Louis Rams blast city as National Football League relocation application goes public

Among the 12 factors that “may” be considered are fan loyalty, the willingness of a city to help pay for a new stadium, and the degree to which a team has “engaged in good faith negotiations”.

The NFL announced today that three teams-the Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers-have applied to relocate their teams to L.A. Why? With the proposal submitted and statement to the fans, the Rams are official in the mix for relocation.

A 29-page document obtained Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times lays out the team’s rationale for why it should be able to leave St. Louis and how it believes such a move would ultimately strengthen the NFL.

The Rams also added that they could host nearly any NFL-related event in their proposed new stadium.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, a real estate billionaire who still lives in Missouri, has proposed building a $1.8 billion stadium in Inglewood, California, with plans to put the Rams back in the market they left to move to St. Louis in 1995. To assuage concerns about hypocrisy, the Rams state that the three million square foot stadium would provide ample space for both home teams to operate freely, complete with identical locker rooms, offices, and owner suites. The plan calls for a stadium seating 80,000 fans and is part of a movement to revamp Hollywood Park into a multipurpose entertainment mecca.

Those backing the stadium proposal argue it would bring the much needed jobs, revenue, and development to the city.

Sep 4, 2015; Inglewood, CA, USA; General aerial view of Hollywood Park racetrack.

The Chargers and Raiders want to partner on a stadium on the suburb of Carson, while Rams owner Stan Kroenke has plans to build a stadium complex in Inglewood.

However, we all know what Kroenke is really doing here. But a year ago the L.A. Clippers sold for $2 billion, and National Basketball Association teams are typically worth a fraction of NFL team values.

As for the team’s declining attendance, Peacock noted that the Rams haven’t had a winning record since 2003, “and you’ve had uncertainty relative to their desire to be in the market for three to four years”.

If the Rams do not get approval, what would Kroenke do next?

On Wednesday, the Rams reluctantly released a copy of the proposal in which the team released the contents of its bowels onto the head of St. Louis. It may end up that the owners approve none of the proposals, preferring to keep LA as the carrot that forces other cities to cough up public funding for new playgrounds for millionaires and billionaires.

Kroenke talked about the new stadium plan in the league submission. Under the city’s stadium proposal, St. Louis would pitch in $150 million of the estimated $1.1 billion stadium cost.

In the application, the report expresses how relocating the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles will actually strengthen the league.