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NFL Merry-Go-Round: Relocation Roundelay


duma

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St. Louis supports/ed Rams football fine. This discussion could go on and on. Support while the Rams were good was great. Support while they've been bad has not shockingly not been great. This isn't unique to St. Louis. You see this all over the NFL. St. Louis has had decent (not necessarily good, just decent) football teams for something like 12 out of 48 years of professional football or something. The market has never been given a chance to be an awesome fan base.

The discussion about whether Rams fans should have had some big showing to prove their worth this year is one thing. But the notion that St. Louis is undeserving of or unable to support an NFL is awfully silly.

This is a financial decision for Kroenke. It could have been an emotional one (although that appears not to be the case). But it's not one based on what the fans of a given market deserve.

I'll let it go at that, until this topic comes up again in a month in which case I say the same thing with different words.

There's a good writer who did a good piece over at http://rejecttheshield.com/

Dude needs to keep an eye on his grammar.

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Dude needs to keep an eye on his grammar.

We're gonna go halfsies on an Exciting New Vertical for the CCSLC, homerwardbound.sportslogos.net. We'll feature Midwestern passive aggression and immaculate grammar.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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St. Louis supports/ed Rams football fine. This discussion could go on and on. Support while the Rams were good was great. Support while they've been bad has not shockingly not been great. This isn't unique to St. Louis. You see this all over the NFL. St. Louis has had decent (not necessarily good, just decent) football teams for something like 12 out of 48 years of professional football or something. The market has never been given a chance to be an awesome fan base.

The discussion about whether Rams fans should have had some big showing to prove their worth this year is one thing. But the notion that St. Louis is undeserving of or unable to support an NFL is awfully silly.

This is a financial decision for Kroenke. It could have been an emotional one (although that appears not to be the case). But it's not one based on what the fans of a given market deserve.

I'll let it go at that, until this topic comes up again in a month in which case I say the same thing with different words.

There's a good writer who did a good piece over at http://rejecttheshield.com/

Dude needs to keep an eye on his grammar.

I think he rushed it and thought about getting back to it to clean it up but then decided he didn't feel like it because whatever.

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It would be weird to see the NFL let an owner walk away from a deal with substantial public money on the table, but they may anyways.

If St. Louis hadn't tried to low-ball them, and had lived up to the terms of the lease, we wouldn't be in this situation. We can talk about "the rules" all you want, but that was the only rule that really mattered.

I really don't put much stock into that. The terms of the lease are what allowed St. Louis to "low ball" the Rams and what allows the Rams to go year-to-year. That's all part of the lease.

St. Louis didn't break the lease. They utilized a clause in the lease as they saw fit. Just as the Rams are now doing.

It's at this point that the Rams stadium is considered untenable and the Rams have an out, and yet Kroenke won't engage in reasonable negotiations.

Even if you apply your standard, I'd argue the Rams "high-balled" with their bid. Neither side made an offer entering arbitration that was remotely reasonable.

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Don't the Jaguars have some kind of super lease that they can't break without like a billion dollars? Or am I confusing them with someone else?

I like the (impossible) idea of trading the Rams for the Jags then moving the Jags, except... I'd like them to somehow still be the LA Rams. That would create a ridiculous Browns/Hornets bogus history type thing of course, but whatever - the league makes it up as it goes along, and is (as that Cowboys game showed us) only one step above WWE anyway.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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No, you're correct. That's why I think it's unlikely. The players involved make sense, but the lease they have does not. I think they have to show a net loss for like 5 straight years in order to break the lease before 2030 or something like that.

I don't think it'd be right for the league to faux-LA Rams it. If the Rams actually move back there so be it. But if it's actually the Jags, it's not fair to St. Louis to take the Rams identity away. The Rams have been in St. Louis for 20 years and do have a SB and another SB appearance, and before long a handful of HOFers.

The Rams identity is one I'm not sure any city can really claim as their own at this point.

Now, personally, I wouldn't mind starting over with a unique St. Louis identity. So *I* would actually be okay with it. But I'm not sure if that'd be the overwhelming opinion of St. Louis fans.

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Dude needs to keep an eye on his grammar.

We're gonna go halfsies on an Exciting New Vertical for the CCSLC, homerwardbound.sportslogos.net. We'll feature Midwestern passive aggression and immaculate grammar.
homeralone2lostinnewyork.sportslogos.net was already taken?
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This is an intriguing development. The timing works out well for the Hollywood Park site, with the stadium being on the ballot this year and with the NFL setting its sites on an LA move in 2016. The only hangup is the lame-duck season in St. Louis should Inglewood approve.

Meh, about the only people who pay full price for tickets are the Rams' corporate partners, the secondary market dealers, and opposing fans who are too stupid/enthusiastic to hit up the secondary market.

Anyway the attendance hit is going to be overstated, especially as the home slate features Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, in addition to the NFC West partners.

EDIT, damnit, got the words confused.

Edited by rams80
On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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Is there any way that the Rams can officially be a lame-duck team before next season starts, or is there so much legal junk and "good faith" negotiating dog and pony shows that could drag the official deal (even if no announcement is made) in to next year?

I guess what I'm getting at is if there is any way a deal is done, and it's clear that STL won't support them anymore and the corporations back out of all sponsorship deals etc., is there even a 5% chance that they play a year either in another LA area site or somewhere else where at least they'd sell tickets even if just as a novelty?

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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The Rams identity is one I'm not sure any city can really claim as their own at this point.

So it stays with the franchise. This is not a Sonicsgate situation. If you propose that this is a much beloved franchise that was cruelly ripped away from millions of dedicated fans willing to pay $cashmoney to go to games and regularly pick up memorabilia, well say hello to Archimedes. St. Louis will probably be mourned more by opposing fans who have just lost their reasonably close road trip with far cheaper tickets than they would see in their home markets.

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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St. Louis supports/ed Rams football fine. This discussion could go on and on. Support while the Rams were good was great. Support while they've been bad has not shockingly not been great. This isn't unique to St. Louis. You see this all over the NFL. St. Louis has had decent (not necessarily good, just decent) football teams for something like 12 out of 48 years of professional football or something. The market has never been given a chance to be an awesome fan base.

The discussion about whether Rams fans should have had some big showing to prove their worth this year is one thing. But the notion that St. Louis is undeserving of or unable to support an NFL is awfully silly.

This is a financial decision for Kroenke. It could have been an emotional one (although that appears not to be the case). But it's not one based on what the fans of a given market deserve.

I'll let it go at that, until this topic comes up again in a month in which case I say the same thing with different words.

See, this is where the NFL is way different than the NHL, NBA, and MLB when it comes to fan support (and stadium location, etc.)....

With the others, your core fan base has to live in close proximity to the stadium, as half of your 41/81 home dates aren't on the weekends. It's hard to get families of four or folks with a 9-to-5 job to commit to season tickets. With the NFL (and to an extended degree, college football), you're not just depending on the close-by's...you're aiming your season and single-game tickets to everyone within 100 miles of the stadium.

Football games are events to the NFL. They're wanting you to invest in just eight games in the year (we'll disregard the preseason games, though the league wants you there as well). They want you to devote eight Sundays to them (or a Thursday or a Saturday or a Monday and seven Sundays). When they see half-filled venues, even if the product's been bad for years, they see that a market simply doesn't have the capability to commit to their product.

Yeah, the Rams have sucked for years, but the NFL sees that St. Louis can't even sell out a venue for just 8 days out of 365.

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Keep in mind, I'm a Jags super fan. (No duh) but from what I have seen, Khan isn't leaving Jax. He has invested so much money. I'm sure this could be owner speak, but he has expressed his love for Jax. Why does he love it? It's Florida! Potential galore. He has houses in Florida. He is a self made extravagant billionaire. Where he lays his head is home. He is traveled. He isnt home sick. Hell, look at this picture.

khan.jpg

So glad the Rams owner did what he did. It saved my franchise. Khan would have kept that team in St Louis. Kroenke had a plan when he bought St Louis. Look at him. He is dirtier than my underwear three days after I should have done the laundry.

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Kahn's team is 9-39 with no real signs of improvement under his ownership of the Jags.

I'm fine with Kroenke over that.

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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The Rams identity is one I'm not sure any city can really claim as their own at this point.

So it stays with the franchise. This is not a Sonicsgate situation. If you propose that this is a much beloved franchise that was cruelly ripped away from millions of dedicated fans willing to pay $cashmoney to go to games and regularly pick up memorabilia, well say hello to Archimedes. St. Louis will probably be mourned more by opposing fans who have just lost their reasonably close road trip with far cheaper tickets than they would see in their home markets.

You realize that the context of my statement was in a scenario in where the actual Rams franchise was staying in St. Louis, right? BBTV suggested that it should technically be the Jags franchise that went to LA, but that he'd like to see them get the Rams identity.

The last thing I'd do is suggest St. Louis is the "proper home" of the Rams identity. But if the actual franchise is still in St. Louis, then it is.

Curious to see if you can spin this post into a cheap shot at the St. Louis fan base, too though. Looking forward to your efforts.

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I don't see how they could be officially a lame-duck team, since the NFL only accepts and votes on relocation applications during January and February.

Wasn't the Browns move announced or leaked mid season? I was in college then and there wasn't really much internet, but certainly that wasn't voted on in February - unless it was just the intent that leaked, and the vote was just a formality.

If that's the case, and everyone knows that the intent is there and the vote in Jan/Feb '16 is just a formality, would Goodell let them buy out their lease and play a year either in LA or somewhere else (could use it as a test for future relo). Obviously there's work that would have to happen with networks and travel and there's not a lot of time, but it's the godsdamn NFL - they could pull it off. One season of San Antonio Rams?

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"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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One season of San Antonio Rams?

*consults google maps*

*Idbeokwiththat.jpg*

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

"The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert

POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010

The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy)

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