Sports in St. Louis yet can be played in a very small area because there is no base-running. Invented on the streets and alleys of St. Louis in the early 1900s, the game has leagues around the country, thanks to servicemen who introduced the game to their buddies during World War II and the Korean War. St. Louis was home to four prominent twentieth-century boxers: Sonny Liston, Henry Armstrong, and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks. The Spinkses are the only brothers to have captured the heavyweight boxing title. Leon's son Cory Spinks has also held a world title. The Gateway Cross Cup is an
Tommy Spinks included his wife of forty years, the former Barbara Lindsay — the couple married out of high school; four children, Kimberly Spinks Burleson and husband, Michael, of Arlington, Terri Spinks Netterville and husband, Kevin, of Shreveport, Jason Wesley Spinks of Arlington, and Lindsay Spinks Shepherd and husband, Chad, also of Arlington; two sisters, Peggy Spinks Hughes and husband, Ed, of Longview, Texas, and Betty Carol Spinks Bales and husband, Joey, of West Monroe, Louisiana, and eleven grandchildren. Spinks' obituary makes no mention of his football career. Mike Morgan (born ca. 1950) of Shreveport, himself a high school football player, recalled