Thoughts about the St. Louis Rams Relocation
As a young, native St. Louisan, one of the most iconic sports moments was seeing David Freese’s heroics in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. Growing up in the best sports city in America, I have learned that St. Louis should not be taken for granted. I go to school in Tampa, Florida. Having been to Buccaneers, Lightning, and Rays games, I can tell you that I was underwhelmed and not really entertained. The Rams, Blues, and Cardinals were my teams. Or, so I thought.Â
I guess there is a day in every sports fan’s memories that is remembered forever. Some good and some bad. In this case, January 12, 2016 will be a date that live live in infamy for much of St. Louis. The owner of the St. Louis Rams, Stan Enos Kroenke, left for the dollar signs of Los Angeles. Funny, because I recall Mr. Kroenke stating in 2010 that he would do all that he could to keep the Rams in St. Louis. Mr. Kroenke, a native Missourian, was named after two baseball players that you might have heard of - Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter. Mr. Korenke is enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Who would have thought that he would later stab the good, hardworking city of St. Louis in the back? For Stan Kroenke to call the City of St. Louis and its community "broke, virtually deceased, undeserving" is outright slander. The City offered up approximatley $1.1 BILLION dollars for a new, outdoor stadium. And for Rodger Goodell to call this project inadequate? Give me a break. We can talk more about Mr. Goodell later.Â
And to blame the City for the Rams ranking last on NFL attendance? The Rams have had one of the worst winning percentages the past few years. Go back to 1999 or 2000 or 2001. I certainly remember the dome being standing capacity and loud. An quote by Christine Brennan of USA Today: “St. Louis sports fans are smart. They are widely considered to be the best baseball fans in the country. They realize the product that has been put on their football field is inferior, and they are doing what most reasonable people in a great sports town do — refuse to pay for it. To add insult to injury, Kroenke readily heaps praise in his application on San Diego and Oakland, the homes of his competitors in the battle for L.A..” When Mr. Kroenkie walked to the podium on Tuesday, no wonder he had not talked to the press for so long. Starting out with “Umm...well...” it was like he had no clue what was going on.
Lets talk about Rodger Goodell now. Is his heart really “black as a hockey puck?” Yup. It is bad enough that he has a rap on the way he has handled the Ray Rice indecent. Now, he systematically caused the City of St. Louis to loose NFL football. Mr. Goodell said that he was disappointed they couldn't get it one for fans in St. Louis and also said they would continue to work with those markets. Mr. Goodell, you have lied to St. Louis this entire time, and this is just another flagrant lie! What about that extra $100 million for the stadium? So it is not alright for St. Louis to have, but for Oakland or the Chargers, it is OK?Â
I am confident that the NFL rigged the entire process. The amount of contradictory statements by Rodger Goodell and overall "secrecy" of Kroenke points to corruption. It's sad that money is the root of all of this but St. Louis will move on. We are a proud city. My family was original PSL owners when the Rams came to town in 1995. My first game was in 1996. My last game was the Color Rush game on 17 Dec. 2015 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It would be the last time the Rams played in St. Louis. I will miss the Rams. But I will not miss Mr. Kroenke. Good riddance to him.Â
Photo taken during the XXXIV Super Bowl parade.Â
Photo taken at the last home game of the St. Louis Rams vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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