diff --git a/client/src/App.tsx b/client/src/App.tsx
index b6ed4c2b..ba50bc42 100644
--- a/client/src/App.tsx
+++ b/client/src/App.tsx
@@ -1,42 +1,14 @@
 import "./App.css";
 
-import { ControlPoint } from "./api/controlpoint";
-import { Flight } from "./api/flight";
 import { LatLng } from "leaflet";
 import LiberationMap from "./components/liberationmap";
-import axios from "axios";
-import { registerFlight } from "./api/flightsSlice";
-import { setControlPoints } from "./api/controlPointsSlice";
-import { useAppDispatch } from "./app/hooks";
-import { useEffect } from "react";
+import { useInitialGameState } from "./api/useInitialGameState";
 
 function App() {
   const mapCenter: LatLng = new LatLng(25.58, 54.9);
 
-  const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
+  useInitialGameState();
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    axios
-      .get("http://[::1]:5000/control-points")
-      .catch((error) => console.log(`Error fetching control points: ${error}`))
-      .then((response) => {
-        if (response != null) {
-          dispatch(setControlPoints(response.data as ControlPoint[]));
-        }
-      });
-    axios
-      .get("http://[::1]:5000/flights?with_waypoints=true")
-      .catch((error) => console.log(`Error fetching flights: ${error}`))
-      .then((response) => {
-        if (response != null) {
-          for (const flight of response.data) {
-            dispatch(registerFlight(flight as Flight));
-          }
-        }
-      });
-  });
-
-  console.log(`mapCenter=${mapCenter}`);
   return (
     <div className="App">
       <LiberationMap mapCenter={mapCenter} />
diff --git a/client/src/api/backend.ts b/client/src/api/backend.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7835e3b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/api/backend.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import axios from "axios";
+
+export const backend = axios.create({
+  baseURL: "http://[::1]:5000/",
+});
+
+export default backend;
diff --git a/client/src/api/useInitialGameState.tsx b/client/src/api/useInitialGameState.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c400b865
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/api/useInitialGameState.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { ControlPoint } from "./controlpoint";
+import { Flight } from "./flight";
+import backend from "./backend";
+import { registerFlight } from "./flightsSlice";
+import { setControlPoints } from "./controlPointsSlice";
+import { useAppDispatch } from "../app/hooks";
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+
+// TODO: This should probably be distinct useControlPoints, useFlights, etc that
+// are smart enough to only initialize once which get called in the components
+// that use them rather than forcibly loading the whole game in the root
+// component.
+export function useInitialGameState() {
+  const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
+  useEffect(() => {
+    return () => {
+      backend
+        .get("/control-points")
+        .catch((error) =>
+          console.log(`Error fetching control points: ${error}`)
+        )
+        .then((response) => {
+          if (response != null) {
+            dispatch(setControlPoints(response.data as ControlPoint[]));
+          }
+        });
+      backend
+        .get("/flights?with_waypoints=true")
+        .catch((error) => console.log(`Error fetching flights: ${error}`))
+        .then((response) => {
+          if (response != null) {
+            for (const flight of response.data) {
+              dispatch(registerFlight(flight as Flight));
+            }
+          }
+        });
+    };
+  });
+}
diff --git a/client/src/index.tsx b/client/src/index.tsx
index 1fac9c77..3468b9c5 100644
--- a/client/src/index.tsx
+++ b/client/src/index.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
+import "./index.css";
+
+import * as serviceWorker from "./serviceWorker";
+
+import App from "./App";
+import { Provider } from "react-redux";
 import React from "react";
 import ReactDOM from "react-dom";
-import "./index.css";
-import App from "./App";
 import { store } from "./app/store";
-import * as serviceWorker from "./serviceWorker";
-import { Provider } from "react-redux";
 
 ReactDOM.render(
   <React.StrictMode>