I remember it quite well. I watched the entire series. And what have they done since? They've alienated fans by getting rid of their star players and getting rid of every single expensive player they picked up after Miami gave them the stadium they wanted. Because they care about making a profit, not creating a winning team.
How could any person root for that?
You're making several arguments at once now, but I'll address this one. How could anyone root for that? Easy. You just do. No matter what the Ownership did, the Manager, coaches and players went out and opened up a can of whoopass. That's pretty easy to root for. And didn't Ownership provide the Manager with some pretty stout rookies and up-and-coming free agents to get the job done? That aside, what you're essentially saying is that you're disenfranchised with both Ownership and Coaching when it comes to either sport. If someone in the hierarchy fails to meet your expectations, you take it out on the team? That's kind of odd to me, but I'm not in your shoes or in your head. I don't root for Kroenke or Frontiere, or Huizenga, or Henry or Lauria. I root for Jeff Conine, A.J. Burnett, Derrek Lee, Tavon Austin, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, Trumaine Johnson, and so on and so on. There's the distinction.
That's what you don't get. I've seen the Rams live. I've based my schedule year after year around what time the Rams are playing on TV. I've sacrificed time, money, etc. as a Rams fan. I remember the players. I remember the games.
But that still doesn't make them something bigger than entertainment. There are people that do the same sort of things with things all of us would think are odd or uninteresting. It's a hobby.
And what you don't get is that it isn't a
sacrifice if you love them. And yes they are bigger than entertainment. Are you going to tell your grandkids that you wanted Paxton Lynch in the 2016 draft, or are you going to tell them about the time you saw Gurley leapfrog a defender on his way to a game-winning score, or the time you saw Mike Jones wrap up Kevin Dyson at the one yard line, or the time you took his dad to a playoff game in L.A. in 2026?
That's an odd quote to use. Because I know exactly what I'm talking about. You've gotten so tied up in your romanticized notions of what the game is and what the Rams are that you can't recognize how wrong you are here.
Nonsense. I've never been more correct about my view of the game, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of fans who feel the same way. From 15 year olds to 85 year olds. It isn't about getting a return on your DirecTV investment or your investment of time. It's about THE time.
Want an example? Why did the Rams leave St. Louis? They had a bunch of passionate fans that absolutely loved the team. These people were talking about the same sort of experiences that you were. These people had the same sort of attachment to the team that you did. Why did the Rams leave them high and dry after trashing their city on the way out?
MONEY. That's why. The Rams aren't in the business of charity. It's why they cut Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, James Laurinaitis, Chris Long, etc. It's why they left St. Louis for greener pastures in LA. The team exists to make money. This isn't the Green Bay Packers. They aren't owned by the fans. The Rams are owned by a shrewd businessman.
So? Again, I don't root for the Owner's financial portfolio. Do you? Nobody said it was a two-sided love affair either. I know the Owner could care less about me. I'm not in it for the OWNER. I'm in it for the tradition, the players, the experiences, the camaraderie, the tribalism, and a sense of pride in my loyalty and what the team accomplishes while I support them. I can no easier turn that on or off than I can turn on or off my love for my family.
The Rams are a business. They're a business that provides entertainment. The team leaving St. Louis made that so very clear to me. St. Louis didn't give them what they want so the Rams left. Well, if the Rams aren't giving me what I want, why am I obligated to keep spending my time and money on the team? Out of some delusional notion that the Rams are my family? Like they were family to the St. Louis fans?
That's the way YOU see it, but don't assume that your impersonal view of this Franchise is the correct way to approach the game or be a part of this tribe. You couldn't be any more in the minority on this if you tried. If the Rams don't give you what you want on a year to year basis, then you're going to quit/rejoin as it suits your annual temperament? Lolkay. What's delusional is the idea that you think you can continue to assimilate with a group of fans who are CLEARLY on the opposite end of the spectrum as you when it comes to being a fan of the Rams. "Hey guys, fuck this team, they're not interested in making me happy. so I'm rooting for someone else." And then 12 months later, when they make the moves you want, "Hey guys, I'm back. Rams are awesome and I'm gonna stick around until they fuck up again." Yeah, good luck with
that. I'm not judging you if that's what you wanna do, but don't expect to be accepted with that twisted view of fanaticism.
Nah, I don't feel any obligation to continue to support this team if it isn't going to live up to my expectations. Call me a fair weather fan all you want. There is no moral high ground for the Rams after they crap all over St. Louis. They proved exactly how far their loyalty extends to the fans.
Ah, so now it's about how they crapped on St Louis. Not whether or not they get a QB in the upcoming draft (as per your original assertion).
I might not have been a St. Louis area fan but I certainly am no fool. I can see what happened to them and recognize just how little the Rams valued loyalty in comparison to the almighty dollar. Why? Because they're a BUSINESS. Not a member of your family. They're not woven into the fabric of your lives. But boy do they love you thinking that because it'll keep you coming back and spending more.
You keep throwing out that "they're not a member of your family" mantra, but literally NOBODY said they were. I'm not related to Ogletree. Fisher isn't my brother-in-law. Johnny Hekker isn't my son (though, I would adopt him in a second). They're not my family; but they are, and have been, a big part of my life for the better part of 37 years. And you need to make the distinction between Ownership and the Franchise as a whole. There have been a few Owners, dozens of coaches, and thousands upon thousands of players. Never once did I turn on a TV looking to get a glimpse at the Owner. Never did I compare stats between Kroenke and Jerry Jones. Never have I gone to a Sports Apparel store looking for a #1 with "Rosenbloom" on the back. I have no ties to any of the Owners. Never cared about them. Never will. I understand that it's a business, but that's not how the Rams are defined. Get that? They're memories to me. They're experiences. They're the Fearsome Foursome, they're the GSOT, they're Ground Chuck, and now they're Fisher ball. The business I leave to the businessmen. I'm not invested in portfolios.
They're not woven into the fabric of our lives? How the fuck do you know that? Were you there when The 1999 Rams winning the Super Bowl was the
one thing that brought me joy during a tumultuous divorce? Were you there when I took my daughter to her first Rams game in 2004? Were you with me on my honeymoon when my wife surprised me with tickets to the ED to watch the Rams curb stomp the Panthers, and afterward watched me shake hands with Aeneas Williams and Torry Holt? Were you hanging out with me and
@Selassie I in Miami and tailgating with us? Were you there when I met Isaac Bruce's family in a mall and spent an hour with them talking about how he was as a kid? Were you on the phone when Jack Youngblood gave
@Thordaddy a call in the hospital shortly before he died? How about when Stedman DM'd me on Twitter thanking me for making a video of his highlights and asking me to please make another? What about all the time and philanthropy Rams players committed to the city of St Louis to help better the communities? Or when they visited cancer centers to help cheer up children (some of whom were Rams fans)? How dare you make such a flippant statement. And you wonder why I called you a kid? You think it's odd that I did? You're only reinforcing my point.
Not rooting for the Rams won't stop me from liking and respecting all of you guys. But I don't feel the same sense of loyalty to the Rams any more. The Rams told us where their loyalties lie. It's not to us, the fans. It's to money.
Y'all can be here talking about the good and bad times you shared at the end of each year. That's great. But I'm no longer going to pledge my time and money without any strings attached. The Rams run a business. It's about time they start delivering results to me as a customer.
And frankly, I love football. I am crazy about football. But after everything that has happened in recent years, I also recognize that it's a business that makes money off of guys sacrificing their bodies and future health for financial security today. The teams and the league often only show the players as much "loyalty" as is convenient for them.
See ya then.
