Stan Kroenke appreciation thread

[Merlin]

I know some of you are still pi$$ed at him. But I was discussing this today at work with some other rabid fans (non-Rams fans but hey you gotta settle sometimes) and the difference in ownership is so profound that it deserves some conversation IMO.

Some of you don't remember this, but I recall clearly the team that Georgia mismanaged, or rather allowed her non-football cronies to mismanage. Shaw was a smart dude, not taking anything away from him, but he was too much beancounter and not enough football exec. And Ziggy, well, let's just say that words alone cannot explain how relieved I am to have an owner for my favorite team who is willing to build a knowledgeable front office that can hopefully sustain a nice window of success.

Even worse was the way she FIRED the son of the man who passed the team to her. What a damn joke that whole thing was holy F. I mean honestly, if I knew then what I know now (irt how important owners are) I would have found a new team.

Fast forward to now and we have an owner who immediately upgraded this franchise by hiring a good leader of men in Fish. Like him or hate him, he's at least an average head coach and that's saying something given what Stan inherited. Stan then allowed him just about a full term to install his team before moving on to one of the most brilliant and franchise-changing hires of all time for this team IMO.

I've given Kevin some flak here (before he actually started signing some of our top players) but it's pretty clear now that he and Les Snead make a good team in support of Sean & Wade. The franchise really is set up for long term success and it's in large part to the man who also solved the LA stadium issue for the league.

We are incredibly fortunate dudes. Our Rams are an elite franchise now. Hopefully big playoff wins that accompany and prove teams to be elite will follow sooner than later.

 

[Merlin]

Ok now I'm going to remove my lips from his wrinkled posterior and say it: SIGN99...!!!! WEEEEEEEE!!!!!

 

[nanotech]

Strange hero worship. I have worked for the last 10 years for a member of the family that did investment banking for Sam Walton. They don't seem to view him that way . Look up the Stephens family.

 

[ReekofRams]

Ok now I'm going to remove my lips from his wrinkled posterior and say it: SIGN99...!!!! WEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Yeah I even heard that posterior lip smack.

 

[OldSchool]

Strange hero worship. I have worked for the last 10 years for a member of the family that did investment banking for Sam Walton. They don't seem to view him that way . Look up the Stephens family.

If you've gotten to even a tenth the wealth he and his wife have and haven't made some people made or made some enemies you've likely been given the money by a dying parent.

 

[RamFan503]

If you've gotten to even a tenth the wealth he and his wife have and haven't made some people made or made some enemies you've likely been given the money by a dying parent.

I would go farther in saying that if you have succeeded even a thousandth of where SK has, you’d have a great many people on the ready to talk shit about you. Interestingly though, you could probably find all kinds of info on how straight forward he is in his business dealings.

People bitch about him coming out ahead? Go figure.

 

[1maGoh]

Strange hero worship. I have worked for the last 10 years for a member of the family that did investment banking for Sam Walton. They don't seem to view him that way . Look up the Stephens family.

So should I just Google "Stephens" and they'll be the only people to come up or is their some way to narrow that down?

 

[bubbaramfan]

Appreciation? OK, when he writes me a big fat check.

 

[jjab360]

Meh. Mixed feelings I guess. I'll say I respect him as a business man as far as someone who knows what he wants and is smart enough to put people in charge who can get it for him. I do have a sneaking suspicion that end of the day, though, a man like Kroenke is all about what you can do for him and not the other way around. That's what it takes to make it to the top, after all.

 

[HellRam]

Kroenke has or atleast help make the Rams a relevant team again. I don't know much about the dude. But from a football perspective, I can appreciate what he has helped to create.

 

[Karate61]

I love Stan!!!

My dad had season tickets the whole run at Anaheim. At the end of one game, I think Redskins, and just before they moved to St. Louis, some people dropped a huge sign. It was there for 3-4 minutes before the ushers ripped it down. The sign only had 4 words, but were big black letters on a white background. The sign really stood out. Those 4 words were, "GEORGIA IS A baby door"

So yeah, love me some Stan!

 

[FarNorth]

Kroenke deserves much more credit for his leadership of the team than he has received. He has been patient, put a great management and coaching team in place, remains engaged while letting the coaches and GM do their job, and has been totally supportive financially of whatever the team seems to need. The results the Rams are getting now speak for themselves. Not sure how it gets better than this, and it can get a lot worse with plenty of examples of flaky, meddling, or self righteous franchise owners out there. Also building a state of the art stadium without asking for public money.

 

[gogoat1]

I love Stan!!!

My dad had season tickets the whole run at Anaheim. At the end of one game, I think Redskins, and just before they moved to St. Louis, some people dropped a huge sign. It was there for 3-4 minutes before the ushers ripped it down. The sign only had 4 words, but were big black letters on a white background. The sign really stood out. Those 4 words were, "GEORGIA IS A baby door"

So yeah, love me some Stan!

I second that. Worst owner in the history of pro sports.
BTW, how did that get changed to 'baby door" ?

 

[yrba1]

He's an excellent owner for the Rams, but his ownership is suspect with the Colorado sports teams he owns and Arsenal. Although with Arsenal, the team has fully paid off their debts for the Emirates Stadium and will be curious with how he handles the team's long-term financial leverage compared to other spending giants in the EPL.

For the Rams, the nature of the salary cap will make retaining players including our superstars manageable.

 

[VegasRam]

Strange hero worship. I have worked for the last 10 years for a member of the family that did investment banking for Sam Walton. They don't seem to view him that way . Look up the Stephens family.

Care to explain?
Like, uh... what the fuck does your sister’s uncle’s brother’s friend’s neighbor’s cousin have to do with anything.

Please be more specific, or better yet....

Stan Kroenke is the best thing to happen to the Rams since Eric Dickerson.

Christ - everyday I am dumbfounded by what people put online. But thanks for playing Rook.

 

[VegasRam]

I second that. Worst owner in the history of pro sports.
BTW, how did that get changed to 'baby door" ?

Don’t know. But I know what the sign said, and totally concur.

 

[Farr Be It]

I second that. Worst owner in the history of pro sports.
BTW, how did that get changed to 'baby door" ?

:burp: "Oh...see, that's what happens when you don't pull out fast enough."

 

[96GS#007]

Kind of depends on perspective. I live in LA now but was living in St. Louis (until 2005) while the Rams were there. I was a season ticket holder and I passed those along to my parents when I left StL. As an owner while in St. Louis, he did everything he could to wreck the team and the fan base. The whole operation was a Class A dumpster fire. The worst part is that he lied to the fan base about wanting to keep the team there and he trashed the entire metro area on the way out. Frankly, if he'd have simply been honest about his intentions when he bought the team, while there would have been fans that were upset, the city as a whole would have appreciated and respected the communication.

The flip side, is that it's kind of neat to have "your" team follow you from one city to the next. The new stadium will be beyond reproach and the effort being put into building the brand here has been impressive.

Obviously I still cheer for the team but I really struggle with showing any appreciation for Stan. "Tolerance" is probably a better description.

 

[Zodi]

He gets a lot of hate from football fans on the internet, particularly those who grew up in a world where the Rams were from St. Louis. Those people only know Georgia as the owner that won a title after moving the Rams.

I love what he's done since taking over. He took a team that was pretty much irrelevant-- getting absolutely zero media attention-- and down right a laughingstock of the league into one of the most exciting (and valuable) franchises the NFL has ever seen. Oh, and that new stadium... I cant wait to see it in person.

 

[HX76]

As long as he makes the Rams successful and Arsenal unsuccessful he’s alright by me. What I can’t believe is though someone has dropped a big C Bomb on this thread *shakes head and wags finger*.