Sports are sacred and fandom is rabid within St. Louis and the vicinity, but allow me to pose a question: Who do you think was the last athlete who dominated the St. Louis sports scene? Baseball fans might point to Albert Pujols or, after Pujols left for the Los Angeles Angels, Yadier Molina. I’m not as well versed in the St. Louis Blues as I am in the St. Louis Cardinals, but those with a hockey bend could probably make a case for Vladimir Tarasenko. But those players have all retired or moved on, and there has since been a noticeable vacancy in athletic idols for sports fans around the Gateway City.
In this current desolate period, the Blues’ Robert Thomas might be floated out as a suggestion for the most notable local athlete. Some could point to Roman Burki, St. Louis City SC’s starting goalkeeper. I’ve even heard someone semi-seriously mention former St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron. The point is, St. Louis fans have been searching every nook and cranny for the next superstar to brandish a uniform representing their fair city.
At long last, they may have found it.
Jordan Walker looks primed to be St. Louis’ next sports icon.
The Cardinals long punched far above their weight in terms of stadium attendance, the Blues maintain strong fan turnout, St. Louis City SC has a rocking atmosphere and even the Battlehawks accrue by far the most fans of any team in the UFL. But as the Cardinals rebuild their once-proud franchise, there has been a drastic decline in interest around the local baseball squad. However, if Walker’s torrid production continues, the Cardinals thumper could soon reverse that troubling trend…