The National Football League would like to see a team in Los Angeles and it seems as though it’s just a matter of time until they get what they want. After a 20-year stint in St. Louis, the Rams may be moving back to southern California. Although there are a significant amount of hurdles to jump over, the appeal of bringing the Rams home to Los Angeles may be too much to keep owner, Stan Kroenke, from staying in St. Louis. Let’s hope not.
Why the Move?
The city of St. Louis has long been a great sports town, so obviously we don’t want our beloved football franchise to pack its bags for California. Despite the fact that other football teams may seem more likely to uproot their organization, like the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Buffalo Bills, the Rams just make sense, according to the NFL. Before moving to St. Louis in 1995, the Rams resided in the golden state for over 50 years as a team in the AFL and then NFL. In fact, I still have an old blanket that has “LA Rams” on it.
Now, with Kroenke recently buying 60 acres of land in the Los Angeles area, the team that was once known as “The Greatest Show on Turf” in St. Louis seems even more likely to be relocating in the near future. Although Kroenke has said that he does not have any plans for the newly-purchased land as of yet, everyone from businessmen in New York to college students at Vista College in Texas are speculating—with good reason—that the land has the specific purpose of erecting a football stadium.
Perhaps the biggest and most obvious reason for the Rams possibly returning to Los Angeles is money. With Los Angeles being the second largest media market in the United States, it has an obvious appeal that St. Louis simply cannot duplicate. Now, with the switch from southern California to Missouri viewed as a financial travesty for the NFL, the Rams could correct that mistake.
Obstacles of Relocating
For a large-scale transition in the NFL there will certainly be plenty of hurdles to jump over. Even with all of their history in Los Angeles, the Rams will not get a free pass to move cities. Rather, Kroenke and his franchise will have to abide by a strict and expensive set of guidelines. One of the non-financial factors involved in the potential relocation of the Rams, will be whether or not the move will get the blessings of enough owners. By rule, 24 of the NFL’s owners will have to sign off on the transition in order for Los Angeles to restart the franchise.
Additionally, the Rams would have to get better fan support than they did during the first spell in Los Angeles. Although there would definitely be booming support if the team were to return to Southern California, the lack of long-term attendance and overall fan support was one of the reasons the franchise left in the first place. Let’s look at the other teams in the city or area: Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angeles, Kings, Galaxy, and USC. All of those are major players, and most have been playing great lately, with the Kings being the most recent to bring home a championship. The Rams would have to do some damage on the football field in order to get a successful fan base. So right now, perhaps the Rams’ recent poor play will help them stay in St. Louis.
While no one knows for sure if the Rams we’ll move, we can all hope that the NFL comes to its senses and leaves them here.
