When the XFL returned for the 2020 season, the St. Louis market responded to their BattleHawks with high-volume ticket sales and a fan response that exceeded expectations.
The Gateway to the West was a prime target for the renewed league, with the NFL’s Rams departing for Los Angeles four years prior. The city is largely known as a baseball town, with locals mainly focused on the Cardinals of the MLB and Blues of the National Hockey League.
The Battlehawks’ first three games of the 2023 season were on the road, where they compiled an impressive 2-1 record. In Week 4, St. Louis descended into their home nest, The Dome at America’s Center, for the first time this year to play the Arlington Renegeades
Online XFL sportsbooks posted odds for betting on the Battlehawks to beat the Renegades by 4 points. St. Louis ended up covering the spread, beating Arlington by a final score of 22-11.
This was done in front of an XFL-record home crowd of 38,000+ people. This also set the all-time mark for any spring football league ever. This includes prior incarnations of the XFL, USFL, Fan-Controlled Football, Arena Football, The World League of American Football, the World Football League, and any others to ever exist.
What’s more impressive about this home attendance feat is that they sold out all seats that were available for purchase – they could’ve sold more if the stadium had allowed for it.
The win keeps St. Louis one game behind the North Conference leaders, the 4-0 DC Defenders. The Defenders are also the Battlehawks’ Week 5 opponent, and DC is favored by 2 on the road at the online sportsbooks listed in our XFL betting site reviews.
DC Defenders @ St. Louis BattleHawks
- Point Spread: DC -2.0, STL +2.0
- Moneyline: DC -130, STL +110
- Over/Under: 42.5
- Saturday at 7 PM
DC bested St. Louis in Week 3 by a final score of 34-28, but betting on the Defenders to cover or win would seem to be a risky proposition considering the home advantage the Battlehawks possess.
2023 XFL Championship Futures
- Houston Roughnecks +160
- D.C. Defenders +190
- St. Louis Battlehawks +500
- Seattle Sea Dragons +700
- Arlington Renegades +900
- San Antonio Brahmas +1800
- Vegas Vipers +2500
- Orlando Guardians +3500
The winner of this week’s game between DC and St. Louis will likely become the frontrunner out of the East and will be in a position to host a home playoff game.
When it comes to the Battlehawks, they’ve got home support that rivals professional franchises in other major leagues. Nobody in the XFL wants to visit there for a postseason contest.
The leader in the XFL futures is the Houston Roughnecks are off to a 4-0 start in 2023. When added to their 5 wins to start the shortened 2020 season, Houston has now won their first 9 games as a franchise.
Houston and St. Louis play in Week 7, but the game will take place in the Roughnecks’ house. This week Houston travel to Seattle to play the Sea Dragons where they are favored to win by -2.5.
XFL Betting Odds: Bovada Sportsbook (read our Bovada.LV review)