While Gotham might be most well-known for its overwhelming number of costumed brawlers and clown-based criminals, it is also known for having an infamous football team. Though their stadium is constantly under attack by supervillains, demon spawn, and killer robots–Gothamites still continue to (at times begrudgingly) support their team.
With the San Francisco 49ers about to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting facts about the only team in the NFL brave enough to play in a city full of Batman villains. Gotham gridiron is certainly no joke!
11. The Gotham Knights (or Rogues In The Nolanverse)
In Batman’s flagship comic book titles, Gotham’s football team is officially called the Gotham Knights. Though they have gone by other names in the past, “Knights” became a staple for the team after being referenced in the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series episode “Fear of Victory."
The name is an obvious nod to Batman, otherwise known as Gotham’s Dark Knight. However, the name was considered too on-the-nose by the filmmakers behind The Dark Knight Rises, who instead decided to name the team the Gotham Rogues, a slightly more subtle nod to Batman’s “Rogues Gallery.” The black-hatted bandit logo was an excellent touch by the film’s production design team.
10. Bruce And Dick Bond Over Gotham Football
Tom King’s 85 issue run of Batman remains a polarizing subject for many Bat-fans, but one thing many readers appreciated about his work was the level of humanity the writer injected into the typically inhuman character. One touching element King added to Bruce’s otherwise tortured past was how hard he fought to make a connection with his ward Dick Grayson right after the traumatizing murder of his parents.
Bruce (a billionaire) and Dick (a circus acrobat) had very little in common, but the one thing the two were able to bond over was the future Robin’s love of the gridiron sport. Though Bruce initially had little interest in sports, football quickly became a routine in Wayne Manor and served as mortar for a friendship that would one day spawn the whole Bat Family.
9. The Team’s Color Scheme Is Based Off The Steelers
When director Christopher Nolan needed to fill a field full of Gotham Rogues fans during their game against the Rapid City Monuments in The Dark Knight Rises, he turned to Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rather than drop mountains of cash on redecorating the field along with 11,000 fans, Nolan simply put out a call to Steelers fans to show up and be extras in the film. Coincidentally, the yellow and black color scheme actually fits the palette of Batman’s classic oval emblem.
While some fans were given specially made Gotham Rogues merchandise to wear for closeup shots, most were wearing their normal Steelers jerseys. The bulk of the monumental scene (in which Bane blows up Gotham Stadium and cements his takeover of Gotham) was filmed in a single day and included many cameos of former Steelers players, including former Steelers coach Bill Cowher who played the Rogues’ coach.
8. Scarecrow Sabotaged Gotham’s Football Games
In the B:TAS episode “Fear of Victory,” GCU’s “one-man offense” Brian Rogers is suddenly stricken with spontaneous panic attacks while on the field. Having had no prior history of such episodes, Brian’s roommate Dick Grayson (AKA Robin) becomes suspicious.
As it turned out, the Scarecrow was betting on sporting events he was intentionally sabotaging with telegrams laced with his signature fear toxin. His next target was meant to be Gotham Knight’s quarterback Mitch Nole, whose wacky end-over-end Hail Mary passes (the animators apparently had no idea how to properly throw a football) gave the Knights a favored 4-1 odds in their game against their rivals, the Boston Colonials.
7. Cyborg Used To Play On Gotham’s College Football Team
Speaking of GCU, a current member of the Justice League was once the star quarterback for Gotham’s college team. Even before a freak lab accident gave him a literal cybernetic arm cannon, Victor Stone was said to have an arm cannon on the field, which led GCU to a record-breaking winning streak that made him a hometown hero in his own right.
But as bright and promising as Vic’s future football career seemed his father, Dr. Silas Stone, consistently belittled his son’s achievements as nothing more than a reckless hobby. This created a rift between father and son that lasted long after an explosion destroyed most of Vic’s body and ended any chances he had of going pro. As Cyborg, Vic now uses the tactical skills he learned playing college football to good use as a core member of the Justice League.
6. You Could Actually Buy Gotham Football Gear
Though Nolan has openly expressed his disdain for movie tie-in merchandising, The Dark Knight Rises had some pretty clever tie-in merch. After striking a marketing deal with the Fresno Grizzlies and the Melbourne Storm where, in celebration of the film trilogy’s final installment, the teams wore jerseys branded with The Dark Knight logo. The jerseys were later auctioned off to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The success of the themed jerseys led Under Armour to sell Gotham Football merch of their own, with the same color schemes and logos as those worn by the Gotham Rogues. McFarlane Toys even made a sports figurine of former NFL wide receiver Hines Ward, who famously outran Bane’s explosives while racing down the end zone, completely oblivious to the sinking ground behind him.
5. Pittsburgh Has Won The Most Games At Gotham Stadium
In the DC Universe show Harley Quinn, it is revealed that Bane decided to blow up Gotham Stadium after losing trivia night at Wild N’ Wacky Wings. The question was “which NFL team has won the most games at Gotham Stadium?” Bane answered the Dallas Cowboys, but the correct answer was the Pittsburgh Steelers. This leads Bane to grumble “I’m going to blow up Gotham Stadium…”
The Steelers reference is likely a nod to Bane’s scene in The Dark Knight Rises, where the stadium he actually blows up is Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field. It makes sense that the Steelers have won the most games at Gotham Stadium since their home-field IS basically Gotham Stadium.
4. The Fans Have Been Known To Riot
In the Ultimate Edition of the DC Extended Universe film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, two police officers watch Gotham play against Metropolis. In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Gotham’s team trails behind at an embarrassing 58-0. Everyone assumes Metropolis will simply take a knee to run out the remaining time on the clock, but Metropolis decides to score one final touchdown just to rub salt on the wounds of their opponents.
This causes Gotham’s players to rush out and beat the holy hell out of the Metropolis team right there on the field. As the two teams brawl in front of live cameras, one of the announcers comments “Gotham City–you know how they are about their football team. Things could get ugly in the city tonight.” The shameful display of unsportsmanlike conduct is foreshadowing for Batman’s assault on Superman in the third act of the film.
3. Their Stadium Is Called The Knightsdome Sporting Complex
In the MMORPG DC Universe Online, the Gotham Knight’s home-field becomes a quest area for both heroes and villains who must either fight through Brother-Eye drones or Trigon’s army of demons. The Knightsdome Sporting Complex is described as being relatively new to the city and hosts many of Gotham’s teams and events.
The game map shows Gotham Stadium being located in the northernmost part of Gotham in a district called Otisburg. Based on a 3D map of Gotham that can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, the stadium is also located just across the river from Wayne Manor–meaning the billionaire playboy likely has a good view of it from his house.
2. Gotham City Had Its Own Super Bowl Ad
Not all Batman movies are masterpieces, but they all have clever and immersive marketing. In 2016, Turkish Airlines teamed up with Warner Bros. to produce two commercials for Super Bowl 50 (where the Broncos beat the Panthers). The commercials were a meta form of viral marketing to promote the then upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which Turkish Airlines offered airfare to both Gotham and Metropolis.
In the Gotham travel ad, the city is portrayed as a historical destination returning to its former glory. Highlighting the “legendary Gotham Opera House” and the nightlife of the New Bowery District, the commercial ends with Bruce Wayne (played by Ben Affleck) encouraging tourists to visit to Gotham. “You may even catch a glimpse of a local celebrity!”
1. Everybody Hates Chris (The New Quarterback)
For any quarterback fresh out of college, experiencing performance anxiety is normal. But for Gotham Knight’s newest QB Chris Campbell, his first season on the field was an absolute nightmare. Although he was considered a Heisman contender while playing for GCU, Campbell immediately buckled under the pressure and angry fans felt ripped off (the Knights did trade three picks for him, after all). Serving as a running gag throughout Tom King’s run of Batman, characters can be seen regularly trashing Campbell, referring to him as a catastrophe greater than when Gotham was overrun by Monster Men. Even Kite-Man thinks Gotham’s new QB is a joke.
Campbell-bashing became such a phenomenon in the comics that nerds on Reddit have even taken to trashing the fictional quarterback. It should be noted, however, that in King’s final issue of Batman Chris Campbell finally pulls off a miracle play that wins him a game—a metaphor for Batman’s salvaged relationship with Catwoman.
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In its own right, Gotham is every bit as important a character to Batman’s mythology as any of his allies or enemies. The city is rich with its own dark history as well as other creative details that make it feel like a real place. Though typically only a backdrop in the plot of a Batman story (or just something for supervillains to target), Gotham’s football team nonetheless serves as an important world-building element that helps immerse readers in the world of the Dark Knight.
More: Gotham: 5 Characters Who Got Fitting Endings (& 5 Who Deserved More)
