ST. LOUIS – Many surprises have come with the second iteration of the St. Louis Battlehawks. The team has rallied for some impressive comebacks and drawn record-breaking crowds to the Dome at America’s Center.
But their latest surprise, maybe a tad too extreme for the average St. Louis football fan.
To start the month of April, the Battlehawks social media team shared an “official statement” via Twitter. That statement reads:
“Following a vote from XFL owners, the Battlehawks have been officially approved to relocate to the greater Los Angeles area and will do so for the 2024 season.
St. Louis is a city known for its incredibly hard-working, passionate, and proud people. Bringing the XFL back to St. Louis in 2023 will go down as one of the proudest moments in our league’s history. This move isn’t about whether we love St. Louis or its fans,
but rather about what is in the best interest of the Battlehawks organization.
We would like to thank the XFL, its owners, and all of Battlehawk Nation for their diligence and dedication, and we look forward to building a world-class franchise in Inglewood.
For context, St. Louis fans have rallied behind the Battlehawks since two NFL team departures; the Rams to Los Angeles in 2016 and the Cardinals to Arizona in 1988. The Rams move, fueled by Missouri-raised owner Stan Kroenke, is a point of heated contention for just about any sports fan you ask in St. Louis.
The Battlehawks quickly countered that statement with an “official [news] release” that read the following… “WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. XOXO, THE ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS.”
April Fools. The “official statement” was part of an elaborate April Fools’ Day joke to kick off the new month.
The Battlehawks have been known for bringing some humor and unique elements to their social media platforms. But given the subject of the joke, the team was met to many mixed reactions.
Replies to some degree of criticism…
- “Not even remotely funny, even though I knew it was in April fool’s joke,” said Dawn.
- “I did not find this funny at all,” said Jay.
- “Read the room,” said Tony.
Replies in good faith…
- “Well I guess If they’re joking about leaving it means they’re confident in sticking around for the long haul,” said Johnny.
- “You has us in the first half, not gonna lie,” said Bud Select.
- “This one got me for a full 10-15 seconds lmao I wish someone would’ve got a pic of my face while reading it,” said Lester.
The Battlehawks are back in action Sunday for a road matchup against the Houston Roughnecks. After that, the team returns to St. Louis for three games to close out the 2023 regular season.