http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLc...ces-Efforts-to-Keep-Rams-NFL-in-St-Louis.aspx
By Shane Gray @STL-Rams
As most are aware by now, the St. Louis Stadium Task Force made their first presentation before the NFL's six owner Committee on L.A. Stadium Opportunities last week at league headquarters. By all indications, their efforts in New York were very well received. The Task Force came away from the aforementioned meeting feeling encouraged to continue upon the path they have traveled thus far. In short, things went well in regard to their quest to keep the Rams/NFL in town. Of course, the efforts being made to retain the Rams and the NFL's presence in the region are far from complete. There remains much work to be done before success is secured. With that said, I want to share a few things related to the above that are important to consider as the Task Force continues forging forward.
Public Funding Prospects Promising
According to multiple well-placed sources, the eventual realization of public funding needed from the city and state to make the proposed riverfront stadium project a reality looks very promising. That, of course, does not equate to a guarantee from those cited, but is nonetheless important to note due to the obvious fact that the still-theoretic downtown development is unlikely to come to fruition without these public financing streams being solidified.
Financing and Land Acquisition Just Two Pieces of Puzzle
There has been some thinking and speculation that only two boxes remain that the Task Force must successfully check off to secure the NFL's future here: the acquisition of the remainder of the land needed to build upon and the garnering of public funding required for the stadium project. That, however, is not quite the case. While those two things are vitally important, they are not the only things needed to seal the deal and nail down pro football's future in the Gateway City. Beyond the attainment of the necessitated real estate and public resources, the Task Force must reach agreements on the splits of such things as parking fees, revenues from events like concerts and soccer matches, leasing costs due from the team and naming rights. In addition, nearly 90 percent of the land around the proposed venue is vacant. Will the city ultimately choose to give Kroenke access to some of that dirt to sweeten the offer? In the end, there is much to navigate beyond simply reaching an agreement on who pays how much for the venue. The nuts and bolts of the setup of the lease are extremely significant. The breakdown of all the smaller line items will be important considerations to the team and/or league in evaluating the entirety of the plan. Furthermore, market study results from St. Louis, San Diego, Oakland, Inglewood and Carson could also prove impactful.
League Wants Task Force and Teams to Remain Tight-Lipped
Have you wondered why intricate details from the Task Force's presentation at NFL Headquarters have been so hard to come by? Or, for that matter, why the specifics from the Carson or Inglewood showings have been so few and far between? Quite simply, the league has intentionally kept those details closely guarded and under wraps. Among other things, this points to the fact that the NFL will indeed maintain great control of the separate stadium situations and the overall relocation process.
Dissecting Demoff
There have been mixed reactions from fans and media who took in any or all of the interviews that St. Louis Rams Vice President of Football Operations and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff took part in on the local airwaves in recent days -- such as this one with Tim McKernan and The Morning After on InsideSTL/CBS Sports 920. From the totality of his interviews, most would admit that there were several things stated that folks could take as a positive in relation to the Rams prospective future here, as well as some potential negatives that were shared. At this point, however, Demoff can and will say only so much -- regardless of how frustrating that can be to fans, media and all interested parties alike. Even though most wish that he could or would share more, the reality is that there is little long-term gain to be realized by being overly specific in regard to any inquiries sent his way regarding the stadium situation. For one, there is much for the Rams to still hold out for if they ultimately are to end up in St. Louis -- as touched on in the land and financing section above -- that goes beyond simply locking up public funding sources. Two, if they indeed hold real plans to attempt to move, this certainly is not the time to clarify those intentions. First, three-fourths approval from the league's owners is not a given when considering all potential factors, roadblocks and scenarios involved. Second, the team is in St. Louis in 2015 and their are tickets and the like to still be sold here. Demoff is in an unenviable spot. On one hand, he must attempt to market the Rams in St. Louis and ease the minds of a generally skeptical and worried fanbase. On another, he must support an employer who is constructing plans for a stadium in L.A. that could house the Rams there. If that were not enough to juggle, he is being asked to provide specific feedback to the Task Force for stadium efforts that could ultimately help result in the Rams being unapproved to move to Inglewood if the organization does eventually apply for relocation. In addition, as stated above in another section, the NFL desires that fine details from the stadium updates last week be kept confidential so there is only so much that can be said right now. So, for a variety of reasons, there is only so much that Demoff can or will express in the near future.
Related: Kevin Demoff Talks Rams' Future, St. Louis Stadium Situation (4/24)
Parsing Peacock
As with Demoff, there was only so much that Stadium Task Force co-head Dave Peacock could reveal following its presentation at the league's offices. While Peacock could not go into any real specifics while making the media rounds, he did reiterate that retaining the Rams is the Task Force's focus. In addition, Peacock told Frank Cusumano here that the progress that has been made by #STLNFL has been greater to this point than he would have anticipated. Furthermore, Peacock again made it clear that it is important to make a strong showing at the gate this fall to make a good impression upon the league. He also suggested -- assuming all public funding streams are eventually formalized -- "100 percent confidence" that St. Louis will remain an NFL city during a portion of an interview with another St. Louis sports radio outlet. Finally, among other things, Peacock recapitulated confidence in the NFL's bylaws and the league's willingness to enforce them.
Related: Dave Peacock Talks St. Louis Stadium Presentation to NFL, Project's Progress
Commissioner Comments
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell -- while speaking to Associated Press Sports Editors -- shared very positive sentiments regarding all three of the updates shared in New York: those from the Task Force, those from the Inglewood group and those from the Carson backers. Specifically related to St. Louis, Goodell said that the headway made to date has been "exciting", that the path the Task Force is on is "very positive" and that there are good signs related to funding sources, design plan and the stadium site. According to Tom Moore of L.A. News Group and this tweet , Goodell is "significantly more bullish" on St. Louis keeping their team from moving to L.A. than he is in regard to San Diego keeping the Chargers. In a separate tweet , Moore reports that Goodell deemed the progress of the San Diego Task Force as being "slow."
Scheduling Scandal?
There has been much tea leaf reading and unfounded speculation surrounding the Rams schedule and the fact that they are closing out the season with back to back road matchups. However, those rumors and conspiracy theories were proven baseless when it was revealed that the club is wrapping up the season away from home due to a scheduling conflict with the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Convention. Historically, this is not the first time that the CVC's plans have impacted the Rams slate. For example, St. Louis endured a three game road trek last season due to similar circumstances.
Closing Comments
As was the case two ago and is still the case today, things are far from decided in regard to the Rams future and the outcome of the NFL in L.A. As Peacock has stated, St. Louis is in position largely control their own destiny in relation to the NFL. And if St. Louis eventually hammers down their portion of a strong stadium deal, the chances are exceptionally high that pro football remains beneath the Gateway Arch in a football stadium worthy of sitting in the shadows of one of the world's most iconic monuments. And the team residing there? More than likely, the Rams will be that team if St. Louis and Missouri take care of business. In general, it is easier, simpler and less expensive for all involved to retain a team rather than trying to reel in another one. The league does not want teams criss-crossing the county. The league has ways beyond their own bylaws to further resist that sort of thing from occurring. And as of right now, St. Louis is the only home market to be progressing rapidly towards a positive resolution. With the Chargers and Raiders having sought facility solutions for a much longer timeframe than the Rams and with neither looking anywhere close to reaching new stadium deals at home, it makes much more sense to approve them to move to a new two-team stadium within their home state than it does to allow a franchise located halfway across the country who will likely be equipped with a strong local stadium deal to be green lighted to move and create completely unnecessary relocation chaos.
There are a number of scenarios in place where the Rams remain if and when St. Louis gets things done. There are no guarantees, of course, that it would be the Rams taking up residence in a state of the art riverside stadium. As I have written for over two years and continue to repeat, the Rams are indeed viable moving threats. On the other hand, there are a variety of legitimate scenarios abounding that could result in the Rams taking up roots in the Show-Me State. In short, there are any number of scenarios at play. Peacock mentioned "500 permutations" that could be viable. There is no question whatsoever that the complex process of deciding who stays where and who goes where has a ways to go. As for the Rams' specific long-term future, one thing we know for certain this: both those who say with 100 percent certainty that the Rams are leaving and those who say with 100 percent certainty that the Rams are staying are woefully off base. Both are patently false at this stage of the proceedings.
