Philadelphia television broadcast infantilizes the Cardinals' football comrades

St. Louis is a sports city, and fan loyalty runs deep here. For years, the St. Louis Cardinals were among the top teams in baseball in fan attendance. In 2022, they were second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the benefit of playing in an enormous market. Although attendance has tailed off in recent seasons as the Cardinals have struggled to put out a competitive product, they still rank at a respectable 12th place in fan turnout.

What haven't been lagging are St. Louis' three other major sports teams. The Blues hockey team, the City SC soccer team, and the Battlehawks football team are all drawing well, and it's the Battlehawks whom the Philadelphia Phillies broadcast team decided to discuss in a manner that might not sit well with the "Kaw is Law" crowd.

The Philadelphia Phillies broadcasters were stunned at what should be normal fan support.

The problem isn't that Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy was "shading" St. Louis — in fact, he seemed rather complimentary of the city and its devotion to the Battlehawks. But throughout the commentary, McCarthy seemed shocked that the UFL (which he wasn't sure was called that or the XFL) was drawing so well in the Gateway City.

The Philadelphia Eagles are fresh off a Super Bowl victory, so they certainly know a few things about successful football teams in the City of Brotherly Love. But what they clearly aren't aware of is the rabid enthusiasm that permeates through every orifice of the St. Louis sports fanatic. The broadcasters treated the concept of being a fan of a local football team — even if it's not at the highest level — as "incredible" and appeared bewildered at the fact that fans were tailgating at The Dome at America's Center at 7 a.m. McCarthy's "good for them" tone throughout the segment felt insulting and demeaning.

Let's get one thing straight: Even though the Battlehawks don't play in the big, bad NFL, that's no reason to hold less devotion toward a local team. Maybe other fanbases will laugh at us for being committed to a team that's not in their league of choice. That's OK. We'll continue cheering on our squad for as long as it's around and enjoying the presence of the gridiron in our town again. St. Louis is a sports city, and we can root for the home team with the best of them, no matter the sport or the level.