optimistic for what's possibly next.
"It’s been a hard almost two years now. Anything that can bring people down here, that’s great news," Liese adds.
While the decision is still up in the air, St. Louis is ready.
"We'll be ready with everything that we can do to make it happen because that was for our business, it was crazy, it was amazing," Park said.
The organization Explore St. Louis, which runs The Dome at America's Center, shared this statement to 5 On Your Side:
“The 2020 debut season of the XFL was a tremendous success for St. Louis and we are hopeful that they will return beginning in 2023. We have had some discussions with them but it is too soon to say what will happen with the new league. Needless to say, we would be very excited to see them return to The Dome at America’s Center and the St. Louis community that embraced them!”