Goodbye Rams (1 Viewer)

[Daywalker]

Why would you want a team in LA if you were a fellow NFL owner? TV revenue is already maxing out domestically. Not having a team in LA is the perfect Bogeyman to extract public funds for stadiums.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

You were the one that brought up "history", drummer. Historically, the Rams aren't from LA. This thread is just getting a little silly at this point though and I certainly don't want to get into a fight with you over this topic . I do respect your memories but I think you can understand how football fans here would like to keep our team. It's our team now. We like our rams and enjoy the division rivalries that that brings. You guys are going down!!!

I really don't believe that the Rams are going to move anytime soon. What is really going on here is jockeying for a new stadium. There have been proposals of a number of possible sites for one. Honestly the current stadium is pretty meh. Whoever was the genius to put the silly clause in the contract is just a complete moron. The tough part of the sell for the rams is that the people of the state are still paying for the current stadium. If the Rams can go on a roll and start winning I thinks people's hearts will change.

The sad part is that winning teams usually don't move. I'm not sure they ever move.

The question becomes whether an ownership starts to tank the team's chances just so they can move with little difficulty. Or maybe they don't invest in the team because they wonder what is the point without the revenue and without a clear future. Chicken, egg, but situations like this have a way of harming a team's on field success until they get cleared up one way or the other.

The state of MO and St. Louis threw kitchen sinks of money at Georgia Frontiere from what I recall.

And though I can tell you I am extremely happy the Saints are here the state has poured a ton of money into what is basically a bad deal from the standpoint that the bond costs are way more than advertised (which this being LA was probably on purpose) and resulted in just millions and millions of state funding and advantages being backhoed into Tom Benson's pocket.

People have been talking for years about how one day the states and cities would get sick of this kind of thing, maybe that day has arrived. Then again MN just crafted some kind of gambling/casino arrangement which sounds pretty sketchy and they are supposed to be a so-called fiscally "prudent" state in comparison to lil' ol' Louisiana.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

You were the one that brought up "history", drummer. Historically, the Rams aren't from LA. This thread is just getting a little silly at this point though and I certainly don't want to get into a fight with you over this topic . I do respect your memories but I think you can understand how football fans here would like to keep our team. It's our team now. We like our rams and enjoy the division rivalries that that brings. You guys are going down!!!

I really don't believe that the Rams are going to move anytime soon. What is really going on here is jockeying for a new stadium. There have been proposals of a number of possible sites for one. Honestly the current stadium is pretty meh. Whoever was the genius to put the silly clause in the contract is just a complete moron. The tough part of the sell for the rams is that the people of the state are still paying for the current stadium. If the Rams can go on a roll and start winning I thinks people's hearts will change.

Hey I got no problem with the SOSARS ( ) in STL, although I would prefer them back in LA. But LA as a NFL market now is ripe for a team, since they (with the OC) have 2 NBA teams, 2 NHL teams, and 2 MLB teams. To not have an NFL team now is just a matter of getting a stadium built. To me the Rams will always be the LA Rams, (Lambs ). The Fearsome Foursome, Roman Gabriel. Can't discount that just because it's LA.

St. Louis is still a great pro football and sports town with decades of tradition and great fans.

Jax is the newbie, known as a college football town, with very little pro football tradition, even today (this is fair, no?); if looking at tradition if anyone should be teed up to move it should be the Jags.

That being said if I had my way the Ravens would have won 2 SB's in Cleveland, Peyton Manning would have worn the horsehoe in Baltimore, Luvya Blue would still be a song, and neither St. Louis nor L.A. would have ever had to suffer seeing their teams wrenched from them because neither city deserved it.

Also, it's funny everybody has gotten a team back - Cleveland, Baltimore, St. Louis, Houston - no one has been left wanting, the league has not left any fields it plowed for decades remain fallow. Besides the fact that it's the No. 2 market, is the NFL really going to allow a city that was a home town for almost 50 years, to as many as 2 teams at a time, just stay unrewarded? On the other hand those other cities got teams back sooner than it has taken L.A.

 

[TheFanatic]

But it's the second biggest market. No brainer to move back to LA - Except nobody has since the 1995

All they need to do is build a stadium and here comes a team - Except nobody has done anything other than make a proposal

But the history in LA with Roman Gabrielle and Dickerson - That's a nice tradition, but the championship was won by the St. Louis Rams. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt. That's a pretty impressive tradition as well.

 

[heidbrink]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bryan-burwell/burwell-nixon-s-the-one-for-rams-talks/article_6b552fd1-5a41-5ee5-896d-05fab7d894c1.html

Burwell: Nixon’s the one for Rams talksBY BRYAN BURWELL

Unlike the good folks of CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) and the conspiracy theorists around town who are on constant watch for falling skies, Sasquatch footprints and moving vans sneaking into Earth City under the cover of darkness, I’m still fairly convinced of a few rather important things:

1.The Rams aren’t moving .

2.A new stadium is coming.

3.And it’s very good news that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon now is running point on stadium talks with Rams owner Stan Kroenke, because it’s going to take someone with Nixon’s political smarts to engineer the sort of complicated deal that will satisfy both reluctant taxpayers and a calculating businessman such as Kroenke.

Right now, though, there’s this unsettling public perception is that even if Nixon is the most qualified man for the job, he can’t get anything done if he’s talking to himself.

A lot of local politicians are convinced that so far the governor hasn’t had any more success trying to unlock the greatest mystery of the universe (What does Kroenke want?) than anyone else who’s preceded him.

I think they’re wrong. Nixon might not know what Kroenke wants, but I suspect he has a darned good idea what he should want. And that’s half the battle. There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy skepticism when it comes to gauging the clandestine business intents of rich and powerful people.

With his understandably strategic, but incredibly annoying silence on the subject, the secretive Rams owner certainly has done his part to stir the fears of nervous Chicken Littles who are convinced that his silent ways are evidence that he eventually will take his valuable NFL franchise out of St. Louis.

But here’s another reason why I think having Nixon in the room becomes an advantage. Others have viewed Kroenke’s silence with nothing but consternation and contempt. But sometimes, you have to consider it as a useful tool in the negotiating game.

Just because Kroenke strategically is procrastinating doesn’t mean you have to as well. Sooner or later when the Rams’ owner decides it’s advantageous to say or do something, Nixon and his people have to be ready with a powerful and effective response.

It’s one of the reasons the governor already has secured the services of the multinational investment banking firm Goldman Sachs at the princely sum of a $20,000-per-month retainer. The firm will advise the state on ways to create new revenue and finance a new stadium.

We’ve been saying for more than a year that the best thing that could happen regarding these stadium talks is to get the people from the city government and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission out of the room as quickly as possible and get someone at the negotiating table who has the fiscal and developmental vision and the political smarts to put a good deal together that works favorably for everyone concerned.

Nixon volunteered for the job and there’s no one better suited for it because he actually understands the issues, knows what needs to be done and has both the inclination and the wherewithal to make it happen.

Now the right people are in the room. Kroenke and Nixon eventually will start talking. It might not happen for months. It might not happen until after the lease expires after the 2014 season and the Rams go to a year-to-year deal and Kroenke believes his leverage is maximized.

In the meantime, being proactive is the best course of action for the region in figuring out whatever it is that Kroenke wants or should want.

Nixon and the folks at Goldman Sachs should be smart enough to know the answer to that question. And the answer is more about solving St. Louis’ market-size issues than simply building and financing a new stadium.

The primary reason Kroenke (or any owner) would be so interested in getting out of the Dome is to maximize the inescapable revenue stream handicaps that exist in a mid-major market such as St. Louis. I’m sure if Kroenke had his way, he’d prefer to be standing economically shoulder to shoulder with all the top revenue-earning owners in the league such as those from New York, Washington, Dallas and Chicago. Kroenke’s economic resources in the Dome always will be less than those teams have as long as his franchise is here. It doesn’t mean he can’t make a lot of money here, because he can.

A spectacular new stadium alone doesn’t resolve his economic issues, though. No matter how spectacular that building would be, Kroenke still would be unable to charge the premium prices for corporate sponsorships or luxury suites that are generated in markets such as New York, LA, Dallas, Chicago and Washington.

One of the simplest solutions for St. Louis would be giving Kroenke something that every billionaire real estate developer values — prime real estate to develop surrounding his stadium.

But as Gov. Nixon works behind the scenes to make this come together, he surely will feel the resistance from that imaginary organization I call CAVE, whose members already are on every internet message board stridently squawking that there will be no public money spent on a new football stadium. Nixon knows it’s just not that absolute.

The NFL’s G-4 loan program will put $200 million of the league’s money on the table for any new stadium construction project based on two significant stipulations: 1. The owner must chip in a substantial percentage of the stadium costs (based on the most recent stadium deals, no less than $500 million to $600 million); 2. There must be a “public-private partnership.”

That shrewd wording is no accident. It allows local governments a wide latitude to determine what that “partnership” is and how it works best for them politically and financially.

In St. Louis, finding that public-private partnership won’t be easy. But time could be an ally for Nixon in that regard because a lot can change politically between now and 2015.

An educated guess is that it will be a land deal of some sort. As much as people like to talk about the sweetheart deal that the Rams already have with the Dome, the one thing the organization doesn’t have is complete control of game-day parking revenue.

As long as they play in the Dome, the Rams don’t get any substantial income from game-day parking. The areas that surround the downtown city-owned facility are either private facilities or city-owned garages or metered spaces on the streets.

But if St. Louis County gave Kroenke that huge parcel of land off Earth City Expressway in Maryland Heights, or the city gave him waterfront property just east of the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, that would provide sprawling parking lots that offer Kroenke the chance to earn millions of dollars in parking revenue. Just do the math: with per-game parking at $25 to $30, that’s roughly $1.2 to $2 million per home game, or an additional $10 to $16 million per season in his pockets.

That’s at least a very good start and just the sort of clever helping hand that could begin to satisfy Kroenke’s wanderlust and the public’s reluctance to foot the bill for a billionaire’s play toy.

 

[drummer]

But it's the second biggest market. No brainer to move back to LA - Except nobody has since the 1995

All they need to do is build a stadium and here comes a team - Except nobody has done anything other than make a proposal

But the history in LA with Roman Gabrielle and Dickerson - That's a nice tradition, but the championship was won by the St. Louis Rams. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt. That's a pretty impressive tradition as well.

I thought the Rams won 3 Championships.

 

[heidbrink]

1945 - Cleveland Rams defeat Washington Redskins for NFL Championship (pre-superbowl) 15-14

1979 - LA Rams lose to Pittsburgh Steelers 31-19

1999 - Saint Louis Rams defeat Tennessee Titans 23-16

2001 - Saint Louis Rams lose to New England Patriots 20-17

2 championships, 3 superbowl appearances, 1 Lombardi

 

[GDogg]

My only question for Ram fans who say they belong in STL instead of LA is how long have they been a Ram fan?

I've been a Rams fan since before Dickerson. I followed them to St Louis, and I would follow them back to LA... or I'd stick with them if they stayed. Either way... it's all about lovin' the laundry.

For me, if there was a team that moved to LA, I think it should be the Rams before the Jags. Make it a true NFCW. Plus, they are part of LA history. To me they only reason they moved was because of that ##### Georgia. I can't think of any other reason why, which I'm sure old school LA Ram fan would agree.

Agreed, completely.

 

[GregR]

...
The question becomes whether an ownership starts to tank the team's chances just so they can move with little difficulty. Or maybe they don't invest in the team because they wonder what is the point without the revenue and without a clear future. Chicken, egg, but situations like this have a way of harming a team's on field success until they get cleared up one way or the other.

...

I once saw a documentary about an MLB team that did that. Owner hired a bunch of over the hill vets and guys no one had ever heard of. Ended up backfiring on her though as they all came together and won the pennant in this really exciting playoff game against the Yankees.

 

[GDogg]

But it's the second biggest market. No brainer to move back to LA - Except nobody has since the 1995

All they need to do is build a stadium and here comes a team - Except nobody has done anything other than make a proposal

But the history in LA with Roman Gabrielle and Dickerson - That's a nice tradition, but the championship was won by the St. Louis Rams. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt. That's a pretty impressive tradition as well.

You get credit for the others, but Isaac Bruce is an L.A. Ram.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

...
The question becomes whether an ownership starts to tank the team's chances just so they can move with little difficulty. Or maybe they don't invest in the team because they wonder what is the point without the revenue and without a clear future. Chicken, egg, but situations like this have a way of harming a team's on field success until they get cleared up one way or the other.

...

I once saw a documentary about an MLB team that did that. Owner hired a bunch of over the hill vets and guys no one had ever heard of. Ended up backfiring on her though as they all came together and won the pennant in this really exciting playoff game against the Yankees.

Right, gutsy bunch of neerdowell misfits band together for one last push to save the team.

Yeah, it happens.

 

[QuizGuy66]

It would be great if NFL football came back to Cleveland.

-QG

 

[heidbrink]

And send the Browns to la and rename them the Tans?

 

[St. Louis Bob]

What a terrible, obvious, bluff. This is a like a poker game where there are only two players left and the guy who has a good hand, but the second best hand, and everybody knows it, makes a large bet in hopes to get a fold.

Since Georgia's death, the Rams relationship to St. Louis is like a good looking broad that will hang out with a guy for free drinks and a nice dinner but will bang other dudes any chance she can get.

They have been so bad that even Kroenke doesn't go to the games.

The twist is that there is no ####### way the NFL lets them move to LA without tossing in 1-1.5 billion into the kitty. LA isn't going to toss in another billion for a free stadium either. Double twist is that the NFL is on decline. Stadium attendances across the league have been down. The game has changed so much that it is, sadly, rather boring most of the time. In their quest to avoid more litigation I can only surmise that the NFL will water the game down more.

 

[cstu]

Looking at the land they purchased it appears they will need some of the Hollywood Park land to build a stadium.

Kroenke's purchase of the L.A.-area land puts additional pressure on St. Louis to come to the bargaining table or risk losing its NFL team. However, 60 acres is probably too small to fit a stadium and the required parking.

An adjacent 238-acre site is owned by Stockbridge Capital Partners, which intends to transform the recently closed Hollywood Park Racetrack into a modern residential community, Hollywood Park Tomorrow, with development beginning this spring. It is unclear whether it would be possible or financially feasible for Kroenke to purchase some portion of that land for a stadium, especially one unlikely to be publicly financed in any way.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-nfl-la-rams-20140131,0,3805682.story#ixzz2s0TQ5k2s

 

[cstu]

FWIW, of all the locations that have been discussed that one is my favorite.

 

[Sarnoff]

Looking at the land they purchased it appears they will need some of the Hollywood Park land to build a stadium.

Kroenke's purchase of the L.A.-area land puts additional pressure on St. Louis to come to the bargaining table or risk losing its NFL team. However, 60 acres is probably too small to fit a stadium and the required parking.

An adjacent 238-acre site is owned by Stockbridge Capital Partners, which intends to transform the recently closed Hollywood Park Racetrack into a modern residential community, Hollywood Park Tomorrow, with development beginning this spring. It is unclear whether it would be possible or financially feasible for Kroenke to purchase some portion of that land for a stadium, especially one unlikely to be publicly financed in any way.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-nfl-la-rams-20140131,0,3805682.story#ixzz2s0TQ5k2s

I've always thought the plan to turn Hollywood Park into a residential community was a sham cover story anyway. It's seemed obvious since the closing of HP was first announced that every plan for future use was cover for a stadium project.

 

[Riversco]

The NFL is not in decline.

Rams to LA.

Jaguars to London.

Toronto, Tokyo, St. Louis, and Portland all get expansion teams.

 

[Sarnoff]

The NFL is not in decline.

Rams to LA.

Jaguars to London.

Toronto, Tokyo, St. Louis, and Portland all get expansion teams.

The crappy part about having more than 33 teams is that some fanbases will probably go 100 years between titles. On average, you'd only get 3 in a century, so it's not an outlier if one only wins every 120 years.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Looking at the land they purchased it appears they will need some of the Hollywood Park land to build a stadium.

Kroenke's purchase of the L.A.-area land puts additional pressure on St. Louis to come to the bargaining table or risk losing its NFL team. However, 60 acres is probably too small to fit a stadium and the required parking.

An adjacent 238-acre site is owned by Stockbridge Capital Partners, which intends to transform the recently closed Hollywood Park Racetrack into a modern residential community, Hollywood Park Tomorrow, with development beginning this spring. It is unclear whether it would be possible or financially feasible for Kroenke to purchase some portion of that land for a stadium, especially one unlikely to be publicly financed in any way.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-nfl-la-rams-20140131,0,3805682.story#ixzz2s0TQ5k2s

That's kind of the key, right?

That it's next to Hollywood Park without actually being an announcement that Hol. Park was bought by Kroenke?

It's odd because ESPN has been running the 'Raiders in L.A.' story with Ice Cube lately, and that was the final straw; Al Davis was offered Hol. Park and he could have had everything he wanted right then and there. Apparently it was all set up for building a stadium that would work for years to come... and he said no.

Also, I always thought it was kind of weird how St. Louis was left just dangling there in the NFC West. There's a lot of obvious reason why they would be there - historic rivalry with the 9ers (& the Chiefs are AFC West too btw for the same reason) for one...

... but 1995 the Rams start their first year in STL, and yet 1995 is also the first year for expansion in Charlotte (ok) and Jax. Then 2002 it's Houston. They had 3 chances to go to L.A, and it seems almost like they were treating it like a placeholder.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

What a terrible, obvious, bluff. This is a like a poker game where there are only two players left and the guy who has a good hand, but the second best hand, and everybody knows it, makes a large bet in hopes to get a fold.

Since Georgia's death, the Rams relationship to St. Louis is like a good looking broad that will hang out with a guy for free drinks and a nice dinner but will bang other dudes any chance she can get.

They have been so bad that even Kroenke doesn't go to the games.

The twist is that there is no ####### way the NFL lets them move to LA without tossing in 1-1.5 billion into the kitty. LA isn't going to toss in another billion for a free stadium either. Double twist is that the NFL is on decline. Stadium attendances across the league have been down. The game has changed so much that it is, sadly, rather boring most of the time. In their quest to avoid more litigation I can only surmise that the NFL will water the game down more.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Damn it.

I do like how they send me surveys on how to improve the game experience though.

 

[TheFanatic]

SI reporting Rams one of three teams possibly heading to LA

The NFL will reportedly relocate one or two franchises to Los Angeles in 2015 or '16, according to a league source cited in an NBC Sports report on Sunday from Mike Florio. Three teams that are believed to be under consideration for a possible move to Los Angeles are the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers. The Rams can leave St. Louis without penalty after each season, the Raiders' stadium lease is up after this year and the Chargers could leave via a relocation fee that decreases each year.

 

[Riversco]

There's no way the Raiders can stay in Oakland. They have to move to Los Angeles. I don't know where that leaves the Rams or Chargers, but LA Raiders seems the most likely bet.

 

[biju]

I'd love it if the Rams came out the the actual West instead of being forced into the NFC West for no good reason. At least it would make a small dent into how much the West teams have to travel.

 

[cstu]

There's no way the Raiders can stay in Oakland. They have to move to Los Angeles. I don't know where that leaves the Rams or Chargers, but LA Raiders seems the most likely bet.

We don't want the Raiders.

 

[FUBAR]

There's no way the Raiders can stay in Oakland. They have to move to Los Angeles. I don't know where that leaves the Rams or Chargers, but LA Raiders seems the most likely bet.

We don't want the Raiders.

Assume teams can get better.

Is the history an issue?

 

[cstu]

There's no way the Raiders can stay in Oakland. They have to move to Los Angeles. I don't know where that leaves the Rams or Chargers, but LA Raiders seems the most likely bet.

We don't want the Raiders.

Assume teams can get better.

Is the history an issue?

For me it's that I'm a Chargers fan and I don't want to root against the local team. It also seems too close for teams in the same division and LA/SD don't have a natural rivalry.

 

[Mile High]

They will put 2 teams in LA. Raiders and Rams

 

[GDogg]

There's no way the Raiders can stay in Oakland. They have to move to Los Angeles. I don't know where that leaves the Rams or Chargers, but LA Raiders seems the most likely bet.

We don't want the Raiders.

Assume teams can get better. Is the history an issue?

I was never a raider fan, but that's Oakland's team. They actually love the raiders. LA thought the raiders looked cool. That's the extent of the love.

 

[Riversco]

Pretty sure the LA Raiders is imminent.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/10/10/mayor-highly-likely-nfl-team-will-come-to-la/17028583/

Los Angeles mayor: 'Highly likely' city gets NFL team in next year

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In the strongest terms yet about the prospect of luring the NFL back to Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti said a team is "highly likely" to come to the city in the next year.

On Thursday's "Ask the Mayor" segment on radio station KNX-AM, Garcetti said that though the city doesn't want to subsidize a stadium, he thinks the NFL is "finally interested" in Los Angeles again. The recent $2 billion sale of the NBA's Clippers showed "just how valuable the LA franchise could be," he said.

 

[Riversco]

There's no way the Raiders can stay in Oakland. They have to move to Los Angeles. I don't know where that leaves the Rams or Chargers, but LA Raiders seems the most likely bet.

We don't want the Raiders.

Assume teams can get better.Is the history an issue?

I was never a raider fan, but that's Oakland's team. They actually love the raiders. LA thought the raiders looked cool. That's the extent of the love.

Los Angeles has more Raiders fans than for any other team. It just makes sense to move there.

 

[Riversco]

The Rams return to LA is mostly backed by this:

In December, St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of land in Inglewood, California, near Hollywood Park racetrack that could house an NFL stadium.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11671473/san-diego-chargers-present-roadblocks-los-angeles-relocation-other-teams

 

[tommyGunZ]

I hope it's the Rams. Nothing against Ram fans (especially FBG HOFer SLB), but the Raiders belong in Oakland.

 

[Riversco]

I hope it's the Rams. Nothing against Ram fans (especially FBG HOFer SLB), but the Raiders belong in Oakland.

The Raiders lease is up when the season ends. There's no deal in place for a new stadium, nothing heading for the ballot to fund a new stadium. There's no talks on a new lease deal. Nothing. The Raiders are clearly keeping mum, playing out the string, and leaving Oakland the second the season is over.

There hasn't even a token fake commitment from Mark Davis to stay in Oakland.

 

[cstu]

The Rams return to LA is mostly backed by this:

In December, St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of land in Inglewood, California, near Hollywood Park racetrack that could house an NFL stadium.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11671473/san-diego-chargers-present-roadblocks-los-angeles-relocation-other-teams

That's a huge deal. It's not as easy as the Raiders saying they want to move back to LA, they need a stadium. Kroenke has the only location where one can be easily built.

What's funny about that location is that the land was purchased by Wal-Mart but Inglewood residents voted against it a decade ago. If a stadium does get built there it will be >>>>> than a Wal-Mart for Inglewood.

 

[bulger2holt]

The Missouri Governor is strongly behind the Rams staying in St.Louis. Heard he has land donations, tax breaks and other loop holes in place to keep the Rams in St.Louis.

 

[Islanders rule]

What a terrible, obvious, bluff. This is a like a poker game where there are only two players left and the guy who has a good hand, but the second best hand, and everybody knows it, makes a large bet in hopes to get a fold.

Since Georgia's death, the Rams relationship to St. Louis is like a good looking broad that will hang out with a guy for free drinks and a nice dinner but will bang other dudes any chance she can get.

They have been so bad that even Kroenke doesn't go to the games.

The twist is that there is no ####### way the NFL lets them move to LA without tossing in 1-1.5 billion into the kitty. LA isn't going to toss in another billion for a free stadium either. Double twist is that the NFL is on decline. Stadium attendances across the league have been down. The game has changed so much that it is, sadly, rather boring most of the time. In their quest to avoid more litigation I can only surmise that the NFL will water the game down more.

You are an idiot. NFL is thriving. What planet do you live on?

 

[cstu]

Once the Rams leave St. Louis the league's attendance will go up.

What a terrible, obvious, bluff. This is a like a poker game where there are only two players left and the guy who has a good hand, but the second best hand, and everybody knows it, makes a large bet in hopes to get a fold.

Since Georgia's death, the Rams relationship to St. Louis is like a good looking broad that will hang out with a guy for free drinks and a nice dinner but will bang other dudes any chance she can get.

They have been so bad that even Kroenke doesn't go to the games.

The twist is that there is no ####### way the NFL lets them move to LA without tossing in 1-1.5 billion into the kitty. LA isn't going to toss in another billion for a free stadium either. Double twist is that the NFL is on decline. Stadium attendances across the league have been down. The game has changed so much that it is, sadly, rather boring most of the time. In their quest to avoid more litigation I can only surmise that the NFL will water the game down more.

Can't blame attendance on the game not being popular. With huge HDTV's in everyone's house it's a better (and cheaper) experience to watch the games at home rather than the stadium.

Ratings are still there:

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the week’s #1 primetime telecast on the Big 4 networks in adults 18-49, as well as total viewers, adults 18-34, adults 25-54 and all key adult-male demos.

[SIZE=14pt]Since SNF on NBC Debut in 2006, NBC NFL Games Account for 26 of 45 September Primetime Shows on All Networks to Average 20+ Million Viewers[/SIZE]

 

[FUBAR]

The Rams return to LA is mostly backed by this:

In December, St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of land in Inglewood, California, near Hollywood Park racetrack that could house an NFL stadium.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11671473/san-diego-chargers-present-roadblocks-los-angeles-relocation-other-teams

Maybe, but could just be that the billionaire is a smart businessman.

 

[DaveGrumbles]

I hope it's the Rams. Nothing against Ram fans (especially FBG HOFer SLB), but the Raiders belong in Oakland.

This is my thought as well but my gut tells me there's a better than even chance both teams are back in LA. I could even see a Lakers/Clippers style shared stadium situation taking place.

 

[DaveGrumbles]

The Rams return to LA is mostly backed by this:

In December, St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of land in Inglewood, California, near Hollywood Park racetrack that could house an NFL stadium.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11671473/san-diego-chargers-present-roadblocks-los-angeles-relocation-other-teams

Maybe, but could just be that the billionaire is a smart businessman.

True. But a smart businessman also notices that putting Los Angeles in front of the Clippers name = 2 billion dollars. What does that mean for a Los Angeles football team these days? I'm guessing that deal gave a few NFL owners a chubby.

 

[Das Boot]

Thought I heard on ESPN radio a little while ago that this is supposedly a done deal (Rams moving to LA), and the Rams are not supposed to comment on it until the end of the season.

 

[General Tso]

Thought I heard on ESPN radio a little while ago that this is supposedly a done deal (Rams moving to LA), and the Rams are not supposed to comment on it until the end of the season.

Good. They won't have to change their nickname. Now all we need is the Cardinals to move back to St. Louis in a couple years.

 

[bulger2holt]

St.Louis is supposed to have a new stadium plan in the next 60 days. Stan will get his stadium in St.Louis he wants. He always said he will not lead the charge out of St.Louis. He helped bring them here.

 

[cstu]

St.Louis is supposed to have a new stadium plan in the next 60 days. Stan will get his stadium in St.Louis he wants. He always said he will not lead the charge out of St.Louis. He helped bring them here.

Stan is meeting with Inglewood's mayor.

If he has a choice between a privately funded stadium in Los Angeles or St. Louis he's going to chose Los Angeles.

 

[bulger2holt]

St.Louis is supposed to have a new stadium plan in the next 60 days. Stan will get his stadium in St.Louis he wants. He always said he will not lead the charge out of St.Louis. He helped bring them here.

Stan is meeting with Inglewood's mayor.

If he has a choice between a privately funded stadium in Los Angeles or St. Louis he's going to chose Los Angeles.

If St.Louis agrees to build a stadium, which is in the works, he can't leave. NFL rule says you have to exhaust all efforts first. He will have no grounds to move. That's why they have NFL bylaws about this. They don't want teams jumping city to city chasing money

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Thought I heard on ESPN radio a little while ago that this is supposedly a done deal (Rams moving to LA), and the Rams are not supposed to comment on it until the end of the season.

Good. They won't have to change their nickname. Now all we need is the Cardinals to move back to St. Louis in a couple years.

When you've spent a longer amount of time in your new city than your old city, it's probably a sign that you're never moving back.

 

[Premier]

Thought I heard on ESPN radio a little while ago that this is supposedly a done deal (Rams moving to LA), and the Rams are not supposed to comment on it until the end of the season.

Good. They won't have to change their nickname. Now all we need is the Cardinals to move back to St. Louis in a couple years.

You mean the team that just opened a brand new state of the art stadium?

I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

[Riversco]

I think the Rams would become the NFL team with the most relocations (4): Moved to Los Angeles, Anaheim, St. Louis, and then back to Los Angeles.

Most people in LA would consider the move to Anaheim "leaving town". When they went there, the Raiders promptly moved into LA county and took over the county fanbase.