Arsenal Fans Calling Stan Kroenke Cheap; Rams Fans Can't Say The Same

The language of sports fans is universal, even if the actual language itself is not. Of course, when it comes to the English Premier League, it's not an issue. Fans of the Arsenal, the EPL team owned by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, have taken up a familiar refrain from sports fans on this side of the pond when discussing their team's owner.

Arsenal fans are calling Kroenke cheap, according to the Denver Post. Fans there are struggling with a championship drought, but the fans are hardly the only ones taking Stan to task for how he spends his "jack."

The team's second-biggest shareholder Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, who is more rival than co-owner, echoed that sentiment in comments to the Russian press. Imagine owning a team where you have to publicly spar with co-owners. The NFL would have that shut down in hours.

Either way, the idea of calling an owner cheap is old hat. The former Rams administration certainly heard that a few times. These days, Rams fans cannot say the same thing, whatever criticisms they might have, about Kroenke. As he pointed out in a spring press conference, he has put "jack" into the market here. The Rams signed a boat full of free agents, tying up $75 million in Cortland Finnegan and Scott Wells, the later has yet to practice with the team. He also signed a head coach and paid him $7 million per season.

In St. Louis, Kroenke will be judged on the outcome of the Edward Jones Dome lease battle, where his vision for the future of the team's home is anything but cheap.