For those in the greater Saint Louis area looking for a fun sporting event to attend, it doesn’t always have to be a top tier professional league, like The Cardinals or Blues. Although these are fun choices, they can be costly, and parking can be a nightmare. Now that’s not to say that major league events like those aren’t fun, but sometimes it is better to spice it up, and even support some local businesses and teams.
First off, if you are a fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), you will definitely enjoy Nemesis Fighting Alliance. Although a smaller cage, it still packs a punch, while combining amateur/pro mixed martial arts and kickboxing. They use multiple venues, with the most recent card taking place at The Factory, in Chesterfield Missouri. There are a variety of ticket packages available, with general admission being 55 dollars, and reserved table seating being 80 dollars per person. Cards tend to have around ten to twelve fights. Nemesis prides themselves on being for all fans of sports, not just MMA, and there are no age restrictions. “If you love to watch live sports, mixed martial arts is just another sport that is competitive where it’s an individual sport in that cage. We very much encourage families and everybody to show up, said Nemesis owner, Marlene Kelly.
STL CITY 2, as implied by the name, is an affiliate club with St. Louis City, the MLS club. They play in a completely different league, MLS NEXT PRO, which is a developmental league for younger players. Although it is affiliated with the MLS, it is still very different, and can be compared to the NBA G League, or Minor league baseball. The team plays their games at CITYPARK, the same stadium as the main club. Tickets for their next home game on November 2nd are ten dollars. Although this is their final game of the season, when they start again in the Spring, season tickets can be purchased for 105 dollars.
Saint Louis University basketball should be a great team this year. They bring in former Indiana State head Coach Josh Schertz, who led the Sycamores to a 32-7 record last season. He also has a slew of new faces on his roster, led by fan favorite addition, Robbie Avila, also from Indiana State. There are also plenty of returners, such as sharpshooter Gibson Jimmerson. This year, SLU should be an entertaining team in the Atlantic 10 conference, with a solid shot of playing in the postseason this year. Their home opener is November tenth, against Avila University at Chaifetz arena. Tickets are available for as low as two dollars.
As a bonus admission, the Savannah Bananas are an independent baseball team that focuses on entertainment, and revolutionizing the game of baseball through rule changes to make games more entertaining and fast paced. It can be compared to being like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. The Bananas will be touring throughout the United States next year, and will be in St. Louis, at Busch Stadium, on April 4th. There is a ticket lottery to join on their website. So, if you are bored sitting around the house one day, now you know that there are a multitude of events to attend for a relatively cheap price, and a guaranteed fun time.
