To all of you posting "Goodbye" threads

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

Todd59

Rookie
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
102
I know I don't post here often, and I seriously doubt anyone here gives two nickels about what I have to say (or have said in the past for that matter), but I've thought long and hard about if I wanted to adopt a new team now that the St. Louis Rams will now reside elsewhere. But I can't change. I've got 21 years of fandom wrapped up in this team. I don't think less of those who jump ship; I understand completely. This team is the reason many of us got into football, played football, coached peewee, whatever, and those experiences are tied into the fabric of this team whether we realize it or not. But I love football and I LOVE this team so I'm not going anywhere, but I sure wouldn't mind if SK choked on a martini olive.
 

bbach

UDFA
Joined
May 13, 2014
Messages
35
Wow this thread got big. I'm actually in a quandary myself. I'm an old guy and have been a fan of the LA Rams and now the St Louis Rams. However, I first got the DTV NFL sunday ticket in 1995, so since then I've watched every game every sunday and damn, I love the St Louis Rams. I live far away from St Louis but somehow I still feel hurt. I'm not going to decide to quit being a Rams fan however. I'm going to wait until next season and watch a couple games and see how I feel about it all.
 

Force16X

anti pedestrian
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jun 19, 2014
Messages
3,230
all i know is that i'm glad those on this board who set up the seattle/st louis home opener get together last year, did so. it'd been 34 years since i had been to a live nfl game and also had the chance to meet a bunch of ROD members. sadly, there wont be one next year however, and the city of angels is a bit far for my travel liking. never cared for teams moving unless the city showed apathy towards the franchise in question ---- . obviously another money move for another rich boys' toy. (she did it too). its not any fun losing a franchise (no matter the league involved--i lived in a city where its minor league hockey team left and that wasnt much fun either.)
the reality is that its all about money. maybe specific individuals in a teams sales dept, etc care about the fans, but other than that, its just a cash grab for the rich. its a toy to show off for the mega rich. money pretty much has ruined most of the things its come in contact with. and this scenario is just another example of that.
 

snackdaddy

Who's your snackdaddy?
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
10,719
Name
Charlie
Guess what folks, it's neither the fault of LA people or St. Louis people that this happened. It's the NFL honchos that are behind this. Yet here are members at each other's throats like it's their fault.

At the beginning of last year I pushed with all of my might behind the scenes to keep this agonizing process off of ROD. The last 24-hours has reinforced that belief big time. The good news is that at least we didn't have to go through this every day here for the entire year.

Yeah, closing the relocation thread was the best thing you could do. There is so much emotion from both sides. Someone had to
be a winner, but its a shame someone had to lose. Such is life with football.
 

Prime Time

PT
Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
20,922
Name
Peter
http://mmqb.si.com/2016/01/13/nfl-st.louis-rams-fans-react-nfl-los-angeles

‘Like 20 Years of Your Life Has Been Canceled Out by the Stroke of a Pen’
Feeling furious and betrayed by the NFL’s Los Angeles money grab, St. Louis fans lash out at a league that pretends to care about the ticket-buying and jersey-wearing public, and at an owner who sabotaged his city in a dollar-driven quest for leave

palenrams2.gif

Dan Palen and his family have been season ticket holders since the Rams first season in St. Louis.
Dan Palen

Football is Family?
Late on Tuesday night, when the news came out that the NFL had voted to relocate the Rams to Los Angeles, I heard a noise that sounded like a dog or something outside our house, so I went downstairs to go check it out. The strange noise turned out to be my 12-year-old son. I found him in his bed, wearing his Todd Gurley jersey and sobbing. That really affected me. It’s one thing as an adult to have your team taken away, but when you see how it upsets your kids, that really hurts.

My son is not old enough to understand that there is a difference between the players and team you root for, and the ownership and the league. I told him that it would be okay that the Rams left—it’s just football. It hurts now, but there is more to life than just football, and he knows that. It’s more about the family experience that is gone with the team.

It hurts for our family because back in 1995 when the Rams came to St. Louis, my dad bought personal seat license tickets for us. It was more than football—it was family, something we were proud of. We had the same seats for 20 years. We have jerseys, coffee mugs, everything. I’m sitting in my office right now looking at all kinds of Rams paraphernalia. It just hurts. It feels like 20 years of your life has been canceled out by the stroke of a pen. It’s a weird, empty feeling.

palenramssmall.jpg

Photo: Dan Palen
A young Rams fan reacts to the news that his team is leaving for L.A.

My dad founded our family business back in 1963. Our “Why We Do What We Do” message in our business is: It’s about family. We have always tried to live this out in our work and how we treat our customers.

When I saw the NFL using a variant of this message in its “Football is Family" commercials, it struck me that the league has become expert at using our emotions to extract dollars—and that is what matters most to them. I could no longer accept their “Football is Family” hypocrisy, so I echoed it on Twitter with a twist on it that says it all: FOOTBALL I$ FAMILY.

I don’t think I can follow the Los Angeles Rams. It just feels like gut punch to Missouri and for people like me. And it’s not even about all the money we’ve spent on the Rams over the years. It’s the emotional investment, day in and day out. It was just totally disregarded, and I don’t know if I can be a fan of the NFL.

I’m feeling betrayed, like my family’s loyalty at the end of the day stood for absolutely nothing. I don’t understand how the NFL can truly railroad good, supportive customers. I don’t know how they can say that St. Louis didn’t support the Rams, when the Rams have had such a pathetic product for this many years.

Back in October, I spoke at the NFL’s town hall in St. Louis because it felt like I was fighting not just for the city, but for my family. In reality, nothing anyone said that night mattered. It was absolutely an exercise in Kabuki theater. It was just a big, elaborate dog and pony show with zero substance. This decision was made a long time ago. The league just kept dragging it out long enough that they eventually worked out the outcome they desired.

And then to top it all off, Stan Kroenke, who hasn’t talked to anyone in the media for years, goes on TV and claims that he loves St. Louis and Missouri. I’m sorry—you don’t screw over someone you love. You just don’t. I don’t know what love means to him, but it’s not what love means to me.

— Dan Palen, Springfield, Mo.

* * *

Greed and Lies
The last two days have been some of the hardest that I’ve had to ever endure as a St. Louis Rams fan. And given the quality of the product that Stan Kroenke has put on the field since he became majority owner, I’ve endured many, many bad days watching them.

But that’s what I did as a true fan, an original PSL owner who bought season tickets every year and actually went to the games. True fans support their team no matter what. This unconditional support does not, however transfer over to the greedy, heartless, owner.

vf_stl_fan.gif

Photo: Courtesy NFL
At the NFL town hall in October, Jill Bauer presented a case for the Rams to remain in St. Louis. Did any of it matter?

Obviously, losing my team is devastating enough, but how it went down has left me numb. The NFL showed a total lack of integrity in the relocation process. It was a Broadway show for the world! They made sure to hold hearings in each of the relocation cities to give fans a chance to voice their questions and concerns so that all the owners could take our opinions into consideration when making their decision. Really? This decision was made over two years ago! But I fell for it and spoke at the town hall meeting in St. Louis.

I really thought that if the old school owners saw fans like me, they would remember back a few decades when the actual game of football mattered. And they would remember that this game is not only about making more “jack”—Kroenke’s pet name for his best friend. They would remember when they were fans and got their thrills from the action on the field.

At the town hall, NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman cautioned us that nothing was certain. Even if St. Louis put a great stadium plan together, it didn’t matter. The NFL’s relocation guidelines (which they went to the trouble of actually putting in print!) were not actually rules that had to be followed.

In the end (actually in the beginning), none of it—the NFL town halls, the relocation guidelines, the lies told to fans like me—mattered. It was all a PR job by the NFL to pretend to show the rest of the world that they actually cared enough about this “very difficult” decision.

The NFL and Kroenke did everything they could to sabotage the fans in St. Louis so that we would give up. Kroenke’s actions alone caused season tickets and attendance to decline, and then he was able to whine about the lack of interest that he created.

His proposal made the Inglewood complex sound amazing. And he was building it himself, with no public or NFL money. What more did he need? Inglewood was NFL Nirvana. To make it even worse, on his way out he decided he had to torch the city, saying “Any NFL club who signs on to this proposal in St. Louis will be well on the road to financial ruin.

This from a guy who was born and raised in “Missou-rah.” A guy who proudly claims he was named after two amazing St. Louis baseball players. A guy who, and I quote, “loves Missouri and St. Louis.” It was a completely classless act of revenge from a little man who profited greatly by being in St. Louis. He not only made himself look pitiful, he also made the NFL look like a heartless organization that only cares about money.

I would love to totally walk away from the NFL, but I truly love watching the games. I'll probably still be a fan, but I won't spend any more money on the NFL or the Rams. I will do my best to spend my money on companies that care about me as a customer. I hope the NFL and all 32 owners are okay with the message that was sent to all other NFL cities: That they, and only they, will decide where they want their teams to live, and no amount of effort, public funding or fan support matters.

— Jill Bauer, Columbia, Ill.

* * *

Second Cut is the Deepest
Twice. Twice now I’ve had my football team ripped away from me. First, the football Cardinals left in 1988 for Arizona, and now the Rams are moving to L.A. When the Cardinals (or Big Red, as we called them) left it hurt, hurt real bad. But this deal with the Rams has stirred emotions in me that I probably shouldn’t feel about a sports franchise. This time, as the saying goes, it’s personal.

And it’s personal because Enos Stanley Kroenke, the chatty Rams owner, and the mighty National Football League made it that way. Look, I can fully understand why a guy might want to move his business to a different location to make more money. I get that. But what makes me mad is how the St. Louis region and more importantly for this conversation St. Louis Rams fans were portrayed throughout the entire relocation process.

All this crap about St. Louis being a “baseball town” just infuriates me. Yes, the rumors are true—we love our baseball Cardinals. But the reason the Cards are so well-liked is because they are a first-class organization that cares about its fans, the St. Louis Metropolitan area and winning championships! There: mystery solved. That’s how you win the hearts of your fans.

When Mr. Kroenke filled out the relocation application, he lambasted the St. Louis region and everybody in it. That was juvenile and pathetic. Real classy, that Stan. His lack of skills in filling out an application came front and center when he checked the “Lack of Fan Support” box. When I read that, I laughed and was enraged at the same time. Enraged laughter. An unexpected emotion and not one I’d recommend in the presence of children.

How can even a liar, yes he’s a liar, like Kroenke say something like that? With the joke of a professional football team he put on the field it’s a miracle anybody attended the games. “What are you talking about, the Rams won the Super Bowl!” you say (whoever you are). Yes they did, and it was awesome. What a team. They were truly The Greatest Show on Turf.

But other than that, here’s what St. Louis Rams fans have endured: Four winning records in 21 seasons in St. Louis. Last winning season: 2003. Last playoff appearance: 2004. They’ve had 12 consecutive losing seasons. And here’s my personal favorite: From 2007 through 2011 they had the worst five-year stretch in NFL history, with a record of 15 wins and 65 losses.

But it’s all over now. And even with the lousy football and the relocation thing hanging over my head, I’ll miss it immensely. And that brings me to my final emotion of once again losing my football team… sadness. Go Chiefs!

—Joe Marshall, St. Louis

* * *

Identity Crisis
osterbyrams_0.jpg

Photo: Chelsea Osterby

This sounds dramatic to say, but a lot of my identity was being a Rams fan. I only started getting into the NFL about three years ago, and I specifically picked the Rams as my team because St. Louis was my adopted town. The majority of what I follow on Instagram and Twitter is St. Louis Rams-related. Every Sunday I am watching a St. Louis Rams game to see how my team does. Anytime I’m networking or meeting someone I don’t really know well, I can always talk about the Rams, and they are always impressed with my knowledge of the team.

Every year I go to a private reception at Rams training camp, and I always shoot my hand up in the air to ask a question. [Rams VP of football operations] Kevin Demoff will say, “Oh, Chelsea, of course you have a question. You’re the biggest super fan.”

Now the Rams aren’t a part of me anymore, and I feel really dramatically about it. My identity as a Rams super fan is totally changing. It is a huge change for me, and I don’t really know what I am going to do. I just can’t imagine Sundays without being a real fan of something. What is that even like?

Truly, I was stunned by the decision to move to L.A. I never thought this was really going to happen. Throughout everything, I just believed that it was political maneuvering and there was going to be some last minute surprise that no one saw coming that was going to keep the Rams in St. Louis. I really, really didn’t expect this to happen.

It was so stunning that the NFL could just completely ignore everything that St. Louis did, knowing that St. Louis is a city that is always on the brink of something. We are always fighting to be better and get to the next level. To have this happen is devastating to the entire city.

I used to say that I’ll be a Rams fan wherever they ended up, but now I feel differently. After seeing the way Kroenke treated St. Louis throughout this process—he did not respect the city, he did not make any effort to engage, he did not follow any of the guidelines, and then wrote that report sh---ing all over St. Louis—I don’t think I can support his team. That’s what it’s about for me.

St. Louis is such an undiscovered gem, with so much potential, and there are so many people fighting to make St. Louis great. To have the entire nation hear Kroenke say that there’s nothing good here, that a team in St. Louis will end up in “financial ruin”—that is just so not true for those of us who believe in St. Louis.

I feel like I have to pick a new team because I am such an NFL diehard. But I don’t know what to do. Should I be a Chiefs fan because they are also in Missouri and close by? And then switch again in two or three years if St. Louis ever get another team? I think I’m going to have to take next season off as fan. Just sit back and see what happens. This process has been such an emotional roller-coaster.

— Chelsea Osterby, 31, St. Louis

* * *

We Are Strong
Stan Kroenke, we hate you. You called St. Louis struggling, but you're wrong. We are not struggling. We are strong. We deal with tornados, floods, severe ice storms—hell, even riots. But none of that compares to the strength we've needed to deal with your embarrassingly poor management skills and bad decisions.

You failed at leading a successful NFL team in a town voted the Greatest Sports City in America. Do you know how hard you have to work to screw up that badly? My 11-year- old could have managed the team better than you did. You intentionally kept the franchise without good resources and put a poor product on the field.

Stan, go look in the mirror. The team failed because of you. You were completely absent from the community from day one. We are a strong city and loyal to a fault. We rally around the leaders of town, community and teams. But you, sir, were not anything close to a leader.

We are mad that our kids have to grow up in a town without NFL football. We are mad that the players have to uproot their entire lives. And we are mad that you directly caused thousands of people to lose their jobs. Have fun sliding around on your millions like Scrooge McDuck while we are left to pick up the pieces.

Enos Stanley Kroenke... Just the thought that you were named after legendary St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famers Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial makes us sick to our stomach. From all of us here in St. Louis, you aren't welcome here anymore. I hope the door smacks that nasty toupee off your head on the way out.

— Kelly Manno, St. Louis
Using her podcast, The Kelly Manno Show, as a platform, Kelly raised money from listeners to send cow poop to Stan Kroenke's doorstep.

• Do you have fan story? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com
 

tahoe

Pro Bowler
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
1,664
http://mmqb.si.com/2016/01/13/nfl-st.louis-rams-fans-react-nfl-los-angeles

‘Like 20 Years of Your Life Has Been Canceled Out by the Stroke of a Pen’
Feeling furious and betrayed by the NFL’s Los Angeles money grab, St. Louis fans lash out at a league that pretends to care about the ticket-buying and jersey-wearing public, and at an owner who sabotaged his city in a dollar-driven quest for leave

palenrams2.gif

Dan Palen and his family have been season ticket holders since the Rams first season in St. Louis.
Dan Palen

Football is Family?
Late on Tuesday night, when the news came out that the NFL had voted to relocate the Rams to Los Angeles, I heard a noise that sounded like a dog or something outside our house, so I went downstairs to go check it out. The strange noise turned out to be my 12-year-old son. I found him in his bed, wearing his Todd Gurley jersey and sobbing. That really affected me. It’s one thing as an adult to have your team taken away, but when you see how it upsets your kids, that really hurts.

My son is not old enough to understand that there is a difference between the players and team you root for, and the ownership and the league. I told him that it would be okay that the Rams left—it’s just football. It hurts now, but there is more to life than just football, and he knows that. It’s more about the family experience that is gone with the team.

It hurts for our family because back in 1995 when the Rams came to St. Louis, my dad bought personal seat license tickets for us. It was more than football—it was family, something we were proud of. We had the same seats for 20 years. We have jerseys, coffee mugs, everything. I’m sitting in my office right now looking at all kinds of Rams paraphernalia. It just hurts. It feels like 20 years of your life has been canceled out by the stroke of a pen. It’s a weird, empty feeling.

palenramssmall.jpg

Photo: Dan Palen
A young Rams fan reacts to the news that his team is leaving for L.A.

My dad founded our family business back in 1963. Our “Why We Do What We Do” message in our business is: It’s about family. We have always tried to live this out in our work and how we treat our customers.

When I saw the NFL using a variant of this message in its “Football is Family" commercials, it struck me that the league has become expert at using our emotions to extract dollars—and that is what matters most to them. I could no longer accept their “Football is Family” hypocrisy, so I echoed it on Twitter with a twist on it that says it all: FOOTBALL I$ FAMILY.

I don’t think I can follow the Los Angeles Rams. It just feels like gut punch to Missouri and for people like me. And it’s not even about all the money we’ve spent on the Rams over the years. It’s the emotional investment, day in and day out. It was just totally disregarded, and I don’t know if I can be a fan of the NFL.

I’m feeling betrayed, like my family’s loyalty at the end of the day stood for absolutely nothing. I don’t understand how the NFL can truly railroad good, supportive customers. I don’t know how they can say that St. Louis didn’t support the Rams, when the Rams have had such a pathetic product for this many years.

Back in October, I spoke at the NFL’s town hall in St. Louis because it felt like I was fighting not just for the city, but for my family. In reality, nothing anyone said that night mattered. It was absolutely an exercise in Kabuki theater. It was just a big, elaborate dog and pony show with zero substance. This decision was made a long time ago. The league just kept dragging it out long enough that they eventually worked out the outcome they desired.

And then to top it all off, Stan Kroenke, who hasn’t talked to anyone in the media for years, goes on TV and claims that he loves St. Louis and Missouri. I’m sorry—you don’t screw over someone you love. You just don’t. I don’t know what love means to him, but it’s not what love means to me.

— Dan Palen, Springfield, Mo.

* * *

Greed and Lies
The last two days have been some of the hardest that I’ve had to ever endure as a St. Louis Rams fan. And given the quality of the product that Stan Kroenke has put on the field since he became majority owner, I’ve endured many, many bad days watching them.

But that’s what I did as a true fan, an original PSL owner who bought season tickets every year and actually went to the games. True fans support their team no matter what. This unconditional support does not, however transfer over to the greedy, heartless, owner.

vf_stl_fan.gif

Photo: Courtesy NFL
At the NFL town hall in October, Jill Bauer presented a case for the Rams to remain in St. Louis. Did any of it matter?

Obviously, losing my team is devastating enough, but how it went down has left me numb. The NFL showed a total lack of integrity in the relocation process. It was a Broadway show for the world! They made sure to hold hearings in each of the relocation cities to give fans a chance to voice their questions and concerns so that all the owners could take our opinions into consideration when making their decision. Really? This decision was made over two years ago! But I fell for it and spoke at the town hall meeting in St. Louis.

I really thought that if the old school owners saw fans like me, they would remember back a few decades when the actual game of football mattered. And they would remember that this game is not only about making more “jack”—Kroenke’s pet name for his best friend. They would remember when they were fans and got their thrills from the action on the field.

At the town hall, NFL executive vice president Eric Grubman cautioned us that nothing was certain. Even if St. Louis put a great stadium plan together, it didn’t matter. The NFL’s relocation guidelines (which they went to the trouble of actually putting in print!) were not actually rules that had to be followed.

In the end (actually in the beginning), none of it—the NFL town halls, the relocation guidelines, the lies told to fans like me—mattered. It was all a PR job by the NFL to pretend to show the rest of the world that they actually cared enough about this “very difficult” decision.

The NFL and Kroenke did everything they could to sabotage the fans in St. Louis so that we would give up. Kroenke’s actions alone caused season tickets and attendance to decline, and then he was able to whine about the lack of interest that he created.

His proposal made the Inglewood complex sound amazing. And he was building it himself, with no public or NFL money. What more did he need? Inglewood was NFL Nirvana. To make it even worse, on his way out he decided he had to torch the city, saying “Any NFL club who signs on to this proposal in St. Louis will be well on the road to financial ruin.

This from a guy who was born and raised in “Missou-rah.” A guy who proudly claims he was named after two amazing St. Louis baseball players. A guy who, and I quote, “loves Missouri and St. Louis.” It was a completely classless act of revenge from a little man who profited greatly by being in St. Louis. He not only made himself look pitiful, he also made the NFL look like a heartless organization that only cares about money.

I would love to totally walk away from the NFL, but I truly love watching the games. I'll probably still be a fan, but I won't spend any more money on the NFL or the Rams. I will do my best to spend my money on companies that care about me as a customer. I hope the NFL and all 32 owners are okay with the message that was sent to all other NFL cities: That they, and only they, will decide where they want their teams to live, and no amount of effort, public funding or fan support matters.

— Jill Bauer, Columbia, Ill.

* * *

Second Cut is the Deepest
Twice. Twice now I’ve had my football team ripped away from me. First, the football Cardinals left in 1988 for Arizona, and now the Rams are moving to L.A. When the Cardinals (or Big Red, as we called them) left it hurt, hurt real bad. But this deal with the Rams has stirred emotions in me that I probably shouldn’t feel about a sports franchise. This time, as the saying goes, it’s personal.

And it’s personal because Enos Stanley Kroenke, the chatty Rams owner, and the mighty National Football League made it that way. Look, I can fully understand why a guy might want to move his business to a different location to make more money. I get that. But what makes me mad is how the St. Louis region and more importantly for this conversation St. Louis Rams fans were portrayed throughout the entire relocation process.

All this crap about St. Louis being a “baseball town” just infuriates me. Yes, the rumors are true—we love our baseball Cardinals. But the reason the Cards are so well-liked is because they are a first-class organization that cares about its fans, the St. Louis Metropolitan area and winning championships! There: mystery solved. That’s how you win the hearts of your fans.

When Mr. Kroenke filled out the relocation application, he lambasted the St. Louis region and everybody in it. That was juvenile and pathetic. Real classy, that Stan. His lack of skills in filling out an application came front and center when he checked the “Lack of Fan Support” box. When I read that, I laughed and was enraged at the same time. Enraged laughter. An unexpected emotion and not one I’d recommend in the presence of children.

How can even a liar, yes he’s a liar, like Kroenke say something like that? With the joke of a professional football team he put on the field it’s a miracle anybody attended the games. “What are you talking about, the Rams won the Super Bowl!” you say (whoever you are). Yes they did, and it was awesome. What a team. They were truly The Greatest Show on Turf.

But other than that, here’s what St. Louis Rams fans have endured: Four winning records in 21 seasons in St. Louis. Last winning season: 2003. Last playoff appearance: 2004. They’ve had 12 consecutive losing seasons. And here’s my personal favorite: From 2007 through 2011 they had the worst five-year stretch in NFL history, with a record of 15 wins and 65 losses.

But it’s all over now. And even with the lousy football and the relocation thing hanging over my head, I’ll miss it immensely. And that brings me to my final emotion of once again losing my football team… sadness. Go Chiefs!

—Joe Marshall, St. Louis

* * *

Identity Crisis
osterbyrams_0.jpg

Photo: Chelsea Osterby

This sounds dramatic to say, but a lot of my identity was being a Rams fan. I only started getting into the NFL about three years ago, and I specifically picked the Rams as my team because St. Louis was my adopted town. The majority of what I follow on Instagram and Twitter is St. Louis Rams-related. Every Sunday I am watching a St. Louis Rams game to see how my team does. Anytime I’m networking or meeting someone I don’t really know well, I can always talk about the Rams, and they are always impressed with my knowledge of the team.

Every year I go to a private reception at Rams training camp, and I always shoot my hand up in the air to ask a question. [Rams VP of football operations] Kevin Demoff will say, “Oh, Chelsea, of course you have a question. You’re the biggest super fan.”

Now the Rams aren’t a part of me anymore, and I feel really dramatically about it. My identity as a Rams super fan is totally changing. It is a huge change for me, and I don’t really know what I am going to do. I just can’t imagine Sundays without being a real fan of something. What is that even like?

Truly, I was stunned by the decision to move to L.A. I never thought this was really going to happen. Throughout everything, I just believed that it was political maneuvering and there was going to be some last minute surprise that no one saw coming that was going to keep the Rams in St. Louis. I really, really didn’t expect this to happen.

It was so stunning that the NFL could just completely ignore everything that St. Louis did, knowing that St. Louis is a city that is always on the brink of something. We are always fighting to be better and get to the next level. To have this happen is devastating to the entire city.

I used to say that I’ll be a Rams fan wherever they ended up, but now I feel differently. After seeing the way Kroenke treated St. Louis throughout this process—he did not respect the city, he did not make any effort to engage, he did not follow any of the guidelines, and then wrote that report sh---ing all over St. Louis—I don’t think I can support his team. That’s what it’s about for me.

St. Louis is such an undiscovered gem, with so much potential, and there are so many people fighting to make St. Louis great. To have the entire nation hear Kroenke say that there’s nothing good here, that a team in St. Louis will end up in “financial ruin”—that is just so not true for those of us who believe in St. Louis.

I feel like I have to pick a new team because I am such an NFL diehard. But I don’t know what to do. Should I be a Chiefs fan because they are also in Missouri and close by? And then switch again in two or three years if St. Louis ever get another team? I think I’m going to have to take next season off as fan. Just sit back and see what happens. This process has been such an emotional roller-coaster.

— Chelsea Osterby, 31, St. Louis

* * *

We Are Strong
Stan Kroenke, we hate you. You called St. Louis struggling, but you're wrong. We are not struggling. We are strong. We deal with tornados, floods, severe ice storms—hell, even riots. But none of that compares to the strength we've needed to deal with your embarrassingly poor management skills and bad decisions.

You failed at leading a successful NFL team in a town voted the Greatest Sports City in America. Do you know how hard you have to work to screw up that badly? My 11-year- old could have managed the team better than you did. You intentionally kept the franchise without good resources and put a poor product on the field.

Stan, go look in the mirror. The team failed because of you. You were completely absent from the community from day one. We are a strong city and loyal to a fault. We rally around the leaders of town, community and teams. But you, sir, were not anything close to a leader.

We are mad that our kids have to grow up in a town without NFL football. We are mad that the players have to uproot their entire lives. And we are mad that you directly caused thousands of people to lose their jobs. Have fun sliding around on your millions like Scrooge McDuck while we are left to pick up the pieces.

Enos Stanley Kroenke... Just the thought that you were named after legendary St. Louis Cardinal Hall of Famers Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial makes us sick to our stomach. From all of us here in St. Louis, you aren't welcome here anymore. I hope the door smacks that nasty toupee off your head on the way out.

— Kelly Manno, St. Louis
Using her podcast, The Kelly Manno Show, as a platform, Kelly raised money from listeners to send cow poop to Stan Kroenke's doorstep.


• Do you have fan story? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com
This needs to be quoted because there is so much truth in this. Not only did we lose our team but we were lied to for the past year making us believe we had a chance and then we were crapped on just because Stan wanted to make himself look better. I know all of the LA fan are ecstatic that the Rams are back but you should feel dirty about it and you still have a horrid human being as an owner.
 

tahoe

Pro Bowler
Joined
May 19, 2014
Messages
1,664
I think that I have decided to remain a Rams fan, at least I will give it a try. I just don't think I can turn off my 21 years of loving the Rams no matter how much I hate the owner. It hasn't truly hit me yet though that they are gone forever.
 

Rmfnlt

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
Messages
5,342
I'll pop back on briefly to respond to this, as maybe the first one who said "Goodbye"...

I am angry. This is true. If this had been a surprise, I would completely agree with your sentiment regarding rash decisions.

However...

As Fro mentioned earlier in this thread, this was not something that snuck up on us. Confident in STL's ability to come through or not, this was a possibility in the back of everyone's mind from the moment the arbitrator demanded $700 million in renovations to the Dome for 10 more years of lease.

In my particular case, this decision to leave the Rams is not made rashly. I concluded weeks ago that this would be my decision should the NFL decide that the one city with an actionable, publicly-funded stadium plan was the one they would screw out of their team. I never truly believed it would happen - it flies in the face of logic, particularly if you believe that the NFL gives any semblance of a crap about its host cities - but I did accept it as a possibility, and thought through my response.

I want to make a final quick note about civic pride. A lot of posters have stated that they don't understand how a fan of a team can care about what city the team is in, particularly in the era of HD cable, Internet streaming, etc. To them, I say that a core part of my identity - that which makes me who I am - is that I am a St. Louisan. While I moved away from the region years ago, St. Louis is still a major part of my very being, a trait I find fairly common among my fellow Missourians and a goodly amount of Midwesterners.

As St. Louis is a part of me, so too are the institutions - I'm proud to be connected, albeit by the randomly-decided-by-fate place of my birth, to the Cardinals, the Blues, the great universities, the Zoo, hell, even the Magic House and the Science Center. These are all parts of my DNA. The Rams were part of my DNA as well, as a sub-section of St. Louis.

So, when the Rams are taken away from St. Louis - and in such a manner, where it does not matter what the city does, it's not good enough because one man wants to make more money, and that same man napalms the city and region in a manner not only disrespectful, but downright spiteful - it's like part of my DNA is taken from me. The connection between the Rams and myself goes through that fact that St. Louis is such a big part of my identity, so when St. Louis and the Rams are no longer connected, neither are the rams and @DCH.

I was 14 when the Rams came to St. Louis. I began following football because they arrived. Football was something I could share with my father - we had parts of a season ticket, and went to as many games a year as we could afford until I moved out of state. Those experiences, sharing gameday with my dad, sometimes other members of my family, are what made the Rams special. Sharing wins and (lots and lots of) losses with my friends and family in St. Louis, all of us reveling in this civic pride as embodied by the blue and gold, was what made me a Rams fan.

Now, that is gone. I suppose I could just think of the Rams as my favorite TV show and continue to watch, but what's the point of that? There's no real connection to the team anymore, for me. I can't share the experience of being a fan with the people closest to me, and even if I could, the connection isn't the same. It's no longer special. The civic pride part is gone, and that was the beating heart of my fandom.

One other thing (I know I'm rambling a bit, don't worry, I'll be gone soon) - there's a thin line between love and hate. It's much harder to go from loving something to being apathetic towards it than it is to go from loving to loathing. As much as I loved the Rams, in an instant that has turned to pure loathing. As with teams I've hated in the past, I have no issue with the players, but the Rams now stand for something in my mind that is diametrically opposed to quite a bit of what I hold dear. Truly, I am now the Enemy of Ram fandom, which is a shame, because I liked you all very much.

Fully understand... just promise me one thing:
You won't become a Patsies fan! :LOL:
 

snackdaddy

Who's your snackdaddy?
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
10,719
Name
Charlie
This needs to be quoted because there is so much truth in this. Not only did we lose our team but we were lied to for the past year making us believe we had a chance and then we were crapped on just because Stan wanted to make himself look better. I know all of the LA fan are ecstatic that the Rams are back but you should feel dirty about it and you still have a horrid human being as an owner.

Maybe so. But some of us put his predecessor a little higher on the totem pole of horrid human beings. She intentionally ran the team into the ground before she moved them. And quite honestly, LA fans consider him a hero and great human being. Its almost like whoever's in the White House. Perspective is where you're sitting with the point of view.
 

Rmfnlt

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
Messages
5,342
While the NFL's motives are purely financial, this might be one great thing they did for St. Louis. Because throwing all that public money into a new stadium would have been terrible for the region. Kroenke throwing his money into a stadium is a far better alternative. Unfortunately, that stadium will be in LA because Kroenke cares most about the $$$$$.
It wasn't just about the stadium Jerry. This was about revitalization of a blighted north riverfront area in desperate need of attention.
After all the initial emotions subside, my hope is Peacock (and others) will find a way to continue the effort to revitalize that area. When I went to a few games, I saw it first hand... I hope they can use the momentum from this affort to gain some tractioon on fixing up that area.

Because I live in Montana, I will be a RAMS fan regardless of the city they reside. My heart hurts for the fans in/around St. Louis. It's my desire to stand on the sidelines and stay out of any banter between fans in LA and St. Louis. I will respect the feelings of all those involved, both directly and indirectly, during this time as well as going forward. Although I have been to St. Louis once, (1999 Divisional game vs. vikings) I had a wonderful time and the locals were awesome. Hell I was even interviewed on the local news. I wish I could have been back more, but it just never worked. I look forward to seeing games in LA, and hope to have great experiences there too. To all my Rams brothers and sisters who live in the St. Louis area, I admire the hell out of you for your dedication and support of the Rams over the past 21 years. To my Rams brothers and sisters in the LA area, I look forward to future games. And to all of the other Rams fans around the country/world, I hope we get the chance to meet in the future. Live life to the fullest because you only get to live it once. Peace!
Boy, this is good stuff!!
 

Psycho_X

Legend
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
11,146
I think that I have decided to remain a Rams fan, at least I will give it a try. I just don't think I can turn off my 21 years of loving the Rams no matter how much I hate the owner. It hasn't truly hit me yet though that they are gone forever.

I'm right there with you Tahoe. I haven't missed watching a single game since 95. I was 16 when the Rams decided to move here and had no team at the time... was too young to be into the football Cardinals when they left. I'm an extremely loyal guy in real life whether it be family, friends, sports teams, whatever... once something is a part of me it is forever in my mind and I'll fight for it. It's hard to have a commitment of 20 years watching every single game and say "I can stop watching today and not care". Not sure how to do that. So I'm going to try and stay... I'm pissed that I feel a psychological need to stay loyal. Maybe I'm just a dumb schmuck and I wouldn't deny that lol. I feel like I am bi-polar these last couple days.... fits of intense rage and sadness but still completely interested in talking about players and thinking of the draft, etc.

I will say this, it's going to take a long time before I buy any Rams merchandise again if ever. I care about the players and want to watch the games but beyond whatever I have to spend to make that happen I'm not giving Stan more money. I'll feed whatever extra money I have to the baseball Cardinals. I won't be going to Rams games like I have every year but will instead put it all towards the Cardinals... an organization ran by a man that deserves my dollar.
 

Antonius

Pro Bowler
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
1,641
That photo of the three Rams fans is just so sad. Why would anyone buy a Nick Foles jersey?
 

Pancake

Hall of Fame
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
2,204
Name
Ernie
This needs to be quoted because there is so much truth in this. Not only did we lose our team but we were lied to for the past year making us believe we had a chance and then we were crapped on just because Stan wanted to make himself look better. I know all of the LA fan are ecstatic that the Rams are back but you should feel dirty about it and you still have a horrid human being as an owner.

I don't feel any more "dirty" about it than St.Louis did when they originally got the team. I do feel some sympathy for St.Louis because I know the pain as all LA fans do. But this double standard by some is getting old. By the way Georgia was no saint. Not by a long shot.