NFL Merry-Go-Round: Relocation Roundelay

[HedleyLamarr]

I didn't hear it, but this is from an interview Rams Executive VP of Football Operations and COO Kevin Demoff on SiriusXM.

SiriusXM NFL Radio @SiriusXMNFL

Demoff said camp attendance is outstanding. Close to 2,500 to 3,000 fans for weekend sessions. Bigger local buzz around team this yr as well

SiriusXM NFL Radio @SiriusXMNFL

#Rams begin yr-to-yr lease with Edward Jones Dome after 2014 season. Demoff said new stadium would take 5-7 yrs to iron out entire process

SiriusXM NFL Radio @SiriusXMNFL

Demoff said talks with local officials will address whether Edward Jones Dome can be sufficiently upgraded or new stadium should be built

SiriusXM NFL Radio @SiriusXMNFL

Demoff stressed most important thing right now is for #Rams to win. Obviously, that makes any stadium negotiations easier

I think that second one says a ton, although it's just in line with everything the Rams (through Demoff) have been saying for two years. Even though the Rams will have their freedom in two seasons, the Rams aren't making threats and are instead openly discussing a 5-7 year timeline (not deadline) for striking a deal (or maybe having construction finished).

Nothing is off the table, but it just doesn't appear the Rams have anything in their plans but figuring something out in St. Louis.

The Rams are also in the business of selling tickets and making money. Even if they were dead-set on moving to Los Angeles at the first opportunity, they're gonna say all the things that the locals want to hear so that they continue to sell tickets. Otherwise, you piss off fans and sponsors and you lose money.

Until a stadium starts getting built, just consider any sort of good news sent out by the Rams or the media as window-dressing......

[Gothamite]

That's what I've been saying for years.

The Rams don't need to threaten. They have all the leverage in this situation. The lease is written in their favor, and the city's last leverage went away when they lost at arbitration.

They can present the best smiling face to the city with no worries. Doesn't necessarily mean anything more than they hold all the cards.

[theSLVRBCK]

Exactly.... I love what Khan and Co. have done since taking over Jacksonville. But believe me when I say I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. They have said all the right things and even done all the right things in regards to how they have dealt with the questions and the people of Jacksonville. But I understand that he is a business man, like all the other owners, and none of them can be trusted when it comes to making a dollar.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Well, we've been saying a new form of transportation is what's needed before the NFL in London can be a reality.

Enter the hyperloop. See you in 10 years.

[OnWis97]

I'd say the Vikings are backin the LA hunt.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/219507711.html

Hey Gov. Dayton: You sleep with dogs and you'll wake up with fleas. It's time to let the Vikings go.

[oldschoolvikings]

I'd say the Vikings are backin the LA hunt.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/219507711.html

Hey Gov. Dayton: You sleep with dogs and you'll wake up with fleas. It's time to let the Vikings go.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/59441/what-does-vikings-stadium-delay-mean

[OnWis97]

I'd say the Vikings are backin the LA hunt.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/219507711.html

Hey Gov. Dayton: You sleep with dogs and you'll wake up with fleas. It's time to let the Vikings go.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/59441/what-does-vikings-stadium-delay-mean

We shall see. Either way...perhaps they could have explored this earlier.

[STL FANATIC]

The top two sources in St. Louis for information on the Rams stadium issue are now both stating with confidence that the Rams new stadium will be built on the riverfront somewhere between the current dome and the new I-70 Stan Musial bridge over the Mississippi.

Those two sources are Bernie Miklasz and Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It's fair to say their information is coming from the same place, although it should be noted that they aren't always just repeating each other or anything.

This is more notable for those of us in St. Louis wondering where the stadium will end up. I don't expect it to be viewed as any particularly strong evidence one way or another by those still wondering whether they'll be in St. Louis or not. But I thought I'd mention it anyways.

[rams80]

Just had a very audible "Go Pack Go" chant going in the Rams stadium during the preseason game tonight.

So about that local enthusiasm for the team....

[CubsFanBudMan]

Let's not do this preseason bashing again this year. Who really cares about preseason?

And since when do Packers fans not travel well?

I was at last year's Bears-Cowboys regular-season game in Arlington and half the stadium started out Bears fans and when it finished it was closer to 90 percent of what was left. Move the Cowboys! No local enthusiasm!

[STL FANATIC]

Yep. There's been a dramatic gain in local enthusiasm. That's a fact and it's supported by things like training camp attendance.

Pre-season attendance and infiltration by one of the biggest, most devoted, and relatively close fan bases makes for the kind of quips you and others like to make, but it's not particularly relevant in making any sorts of judgements on the excitement of a fan base.

And then there's also the notion that fan support isn't going to be a particularly big factor in the long-term future of the franchise. The Rams and the NFL are satisfied with the potential of this market (especially as it pertains to fan support). This will come down to a stadium deal (in one place or another).

[STL FANATIC]

Good article on MMQB about the state of the Chargers stadium situation: http://mmqb.si.com/2013/08/16/qualcomm-stadium/?sct=nfl_t1t_a4

The summary: San Diego's lack of city govt. (mayoral) leadership has a stadium solution about as far away as ever, but Spanos still very much appears committed to San Diego.If nothing changes in San Diego, Spanos' stance likely will, but there's no indication that is imminent.

[rams80]

Yep. There's been a dramatic gain in local enthusiasm. That's a fact and it's supported by things like training camp attendance.

Pre-season attendance and infiltration by one of the biggest, most devoted, and relatively close fan bases makes for the kind of quips you and others like to make, but it's not particularly relevant in making any sorts of judgements on the excitement of a fan base.

And then there's also the notion that fan support isn't going to be a particularly big factor in the long-term future of the franchise. The Rams and the NFL are satisfied with the potential of this market (especially as it pertains to fan support). This will come down to a stadium deal (in one place or another).

You tout training camp attendance. How does it compare to the rest of the league?

[STL FANATIC]

I have no idea. But I didn't tout the Rams training camp attendance in comparison to the rest of the league, I touted it as an example of the increased excitement about the Rams around St. Louis (or in other words, in comparison to past years' training camp attendance).

[Cosmic]

Even when the Sabres were selling out every game with thousands on the waiting list for season tickets and winning the Presidents Trophy, there were still tons of Leafs fans in the building. It's really not a big deal that some Pack fans come down for a preseason game.

[The_Admiral]

The reality of NFL geography is that when you have a game in St. Louis, you're gonna get a lot of Packers fans. And Bears fans. And Chiefs fans. And Colts fans. And inevitably Cowboys fans and Steelers fans. But you better watch the hell out when Carolina comes to town!

[STL FANATIC]

Seriously, that's about right. When all the Rams play a game against a team with fans that don't travel well, and all those seats that are sometimes taken up by opposing fans aren't taken up at all, then we can talk about attendance issues.

I'm not saying Rams attendance is amazing, but it's not like if (in a regular season game) you prohibited Packers fans from buying tickets that none of those seats would be bought by Rams fans. In fact many (I won't claim all) would be. But fan bases like the Packers see those games on the schedule and they buy them right away. And yes, there are probably plenty of Rams "fans" happy to sell to Packers buyers as well (especially in the pre-season).

The Rams are in a tough spot with games like that, some of it their own fault, some of it just the circumstance their in, and hey, fine, maybe some of it St. Louis' fault.

The Rams are only in their 19th season in St. Louis. They've had very little chunks of success and a great deal of massive failure. Until Kroenke took full control, they made virtually no effort to market themselves outside of the St. Louis metro region. And they happen to be pretty centrally located amongst a lot of the biggest most traditional fan bases (Goth mentioned them—Green Bay, Chicago, KC, and even Dallas and Pittsburgh).

That combination means a fan base that isn't necessarily "through thick and thin" (yet), so there's available tickets. And it also means a lot of people in or surrounding the St. Louis metro area have always been or have adopted some of those other Midwest(ish) teams as their team. So not only are those fan bases buying the tickets and traveling, in some cases it's not even much of a trip.

Point is the Rams fan base in St. Louis is fine and has potential to be really good. It's not the biggest bestest fan base in the country or the midwest, but that's ok. And having opposing fans coming to the stadium, even in large amounts, isn't exactly a death knell.

As usual, I've written an essay instead of leaving it alone. Sorry guys. I almost want to delete it and leave it be, but then my last 8 minutes would be a waste!

[rams80]

You say these things, and yet I can't help but think that St. Louis is a city-crippling stadium deal away from being Glendale. I did note how the Rams were telling fans WE HAVE PLENTY OF TICKETS AVAILABLE for every game except Chicago a couple of weeks ago.

One more thing about the training camp bit. The Rams don't charge admission. So tell the best fans in baseball to not break their arms patting themselves on the back for upping training camp attendance. Local support still seems to only be a couple of centimeters deep.

[STL FANATIC]

You're just putting a LOT more into my statement about training camp then there was. You essentially called BS on the statement that excitement for the Rams is up. I mentioned the training camp attendance (the stat is that it's up about 70%) as evidence that excitement is indeed up.

And it is.

That doesn't mean this city is ready to paint all it's buildings navy and gold. It means excitement about the Rams is up this year. And nobody is patting themselves on the back over it. It was a stat that made the media, and it was relevant to our conversation.

The Rams are probably at least a playoff year away from not having a good chunk of tickets available in the weeks leading up to a game. That doesn't mean they won't sell by the time game week rolls around. I certainly didn't claim anything to the contrary.

Also, while a truly bad stadium deal would hurt St. Louis (but note that not every potential stadium deal is necessarily bad), this city has essentially nothing in common with Glendale. St. Louis has taken its licks over many, many decades for many reasons. It appears to finally be heading in the proper direction. One thing it is not, is heavily in debt. The city has largely been fiscally responsible. It is nowhere near Glendale.

I'm a homer and an optimist. But I'm not being an extremist. You're flirting with being one in the other direction, though.

[BigMac12]

Wait, Demoff is still saying the Rams are considering renovating the EJD? STLfanatic you credulous fool.