New: Latest on Kroenke, Rams and NFL in STL

[Legatron4]

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!

Interesting post.

 

[ChrisW]

I think we all must also admit that the Rams ticket sales have seen better days in St Louis. Just sayin.

Before you say that out loud, you should ask yourself where the ticket sales would be in LA had the Rams gone through the decade of winless football STL has supported.

Also, ticket sales were up this past year now that the Rams are on the upturn, we averaged 89% capacity in the dome.

The owner wants his stadium filled with fans of his team not the visiting team.

This is overblown, the owner doesn't care who fills the stadium, just so long as tickets are sold.

 

[RamFan503]

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!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if the Riverfront stadium is built, it will sell out for about 10 years straight. Ticket sales have declined in the Lou in no small part as a reflection of the product being put on the field. Let's be honest here. I grew up watching my Rams in the Coliseum and unfortunately at the Big A. There is no way in hell the Rams see better attendance in LA given the same product over the past ten years. Fans turn out to see a winner. I don't care where you are. If the home team is giving you 2 or 3 wins per season, you can expect to see a crap load of jerseys from the opposing team.

We all know the legend of the shitchickens stadium and fans. I can tell you first hand that ten years ago - while that stadium was still new, there were tons of Rams jerseys in that stadium during our games with them. And the shitchickens weren't nearly as bad as we have been over the past decade.

If Stan brings the Rams back to LA and puts the Rams team the St Louis fans have endured over the past decade on that field, there will be lots of empty seats and opposing jerseys. Sure he will get an initial bump where the new stadium is the place to be seen in LA. I'm sure there will be "fans" coming out of the woodwork and the place will sell out. But string together a few seasons of 1, 2, and 3 wins and all that goes out the window.

 

[RamFan503]

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.

Pretty anecdotal. Of course there are a lot of LA fans that want the Rams back. You can't translate that to the number that would purchase tickets on a regular basis.

 

[Angry Ram]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if the Riverfront stadium is built, it will sell out for about 10 years straight. Ticket sales have declined in the Lou in no small part as a reflection of the product being put on the field. Let's be honest here. I grew up watching my Rams in the Coliseum and unfortunately at the Big A. There is no way in hell the Rams see better attendance in LA given the same product over the past ten years. Fans turn out to see a winner. I don't care where you are. If the home team is giving you 2 or 3 wins per season, you can expect to see a crap load of jerseys from the opposing team.

We all know the legend of the shitchickens stadium and fans. I can tell you first hand that ten years ago - while that stadium was still new, there were tons of Rams jerseys in that stadium during our games with them. And the shitchickens weren't nearly as bad as we have been over the past decade.

If Stan brings the Rams back to LA and puts the Rams team the St Louis fans have endured over the past decade on that field, there will be lots of empty seats and opposing jerseys. Sure he will get an initial bump where the new stadium is the place to be seen in LA. I'm sure there will be "fans" coming out of the woodwork and the place will sell out. But string together a few seasons of 1, 2, and 3 wins and all that goes out the window.

Hey! shitchickens is MY word. Give credit, yo!

 

[Username]

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

LOOOOOOL

Yeah, calling out multibillion dollar organizations on their blatent bullshit is never a good idea. It's always better to just let them operate as they please no matter who they fuck over.

Pretty sure we're still in America.

Your right though. Maybe we should just keep passive aggressively sucking their dick no matter where the move the team, how they do it, and also stop caring how they treat the players.

Because Football.

 

[RamFan503]

Before you say that out loud, you should ask yourself where the ticket sales would be in LA had the Rams gone through the decade of winless football STL has supported.

Also, ticket sales were up this past year now that the Rams are on the upturn, we averaged 89% capacity in the dome.

I can answer this first hand too. No different than what you see in St Louis. Put a loser on the field and you will see attendance take a dive. There may be a honeymoon period but winning is the only thing that is lasting. Put a good product on the field in either city and the fans will buy tickets.

This is overblown, the owner doesn't care who fills the stadium, just so long as tickets are sold.

I would disagree with this. I highly doubt there is any owner in the league that would be cool with his team being the second most popular team in his own stadium. When you do the math, the ticket sales aren't the biggest money maker for him anyway. Any owner would want his team on national broadcasts or in front of as many eyeballs as possible. You do that by winning and I hate to say it but being in a huge TV market doesn't hurt.

 

[RamFan503]

Hey! shitchickens is MY word. Give credit, yo!

Meh. I've been using it since before you were a sparkle in your daddy's eye.

 

[drasconis]

this belongs up in main thread

 

[ChrisW]

I would disagree with this. I highly doubt there is any owner in the league that would be cool with his team being the second most popular team in his own stadium. When you do the math, the ticket sales aren't the biggest money maker for him anyway. Any owner would want his team on national broadcasts or in front of as many eyeballs as possible. You do that by winning and I hate to say it but being in a huge TV market doesn't hurt.

I'd wager that most NFL owners don't care because the TV revenue is shared anyway. I believe ticket sales are shared too, to a degree.

 

[Ramrasta]

I dont have a horse in the race as far as if moving or staying is the better option being from FL but I do know that a new stadium is a must. We cant allow the franchise to be playing in a bottom tier stadium even if it is a dome.

 

[12intheBox]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_8ad1290b-77de-5556-bc5c-369206ae452c.html

ST. LOUIS • A St. Louis University legal team has demanded the city of St. Louis reveal plans to use public money to pay for a new downtown football stadium, and schedule a public vote, or expect a lawsuit.

The letter threatens to further cloud the financing of Gov. Jay Nixon's $985 million riverfront arena proposal, and hopes of keeping the National Football League in St. Louis.

John Ammann, a SLU Law School professor and supervisor at the university's litigation clinic, along with three law students sent a letter on Monday to City Counselor Winston Calvert on behalf of their client, William White.

Ammann said he believes any city assistance — even vacating streets — triggers a city law requiring a public vote.

"If one person at city hall is working on this, well, then that's financial assistance for the project," Ammann said. "The law is pretty broad. It says 'direct' or 'indirect.'"


Ammann said White, who used to be homeless, is a client at the clinic and expressed his frustration that the city might spend millions of dollars on a new stadium without setting aside any extra for social services. White, according to the SLU letter, wants the city to consider setting aside 2 percent of the city's stadium funding for homeless services.

A spokesman for Nixon's two-man stadium team and Mayor Francis Slay's chief of staff both replied that comments from their offices were forthcoming.

Nixon's plan, revealed in January, is a last-ditch effort to keep the National Football League in St. Louis. Stan Kroenke, owner of the Rams, has announced plans to build a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood, Calif. NFL owners have formed a committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, and are examining several options, with a decision expected as soon as this May.

The NFL has praised Nixon's team for making steady progress on design and land acquisition.

But the SLU letter may further confuse financing strategies.

In January, Nixon's team said they expected to "extend" bonds to help cover as much as $350 million of the new stadium's cost. Currently, the state sends $12 million a year to the public authority at the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams now play, to pay down construction bonds and cover upkeep. The city and county each send $6 million.

But, last week, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said Nixon wasn't asking county taxpayers to help fund the new stadium, leaving the public questioning how the new stadium would make up the $6 million annually.

If the city has to hold a public vote before devoting its $6 million, NFL owners could question the plan's legitimacy.

 

[12intheBox]

As to the above article, how would this William White guy have standing? Where are the forum legal minds? @Stel , @DCH ?

 

[Hacksaw]

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.

Not to argue as I agree on many of your points. No doubt the buzz is going on. Whether or not the league will force stan to stay against his presumed will is another thing. Bylaws being bylaws we have to consider that an distinct possibility. it may seem counterintuitive but no doubt a piece of this puzzle.

 

[ChrisW]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_8ad1290b-77de-5556-bc5c-369206ae452c.html

ST. LOUIS • A St. Louis University legal team has demanded the city of St. Louis reveal plans to use public money to pay for a new downtown football stadium, and schedule a public vote, or expect a lawsuit.

The letter threatens to further cloud the financing of Gov. Jay Nixon's $985 million riverfront arena proposal, and hopes of keeping the National Football League in St. Louis.

John Ammann, a SLU Law School professor and supervisor at the university's litigation clinic, along with three law students sent a letter on Monday to City Counselor Winston Calvert on behalf of their client, William White.

Ammann said he believes any city assistance — even vacating streets — triggers a city law requiring a public vote.

"If one person at city hall is working on this, well, then that's financial assistance for the project," Ammann said. "The law is pretty broad. It says 'direct' or 'indirect.'"


Ammann said White, who used to be homeless, is a client at the clinic and expressed his frustration that the city might spend millions of dollars on a new stadium without setting aside any extra for social services. White, according to the SLU letter, wants the city to consider setting aside 2 percent of the city's stadium funding for homeless services.

A spokesman for Nixon's two-man stadium team and Mayor Francis Slay's chief of staff both replied that comments from their offices were forthcoming.

Nixon's plan, revealed in January, is a last-ditch effort to keep the National Football League in St. Louis. Stan Kroenke, owner of the Rams, has announced plans to build a $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood, Calif. NFL owners have formed a committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, and are examining several options, with a decision expected as soon as this May.

The NFL has praised Nixon's team for making steady progress on design and land acquisition.

But the SLU letter may further confuse financing strategies.

In January, Nixon's team said they expected to "extend" bonds to help cover as much as $350 million of the new stadium's cost. Currently, the state sends $12 million a year to the public authority at the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams now play, to pay down construction bonds and cover upkeep. The city and county each send $6 million.

But, last week, St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said Nixon wasn't asking county taxpayers to help fund the new stadium, leaving the public questioning how the new stadium would make up the $6 million annually.

If the city has to hold a public vote before devoting its $6 million, NFL owners could question the plan's legitimacy.

So, some homeless dude that goes to the SLU law clinic for help decided that he found a loophole in the law and is going to exploit it?

 

[Hacksaw]

That latest article up above has me scratching my head.. why are these people coming out of the woodwork trying to kill Nixons finance approach? this is the 2nd time now. They obviously don't feel that football is that important or that the deferred costs of doing a stadium would hinder the growth and financial health of the region.
Or they're just being a bunch of freedom consious jerks possibly on stans payroll?

 

[RamFan503]

St Louis has already demonstrated its viability. Is the LA market an attractive shiny new object to billionaires? Certainly. But the NFL DOES still belong in St Louis.

 

[RamFan503]

this belongs up in main thread

I agree. I'm going to move it there.

 

[RamFan503]

I'd wager that most NFL owners don't care because the TV revenue is shared anyway. I believe ticket sales are shared too, to a degree.

I don't think they care dollars and cents wise but owning an NFL team is as much about status as it is about money. I can almost guarantee you that these guys care. Maybe not for the reasons you and I may think should be the driving force but I do think they care.

I honestly think the LA market allure for these guys is more about status and international power than it is about cash in their pocket.

 

[RAMSinLA]

Pretty anecdotal. Of course there are a lot of LA fans that want the Rams back. You can't translate that to the number that would purchase tickets on a regular basis.

"Pretty anecdotal. Of course"
yes it is....but at this point it all is a guessing game