How St. Louis Lost The Support Of The NFL And The Rams

When you're trying to prove that you are deserving of something involving money being spent, the last thing in the world to do, is to ask for money.

The city of St. Louis managed to be the only NFL team between themselves, the Raiders, and Chargers to come up with a viable stadium plan. First off, let's pause right there. Viable seems to be the most commonly associated term to the Rams Stadium plan. By definition, viable means;

Capable of working successfully; feasible

It doesn't mean sure lock. Feasible by definition means;

Capable of being done

So the Rams never had a deal on the table that screamed absolute. Why is that?

Well let's start with the simple truth in all this, the Rams were asking Stan Kroenke -- the same person who wants to move the team -- to fork over $250 million dollars.

When I wrote an article some months ago asking did Stan Kroenke keep his promise?, I alluded to a key point in financing. The city of St. Louis can jump every hurdle it wants to on the way to a viable stadium plan, but you can't force someone to fork over $250 million of their own money. Furthermore, the city went a step further by asking the NFL to include an extra $100 million in the G4 loan allowed to teams for new stadiums from the NFL. Teams generally only receive $200 million. The only stadium plan to receive $300 million was MetLife Stadium in New York. The league indicated that stadium received an extra $100 million since it hosts two teams: the Giants and the Jets.

I, for one, believe that if you want to keep the Rams, you don't ask the guy trying to move them to help you do that. You also don't ruffle the feathers of those who are willing to help you accomplish this feat, by essentially saying what you're offering is not good enough, we need more.

Even so, I can't help but believe that if St. Louis had found a way to cover the $250 million being asked for from ownership, the NFL might have been willing to work with them on the extra $100 million. Seeing a city put forth that type of effort would have had to count for something. But instead, the NFL balked at the additional $100 million request. Well, at least Roger Goodell did.

Now let's be clear here, Goodell has no say so whatsoever in what happens with stadiums and relocation. That is all owners. Goodell is merely their puppet. He's the guy they hired to do the dirty work, but make no mistake about it, he answers to them. So if he says it, he's probably getting it from someone.

The nail in the coffin, or the proof in the puddin, or whatever cliché metaphor you want to use, had to have been when Goodell called all the stadium plans inadequate. That to me was the NFL saying none of these cities have a right to retain one of OUR teams, and the city of LA will have it's choosing from the crop.

Simply put, don't hold your breath on the Rams staying in St. Louis.

There's simply no way, even if Kroenke is denied by some unbelievable chance, that ownership will pay $250 million to someone they have zero interest in working with. He hasn't spoken one word to the city officials, and now he's suddenly going to give you a boatload of cash to help prevent him from reaching his goal?