DC Defends Home Turf With Our Own Travis Lemin In Attendance

Hello, my name is Travis Lemin, cohost of Shady Sports Network’s weekly spring football report and also a longtime DC Defender fan, #ShieldsUp!

Table of Contents

1 Lifelong Fan, Attends First UFL Game

Lifelong Fan, Attends First UFL Game

All Photo Credits to the Author Travis Lemin

Before we get into the game and the experience for those of you who don’t know me from spring football reports, here’s a little bit about myself and my football interests. I’ve been an NFL fan for as long as I can remember and I grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan being from Pennsylvania. I initially became interested in spring football as I was flipping through the channels and saw an AAF game on. It was a week one game, the Atlanta Legends versus the Orlando Apollos I believe.

Since then I continued to watch the league grow and fall and that just made me more excited when the news came out about the XFL in 2020. An announcement was made about a team forming in Washington DC, making that the closest team to me geographically. I knew that the Defenders would be my team and I would go to a game when given the opportunity.

Unfortunately, the pandemic happened mid-season and caused the XFL to shut its doors for now. I was heartbroken and unsure if I’d ever get to go to a game. Eventually, the announcement of the USFL heavily intrigued me and I picked the Pittsburgh Maulers to be my team. I had fun with the USFL season, however I was still much more of an XFL fan. The 2022 USFL season only helped build my anticipation for the 2023 season and the XFL put on a great season.

Unfortunately, I was not able to go to a game that year but I knew 2024 would be the time to go. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to their week six matchup against the San Antonio Brahmas and I’d like to share my experience with you. Coming off of an XFL championship game appearance, the DC Defenders were now a 2-3 football team in a must-win situation against the 4-1 San Antonio Brahmas to keep playoff hopes alive. Brahmas quarterback Quinten Dormady gave the Defenders their only regular season last year when he played for the Orlando Guardians. Also, the Brahmas themselves have already beaten us once this season.

First Stop; Concessions

Anxious and excited would be an understatement for this game. We arrived about an hour early to the game so that we could explore the stadium and grab drinks and a bite to eat.

When we walked into Audi Field we were greeted by vendors selling $15 beers to contribute to the #BeerSnake. We then found our seats in section 111 not a tremendous amount of people were there yet, but they were consistently coming in until kick-off. The attendance ended up being a whopping 14,303 per UFL reporter Mike Mitchell.

#UFL Official Week 6 Attendance Numbers:

Memphis: 5,609
St. Louis: 32,969
Michigan: 7,428
D.C.: 14,303#UFL2024
— Mike Mitchell (@ByMikeMitchell) May 5, 2024

This created an electric atmosphere for the game. Things kicked off with Anthoula Kelly intercepting the ball from Quinten Dormady on the first offensive play bringing everybody to their feet immediately. This was followed up by a very back-and-forth first half and the score going into halftime was 6 to 3 in favor of the Defenders.

The second half was just as competitive. The Brahmas’ main game plan was to run the ball with Penn State running back John Lovett and it was very successful for them. Lovett ended up finishing the game with 23 carries for 153 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown. The best-rushing performance in the UFL to this point. On the Defenders’ side, wide receiver, Kelvin Harmon by far led the Defenders in many categories with eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. Throughout the game, there were numerous fan cam opportunities which kept the crowd entertained and involved.

Crowd Engagement

There was a group of regulars a few rows in front of us who were starting chants and even got us to be part of starting the wave. We tried multiple times but it kept dying off halfway around the stadium. Eventually, it ended up going the whole way around and the cheers from everyone celebrating were almost deafening. They also had a few t-shirt tosses and opportunities for mostly kids to play games on the field for prizes. The Defenders’ hype team did a great job of getting the crowd hyped up and loud so the name fits.

The game in general was a nail-biter. It came down to the last minute and DC ended up coming away with a victory that could have been taken away at any moment. The final score was 18-12. Anyone who left early looking to beat traffic would have missed some great plays and suspense. The fans in the stadium were going crazy. The stadium was alive with the crowd energy. The group I went with are football fans but aren’t the most in touch with the UFL and they had a great time. All in all, I had a fantastic experience at Audi Field and would recommend making the trip to a Defenders game. I would love to go back and experience another football game there someday.

Sponsor: Upside

This article and so much more is brought to you by Upside. Upside is a free not strings attached app that will pay you cashback for the purchases you already make. Gas, Groceries, or a Good Meal, with just 3 clicks, you can earn CashBack today at HUNDREDS of locations. Use our code Sam363682 to save an additional 15 cents per gallon on your next fuel purchase. With discounts up to 25 cents per gallon, you could earn 40 cents back per gallon on your first purchase. Again use our code Sam363682 at sign up.

YouTube

Please also help us continue growing on our YouTube Channel by subscribing if you haven’t already. Also like and comment on any videos you enjoy! Thank you for your support and we hope you continue to tune in!