Pictured left to right: Rebecca Chapman and Wes Johnson
The idea of professional sports can conjure up certain images for people. Owner of the Rapid City Marshals, Wes Johnson said, “A lot of people think of pro sports and think of corporations or business models that are out of touch with the community — that they’re there to sell tickets, make money and take that money elsewhere.” But, as Wes went on to say, that couldn’t be further from the truth for the Marshals. “We’re embedded in this community. We’re as mom and pop of a business as you can get.”
Wes and his sister, Rebecca Chapman, co-own this indoor arena football team. They bought the Marshals in 2022 and are excited to be a part of the team’s continuing story. For anyone who’s not familiar with arena football, Wes described it as “high energy. Lots of fun. It’s for everybody. You can go to an arena football game and be entertained from the time it starts to the time it ends.”
For Rebecca and Wes, the potential of the team to be a force for good in the Black Hills community is particularly thrilling. “We want our dreams to come true, and we want to inspire others to make their dreams come true, as well,” Rebecca said. The players have spent time with young people at Wellfully and Rapid City Public Schools, and future plans are in the works to use the team to promote literacy in the region.
Rebecca and Wes bring an impressive list of experiences and expertise to the Marshals, but the real shift in culture for this team really originates in the hard work and honest leadership of these two ranch kids. And that culture has spread throughout the entire organization. “This is our winning era,” Wes said. The story of the Marshals is just beginning, and Rapid City is in for one epic ride.
444 Mount Rushmore Road
Rapid City, SD 57701