New: Latest on Kroenke, Rams and NFL in STL

[PressureD41]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the STL project having financial concerns. No tax help or something?

 

[blue4]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the STL project having financial concerns. No tax help or something?

Not really. They've said they don't need tax help from the county. Other than that, no one really knows how the financials will work.

 

[blue4]

I get that, but unfortunately he holds the cards, because St Louis is the one that couldn't live up to their end, not him. They don't need to bend over for him, but they can give him a nice deal that makes him happy, and not include pants on head retarded things like "We'll make sure it's top 10 every year AND pay for it!".. That was a move to lure the team there, and they got it, they don't need to make that offer again. Instead of trying to play politics and compensating for the raw deal, they need to make something that is good for him, and ensures the team stays there. Last I heard St Louis wanted to own the venue, collect the ad revenue, the PSL's, etc, plus part of the construction costs go into renovating the Edwards Jones Dome which Kroenke wouldn't use anymore. There's just not really much incentive for him if that's all still the case, especially if he's expecting to put up half the cost. I'm not saying give him everything, but give him more than that, esepcially since he tends to like being the owner and operator of the venues his teams play in. Instead they're going to hand control over to the same group of guys who pissed him off in the first place over the Edwards Jones Dome? Why would he want to be forced to work with them again? If he's pissed off, then sweeten the deal, but in a smart way.

If he wants the city to pony up the money, why would he expect to make money like the owner of the facility? Why would he get to choose the location? What he is being offered isn't rare in the NFL. If he wants to be owner and operator of the venue then freaking pay for the damn thing.

As for the earlier idea about giving him the land, I used to agree until I stopped and really thought about it. You would essentially be forcibly purchasing property from one person and just giving it to another for almost all private profit. No, I'm not on board with that idea at all.

No, I'm coming to the realization that this was the intent from the moment he purchased the rest of the team. I think we could have met him at the airport with caviar, a band, and hooker to massage his balls while he ate and we'd still be right here where we are at.

 

[Goose]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the STL project having financial concerns. No tax help or something?

There are concerns about the financing because no one knows what the plan will contain. Originally the plan that we saw, which was a 50,000 foot view, was it was part private and then extending the bonds. Of course politicians started grandstanding about the Governs ability to extend bonds without a vote. All we know at this point is the Task Force is looking at multiple options for financing and appear to be confident in their approach. I am sure the NFL is more aware of that approach then the public which is why there are still a lot of questions surrounding it.

 

[Goose]

We should all be careful what we say 'cos ol Stan just might surprise us.

Hacksaw you and I have talked about this a lot and I think we can agree that we have no idea what Stan's end game is.

 

[Goose]

So, if I am connecting the dots correctly, Grubman is saying that to get a "thumbs up" from the NFL to put the shovels in the dirt in LA, a vote has to be taken among the owners FIRST. And this voting wont happen until this fall. So, even though the Inglewood project is "ahead" of the Carson project at this time, Carson has time to catch up. Inglewood may be ready to put shovels in the dirt now, but they cant until they get the green light, which is months away. Meanwhile, back in the 314, Mr. Peacock's efforts have time to cross their "T"s and dot their "I"s. So, come voting time, the owners will have to decide between 2 projects in LA ready to roll, and a current city with all of their financing and land acquisition ready to build a stadium AGAIN for the home team. Did I miss something, or is this it in a nutshell? That should be one interesting owner's meeting this Fall!!

I do find this article interesting because the feeling that we got coming out of these past meetings was that May was going to be big for the relocation process, and it still may be, and it is possible a preliminary vote might take place. So while I am trying not to read too much into the article this is possibly good news for STL.

 

[iBruce]

“In many ways, St. Louis hasn’t failed the NFL — the NFL has failed St. Louis.”
Read more at http://cover32.com/rams/2015/04/06/as-an-nfl-city-st-louis-has-nothing-to-prove/#qFdS9gy3HrOHlGKb.99

 

[Greg Stone]

Call me cynical, but this focus group nonsense in a city that Stan has demotivated and pi$$ed off is just a facade; building an excuse to justify Stan's breaking all the supposed NFL rules as he moves the Rams so that he can make an extra dollar.

 

[Corbin]

If you ask me this is the type of attitude which will get the NFL to leave STL, maybe for good.

 

[fearsomefour]

"Focus groups" are looking at all cities.
I agree Corbin, the sense in entitlement is the same as we saw in LA before they left.
In reality there is little fans can do. A team has one owner (or a majority owner) and has to work with the ultimate old boys club to get what they want.
The reality is what it is. Anyone who can't see why Stan wants to do what he wants to do is blind. The same was true when Georgia went to St. Louis.

 

[ChrisW]

Honestly, I don't read that much into it. I think these focus groups are more of a tool to figure out how much money they can charge for PSLs, and that's it. It has nothing to do with the viability of the market. It's just money.

 

[Hacksaw]

Hacksaw you and I have talked about this a lot and I think we can agree that we have no idea what Stan's end game is.

That is a big 10 -4. This guy could be doing just about anything. It's obvious the league wants this to be done the right way and that could be just about anything too.

I do find this article interesting because the feeling that we got coming out of these past meetings was that May was going to be big for the relocation process, and it still may be, and it is possible a preliminary vote might take place. So while I am trying not to read too much into the article this is possibly good news for STL.

This is a good new article for StL. In as much as there will be modified pitches made and updates on financials, I think that will be about it.
I really never thought there would be a vote (or at least one made public) in May about the relocation. Even though the time frame for a vote was already shortened, StL, SD and Oak would be left with no time to get their ducks in a row. It would be an egregious act by the NFL against those 3 communities to shorten it again.
Speaking of ducks, imagine how much worse the lame duck up coming season(s) anywhere would be if they announced a relocation in May.

The shovels thing is interesting since this is his personal project. Why does the NFL give a crap if he builds a huge soccer stadium in LA? Is it a stall tactic by ESK or the NFL or is it a misrepresentation of the facts? Or is it just another way of saying they won't be ready to start construction until December which has been the case all along?

 

[rams2050]

I think some of us may be under-estimating Dave Peacock's ability to get things done. I have heard rumblings in the business community about exactly that -- because he knows everybody, he is well-liked by everybody, and that he has a tremendous amount of local wealth at his disposal. Plus, the guy is politically well-connected.

Now, is he a Stan Kroenke? No, of course not. BUT he counts among his friends people who have more wealth than Kroenke, and who actually live in the St. Louis area.

Dave Peacock, just the other day, led a group of investors to a $36 million purchase of 100 Jamba Juice outlets in California: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/peacock-led-group-invests-million-to-buy-jamba-juice-stores/article_f4214166-22ca-5fcb-b00f-a4b7455adbc6.html

It is my understanding that Mr. Peacock is involved in a lot of this sort of thing, that he has many well-heeled and well-connected investors who owe him a lot, and that he is always looking at new ways of making money for himself and them.

I am just not ready to put anything past the guy. Which means, I am not ready to write off the St. Louis portion of the "St. Louis Rams."

 

[RAMSinLA]

It's not enough to just pick up and move a team...you need to move it to a place where it will succeed. If your team isn't profitable it can't last and it can't draw the talent needed to win. The NFL is the most popular sport in America so if a city has an NFL team; that team cannot be the third most popular sports attraction in that city. If your ML Baseball team and your local University's football team out draws your NFL team it isn't good.

 

[drasconis]

It's not enough to just pick up and move a team...you need to move it to a place where it will succeed. If your team isn't profitable it can't last and it can't draw the talent needed to win. The NFL is the most popular sport in America so if a city has an NFL team; that team cannot be the third most popular sports attraction in that city. If your ML Baseball team and your local University's football team out draws your NFL team it isn't good.

Is there a point in there? with your MLB/NFL comment what are you saying? On a per game basis I don't think you can prove the NFL is behind any local MLB (for example baseball cardinals averages 44K while the Rams averaged 57K) and if you mean fora season the only NFL team that might beat out the local MLB team would be the Texans...so either you are saying all NFL teams are fine by this metric or you are saying everyone but the Texans is in trouble...

What are you basing popularity on...?

NFL teams third in their markets need to move....well the Falcons will be surprised their new stadium is doomed to fail, Dolphins will be sad also, wonder where the Jets are going?

Your right a team that hasn't had a winning season in 10 years should expect to be #1 in the community....

 

[RamFan503]

I think some of us may be under-estimating Dave Peacock's ability to get things done. I have heard rumblings in the business community about exactly that -- because he knows everybody, he is well-liked by everybody, and that he has a tremendous amount of local wealth at his disposal. Plus, the guy is politically well-connected.

I haven't heard anyone diss Peacock's abilities or what he's doing. It seems to me the guy is taking on a very difficult task and has it moving in the right direction. Not sure what the people in the business community would be rumbling about.

Now, is he a Stan Kroenke? No, of course not. BUT he counts among his friends people who have more wealth than Kroenke, and who actually live in the St. Louis area.

Is there someone besides Jack Taylor? I had heard he decided not to do anything regarding the stadium or the Rams and declined to participate in efforts to bring an expansion team to the Lou several years ago.

I keep hearing private investors but no names or how they would actually be involved ala the Carson plan with Goldman Sachs.

Dave Peacock, just the other day, led a group of investors to a $36 million purchase of 100 Jamba Juice outlets in California: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/peacock-led-group-invests-million-to-buy-jamba-juice-stores/article_f4214166-22ca-5fcb-b00f-a4b7455adbc6.html

Anyone see the irony in that all 100 stores are in CA?

I am just not ready to put anything past the guy. Which means, I am not ready to write off the St. Louis portion of the "St. Louis Rams."

If anyone is writing off Peacock or St Louis at this point in the game, I'd say they are being premature at best. The Rams are still the St Louis Rams and as such, they really do still have the power position as long as they can put together all the parts to a working plan. Who the hell knows what the NFL will do and Stan has pretty much laid his cards on the table with his Inglewood plan. The Carson project is anyone's guess as to where they will actually come up with the money and if the site itself will be accepted with it being a superfund site.

In all, it would appear that the Inglewood project is the surest thing but I think that all changes if things line up against a move. I think we all know that Stan has the wherewithal to pull it off and possibly the desire to do so. But if St Louis comes up with a solid financing plan that doesn't create a negative position for Stan and has everything in place, I have a hard time seeing the NFL backing a move. The NFL might not legally be able to block a move but having them behind a move will be very important in the grand scheme of things.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[RamFan503]

It's not enough to just pick up and move a team...you need to move it to a place where it will succeed. If your team isn't profitable it can't last and it can't draw the talent needed to win. The NFL is the most popular sport in America so if a city has an NFL team; that team cannot be the third most popular sports attraction in that city. If your ML Baseball team and your local University's football team out draws your NFL team it isn't good.

Huh?

The Dodgers are and pretty much have always been the biggest draw in LA with well over 4 MILLION fans per season. You could argue that hockey with the success of the Kings is more popular than football to the LA fans right now. The Lakers have always been as LA as LA gets. Suddenly the Clippers are no longer the red headed bastard son and are very popular. USC averaged over 73k fans per game and UCLA over 76k. You could argue that the Rams might be the fourth or fifth most popular team in LA if they should move there.

 

[Hacksaw]

How could the Rams be the most popular in LA at all,, besides their old fanbase? I mean really,, they been gone for 20 years. That said I'm sure we'd all be amazed at how many Rams fans would come out of the closet if they returned.
Obviously we can't compare Major League Baseball or even NHL or NBA ball two NFL football attendance. baseball and football arenas are approximately the same size but MLB offers 80 plus more home games per season. NBA / NHL 40. on a per game basis wouldn't be fair because those products are diluted by comparison where the NFL isn't..

 

[RAMSinLA]

Huh?

The Dodgers are and pretty much have always been the biggest draw in LA with well over 4 MILLION fans per season. You could argue that hockey with the success of the Kings is more popular than football to the LA fans right now. The Lakers have always been as LA as LA gets. Suddenly the Clippers are no longer the red headed bastard son and are very popular. USC averaged over 73k fans per game and UCLA over 76k. You could argue that the Rams might be the fourth or fifth most popular team in LA if they should move there.

The Lakers, Dodgers, Angels, and Kings are all well supported in LA but there is nothing like the support that an NFL team could should and must bring to a city. As I stated and I think it is undeniable that the NFL rules in the USA. Every NFL team owner wants their team to be the number one sporting draw in the city for ticket and merchandise sales. The owner wants his stadium filled with fans of his team not the visiting team. The Rams can achieve that in LA faster than any other team mentioned whether it's the Raiders or the Chargers or Jags. The Rams growth in fan base will be off the charts by just announcing the return to LA. And Stan and the NFL knows it. I think we all must also admit that the Rams ticket sales have seen better days in St Louis. Just sayin. And in my opinion the Clippers will never be anything besides the red headed step child in Los Angeles...We all still call them the San Diego Clippers!

 

[RAMSinLA]

How could the Rams be the most popular in LA at all,, besides their old fanbase? I mean really,, they been gone for 20 years. That said I'm sure we'd all be amazed at how many Rams fans would come out of the closet if they returned.
Obviously we can't compare Major League Baseball or even NHL or NBA ball two NFL football attendance. baseball and football arenas are approximately the same size but MLB offers 80 plus more home games per season. NBA / NHL 40. on a per game basis wouldn't be fair because those products are diluted by comparison where the NFL isn't..

Google Bring back the Rams to LA...20 years is not a lifetime or even a generation. The Rams still have a huge number of fans in Los Angeles that have been salivating for 20 years for their return. There is a buzz in the city with all of the latest news reports regarding Stan's land purchase. Of course I'm no fortune teller so this is only my opinion and best estimate of the future.