The XFL will be back in 2022: What does this mean for St.Louis?

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced via Twitter this morning that the XFL is aiming to resume play in 2022. XFL president and COO Jeffrey Pollack also has stated that the XFL will be cautious going forward, "The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners and fans."

https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1311637402054799360?s=20

Now, it is unclear if all the teams from the last league will be back but Dwayne Johnson and company have been very evident in wanting to restore as much of the original league as possible decorating their office with the helmets from each team. Given St.Louis was the top-earning team in ticket sales last season before the shutdown it is reasonable to think they will be back. If the league wants to have continuity they'll keep the cities where they already have a base and they'll keep the names as well as there is already branding and merchandise floating around.

There are a lot of players that fans came to fall in love with during the last XFL run and it is also unclear if the XFL will have a complete re-draft or if they'll allow players to go back to the teams they were drafted to initially and then have a supplemental draft to fill the void of players that have moved on. Again, if XFL wants continuity, they'll choose the latter as former local alumni like Mizzou receivers L'damian Washington and Marcus Lucas were a draw for many. It remains to be seen how many staff members or players will be back but president Pollack did state that the XFL would like to start the hiring process again in early 2021.

Now, this is where things get interesting. As everyone remembers, the Battlehawks played in the Edward-Jones Dome and it was a fine venue, but the new St.Louis soccer stadium will be completed by 2023 if everything goes as planned. Could this mean the Battlehawks potentially play in an outdoor venue in the 2023 season? It's possible. Personally, I think the Battlehawks should stay in the Edward-Jones Dome as it was vacant before the XFL got there and now that it is exclusive to the Battlehawks it feels like a true home for them because it can be branded for them specifically and is still in decent condition.

All in all, you should anticipate St.Louis to be hosting XFL football games by 2022 and if anyone knows how to market and bring football and entertainment together it's Dwayne Johnson and he should be well aware that St.Louis proved to be the cash cow of the league before everything closed. The fact of the matter is that the XFL was working and was profiting before we got hit by a pandemic. So, spread your wings and get ready for some football, St.Louis!!