If you plant your sports flag here and show you care, this region will reward you.
NASCAR knows it. United Football League, too. Even UFC. College hockey continues to make St. 不良研究所导航网址 a bigger spot on its map. Same for golf. The region recently has boosted gymnastics, college wrestling, mixed martial arts and even pro wrestling.
The other day, I turned on the TV and saw something called the Pillow Fight Championship. First thought: What? Second thought: St. 不良研究所导航网址 would sell that out.
鈥淲hen you have this type of atmosphere and fans like here in St. 不良研究所导航网址, it takes everybody to the next level,鈥 UFC President Dana White gushed just last month after a UFC event in St. 不良研究所导航网址.
He鈥檚 right. We don鈥檛 have mountains to climb or waves to surf. We do sports.
So what should come next?
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Glad you asked. A recent conversation with KTRS (550 AM) 鈥淏ig Sports Show鈥 co-host Brendan Wiese got wheels turning about what sports events I鈥檇 love to see swing by St. 不良研究所导航网址.
Super Bowl!
No, let鈥檚 be a little more realistic. I think these five would be great fits. Well, six, if you count the Pillow Fight Championship.
Battlehawks parade
Yes, they absolutely deserve one if they win two more games. It would not be nearly as big as the Blues鈥 Stanley Cup championship parade, but it would be a scene. We haven鈥檛 had a sports parade since the pandemic. We鈥檙e due.
Besides, because the B-hawks players live and train in Texas when they鈥檙e not flying in for 鈥渉ome鈥 games, it would give them a proper introduction to the city. Kaw.
MLS All-Star Game
This feels like a matter of when instead of if, right?
City SC has crushed the league鈥檚 expectations in every measurable metric since it secured its expansion spot, from ticket demand to attendance and even social media fervor. A city that builds a new, mostly privately financed state-of-the-art stadium in a downtown location is going to be rewarded with the All-Star Game by the league eventually.
The next two are scheduled for Ohio (Columbus) and Texas (Austin). So how about 2026?
Busch Stadium bowl game
If the Cardinals鈥 home perch can host a Winter Classic, all of your parents鈥 favorite bands and even Top Golf-inspired driving competitions, then surely a college football bowl game could happen. One of the benefits of the rise of name, image and likeness deals for college players is that it should incentivize them to not opt out and play in the bowl games that exist outside of the expanding College Football Playoff.
A Busch Bowl would offer a lot of intrigue because of the location and the amount of different big-program allegiances spread throughout the area. And wouldn鈥檛 it be cool if it snowed? The Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium) can鈥檛 keep having all the fun.
Celtics exhibition game
I鈥檓 sure many in the rapidly expanding Chiefs Kingdom would rather see Kansas City鈥檚 NFL team play a preseason game in the Dome at America鈥檚 Center than this basketball-themed suggestion, but if we鈥檙e talking exhibition games, I鈥檇 rather see hometown star Jayson Tatum bring his Celtics here.
Tatum has become one of the game鈥檚 leading figures. If he turns this second trip to the NBA Finals into his first ring, he should push for a Celtics exhibition in his hometown. Maybe the league would listen. It wouldn鈥檛 need to be a game that counted to make a splash.
If Des Moines can host the 76ers and Timberwolves in a preseason exhibition 鈥 it鈥檚 happening in October 鈥 can鈥檛 Tatum bring his Celtics home for a visit? Memphis or Indiana making the short trip would make sense.
SLU-MU men鈥檚 basketball series
During a recent trip to St. 不良研究所导航网址, Missouri men鈥檚 basketball coach Dennis Gates went out of his way to praise new St. 不良研究所导航网址 University hoops coach Josh Schertz. They鈥檙e friendly. Friendly enough to revive the Tigers-Billikens basketball series?
Gates wouldn鈥檛 go that far, unfortunately. But it鈥檚 been too long. The series has been super competitive when active. Mizzou leads 21 games to 19, per SLU records. The most recent three meetings were decided by nine combined points. But the series has been dormant since 2001.
College basketball always says it wants to be more relevant before March, right? Well, playing nonconference games people are hungry to see helps. And no, Mizzou playing Illinois here in the annual Braggin鈥 Rights game doesn鈥檛 mean relaunching this series can鈥檛 happen. If St. 不良研究所导航网址 is as important to Mizzou as Mizzou insists it is, the Tigers could come to St. 不良研究所导航网址 more often.
Don鈥檛 get me wrong. I鈥檇 love St. 不良研究所导航网址 to host men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 Final Fours again. Those crown jewel events always are welcome here. But bringing back Billikens-Tigers would be a lot easier, as long as the few people standing in the way realize it鈥檚 what the people want.