Rams parallels in Chargers relocation rumors
by VanRam on Jan 28, 2009 10:40 AM CST
in News
9 comments
It's been a long time since that ugly 'R' word - relocation - came up for the Rams, though it's consistently written between the lines, taunting St. Louis area fans and tantalizing our friends in LA. I supposed as long as Los Angeles - the number two television market in the US - continues to be without a pro football team, relocation stories are going to pop up every time there's a rumbling of discord out there. So what's the relocation talk today?
Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on where you live and who you root for) this time it's the San Diego Chargers that could be packing up and heading to north. Talk surfaced yesterday when the news was reported that the Chargers hired an LA-based marketing firm to help establish their brand in LA and Orange County. (What, a marketing firm in LA dealing with entertainment? They have those?) That news coincided with the Chargers ongoing frackus with the city of San Diego over a new stadium, and when Chargers front office people say things like,
"The bottom line is Los Angeles and Orange County are two of the most lucrative markets in the world. There’s no NFL team in those markets, and there’s no reason the Chargers can’t pursue those areas in these difficult economic times."
Well, you can see where such speculation comes from in the larger context.
More interesting in all of this and where the Chargers situation really, eerily mirrors the Rams' is their decision not to opt out of their stadium exit clause for 2009, for the small fee of $56.2 million. Where the parallel ends is that out fee; the Rams, as far as I can tell all the reporting on the subject, do not have to pay a fee for their "top 25 venue by 2015" clause to opt out of the lease on the Ed Jones Dome...or whatever it'll be named in six years. The Rams can simply just leave.
Now who knows where the economy will be in 2015, but the city will most certainly turn to the taxpayers for the required renovations or new facility for the team. And that's where it gets murky and generally not fun to talk about. The cost of relocation might prevent anything immediately, but the team could have new owners by that point too. (I'm still holding out hope that the league will tweak the rules to let Stan Kroenke and those deeper Wal-Mart lined pockets to take majority control).
Stay tuned.
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I will
be furious if the Rams leave. I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll do it angrily.
by Toddius on Jan 28, 2009 1:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
GO
MOVE CHARGERS, leave the rams alone, enough moving for a freakin franchise. If the rams re-re-locate back to LA, I’ll take it out violently.
by sergey606 on Jan 28, 2009 6:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
No one will notice
You live in Alaska. Be kind to moose.
A teenage boy with a sprit inside
Of a Samurai warrior who long ago died.
Now he's O....O....O....O Oshikuru!
O....O....O....O Oshikuru!
My oh My he's a demon Samurai
Who's the guy who had to die.......Oshikuru!
by Tackle Box on Jan 28, 2009 9:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
If I live in LA, I'd say "enough is enough"
Just give it up. Pro football has failed in Los Angeles multiple times. People don’t go, they don’t sell out the stadiums, and then no one can watch because of the NFL’s blackout rules. The NFL sees a massive TV market and thinks its missing out, but in truth they aren’t. No team is going to move there and suddenly be bigger than the Lakers or USC.
"Attaway to stomp 'em. Stomp the piss out of 'em. Stomp 'em when they're down. Kick 'em and stomp 'em. Attaway to go boys. Pound that old Budweiser into you and go get them tomorrow." -- Joe Schultz
by taiko on Jan 28, 2009 6:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Yet somehow...
2 basketball, baseball, hockey, major college programs, and heck even soccer programs are able to stay afloat.
Remove the stupid blackout rules and LA would host a team just fine.
Also, the Chargers, by moving to LA, would be moving into Raider Nation (aka East LA) which would not bode well for them.
Oh, and if a team were to move to LA… please let it be the Rams.
by BruinHalo on Jan 28, 2009 10:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
"Remove the stupid blackout rules and LA would host a team just fine."
But see, herein lies the problem. The blackout rule should have no effect on a team in a city the size of Los Angeles. If it’s a concern, then they shouldn’t have a team because LA should sell out every game no matter what.
A teenage boy with a sprit inside
Of a Samurai warrior who long ago died.
Now he's O....O....O....O Oshikuru!
O....O....O....O Oshikuru!
My oh My he's a demon Samurai
Who's the guy who had to die.......Oshikuru!
by Tackle Box on Jan 29, 2009 12:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
LA Story
Too many distractions, too many transplants, too many bandwagon fans that only show up when the team is winning (although that is happening in STL now). Georgia effectively ran the team into the ground here in LA and the fans responded exactly how she wanted them to. They didn’t go. Put a winning product on the field or in the least, have an owner who can at least act as if they are putting a winning product on the field and “they will come.”
However, I wouldn’t want to steal the Rams from you good folks.
Maybe we can swap franchises back? You get the Cardinals back, we get the Rams back, Phoenix gets the expansion team. Everyone’s happy.
by Downing Rules on Jan 31, 2009 9:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
"Put a winning product on the field or in the least, have an owner who can at least act as if they are putting a winning product on the field and "they will come."
That’s no different than any other city.
Every argument I see for LA doesn’t seem to be much of an argument at all. First I see the one about lifting the blackout rule, now it’s about putting a winning team on the field.
But, that’s probably the exact reasoning that the NFL is going to use to get the Rams back in LA. Let’s make every excuse for the city and give them every break just so we can have a team in the 2nd largest tv market even though they won’t sell out and their tv ratings won’t be that much better than where they are now due to competition or lack of interest.
A teenage boy with a sprit inside
Of a Samurai warrior who long ago died.
Now he's O....O....O....O Oshikuru!
O....O....O....O Oshikuru!
My oh My he's a demon Samurai
Who's the guy who had to die.......Oshikuru!
by Tackle Box on Feb 1, 2009 10:42 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
What about a 2nd team for Dallas?
Is there any chance it would work? Or is it a dream merger of mine that has no chance? Keep in mind, it is football country. High school playoffs for Texas get played in Texas Stadium, we’ve got the Cotton Bowl, and the Cowboys (along with the Yankees) are the most unrespectable franchise in American professional sports. Here’s a vote for moving the Rams (if they have to. I’d rather see them just stay somewhere for a good 50 years) to Dallas… specifically Northside near the ex-Pres and Tom Hicks.
Jay Zygmunt, now that you have fired yourself, please have yourself hired by Seattle. Thanks.
by 3k on Jan 28, 2009 8:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
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