ST. LOUIS — The Battlehawks didn't make it to the UFL Championship on Sunday but St. Louis still hosted the game.
Fans tailgating were trying to beat the heat while supporting their city and team who was beaten by the San Antonio Brahmas the week before.
"It is unbearably hot but we got to come out and we got to support St. Louis," Ahmed Wahba said before the game.
Even with 90-degree temperatures, it wasn't entirely too hot for tailgating and grilling burgers.
"I think the worst part is that it's scorching hot here," 9-year-old Legend Jackson said in one of the parking lots beside the Battlehawks' stadium. "I just got here and I'm already sweating."
The Battlehawks said 27,396 people showed up to watch the Brahmas take on the returning two-time USFL champions the Birmingham Stallions. However, fans barely filled the stands, in sharp contrast to one week ago when the Battlehawks were knocked out last Sunday.
On June 9, Anthony MacFarland, who played four seasons in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a 69-yard touchdown run to help San Antonio beat St. Louis in the playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, several Battlehawks fans told 5 On Your Side they'd much rather see wide receiver Hakeem Butler, running around the field inside the Dome at America's Center.
"It was tough," Battlehawks season ticket holder Bob Shannon said about losing the XFL championship game. "It was tough. I thought we would have a much better game but we supported our team and we're proud of them."
St. Louis had the highest UFL season-long attendance which is why the Battlehawks' home field was chosen as the site of the nationally televised game.
"We want to show everyone that this is a football town and it deserves a team," Shannon said. "We'll support that team whether it's 100 degrees or five below zero."
The high temperatures and steady sea of blue Battlehawks shirts made for a memorable Father's Day for Wahba and his 11-year-old daughter Sofia Wahba-Lonbardo.
It was Sofia's first game.
When asked why he wanted to spend June 16 at the sporting event rather than somewhere else, Wahba said, "we're bringing her to the championship game and it's more important for me to come out and bring her to something that she wanted to see."
"I actually play golf and sometimes my dad says it's going to be bad and sometimes it's going to be good," Sofia said. "We're going to hope for next year even now, let's make that change for us to win next time."
In terms of winning the UFL season, the Birmingham Stallions walked away with their third championship in a row, beating San Antonio in a shutout 25-0.
One very recognizable and victorious father, Tom Brady was also at the UFL Championship.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner showed his support in St. Louis after an emotional induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Wednesday.