
On December 24, 1994, Los Angeles Rams minority owner, Enos Stanley Kroenke helped put the finishing touches on a blockbuster deal with the NFL to move his franchise to the city of St. Louis. Then a hero to the people of St. Louis, Kroenke has become a deceitful villain in the eyes of everyone who once cherished him there because on January 12, 2016, he led the charge of NFL owners to vote for the move back to Los Angeles. As pure of a business decision this may have been, the city of St. Louis has been left to suffer the consequences of this change. While the Rams enjoyed only minor success during their 15 years in St. Louis, winning the Superbowl in the 2000 season, their prowess was short lived as they became a perennial mediocre team most recently finishing 7-9. (Wilson) For Kroenke and the rest of the NFL, this is a move that had to be done. The economy in Missouri is in a pitfall, the door has been opened for the San Diego Chargers to join them, and now the Rams are in the second largest television market in America. It is a sure fire way for the NFL to increase revenue. None of this, however, is relatively good news for the city of St. Louis. Kroenke and the Rams organization left St. Louis behind with a bitter taste in their mouths, an empty NFL stadium, and, "$144 million in debt and maintenance costs." (Respaut)

This is far from the first time a professional sports franchise up and left their city for another in the middle of the night. In fact, in 1984, Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay literally packed up the team and their belongings overnight to escape to Indianapolis. However, sports reporter for the New York Times, Jere Longman, argues that, "Mr. Kroenke seems to have twisted the knife an extra half-turn or so." (Longman) This is because it is the second time that an NFL franchise has been ripped away from the hands of St. Louis. After the 1987 season, the football Cardinals were moved from St. Louis to Phoenix, Arizona. Kroenke is no stranger to the business world having dabbled in the ownership world of different sports franchises, he now has an, "estimated worth of $7.5 billion built on a foundation of real estate and marriage into the Walmart fortune." (Longman) This being the case, there was not necessarily a glaring need for Kroenke to get his team out of the St. Louis market as he is one of professional sports' richest owners. This move can be looked at as one of greed, and that's exactly how the people of St. Louis are taking it. There is no easy way to move a professional sports franchise without hurting the fans who cared so dearly for their team. It just happens to be the business of the NFL. 

What almost happens when a professional sports franchise moves to another city or even across town is they leave behind a behemoth of a building that has almost no other use. Millions and even billions of dollars are pumped into these stadiums in order to provide fans with the best experience imaginable to bring in revenue. They are wondrous landmarks that hold a ton of value to those who call it home. However, if the team who calls their respective home happens to move, the stadium shall most likely become the subject of demolition, and all the money poured into it will have gone to waste. This is what happened to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Formerly home of the Houston Oilers, and, "once dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World, [it still] sits empty a decade after the facility housed 25,000 evacuees of Hurricane Katrina and nearly 20 years after the Oilers left." (Respaut) The fate of the Astrodome is likely the same fate that the Rams stadium, Edward Jones Dome, will be facing soon enough. Even if there were a professional sports franchise that wanted to move to St. Louis, there is little chance they would move into E.J. Dome. Teams that move to new cities want a fresh, new stadium with state of the art amenities. St Louis natives and writers, D.J. Wilson and John Eligon, argue that it just wasn't economically feasible for the Rams to remain in Edward Jones Dome. After losing the Cardinals to Arizona in 1987, a $280 million stadium was constructed in order to attract a new NFL franchise. When the Rams came to town they signed a 30-year lease with an opt-out clause every 10 years, but with the failing economy in St. Louis, Kroenke saw the opportunity to put an NFL team back in Los Angeles and remedy his own situation. "Part of the plan to get the Rams to stay would have been to build a new $1.1 billion stadium by extending existing bonds, putting even more of a burden on the region's coffers." (Wilson) Even though there was no new stadium built to keep the team there, the move still leaves the city of St. Louis with an empty stadium and a mountain of debt.

St. Louis is a city that has dealt with a lot of heartbreak recently, and not only in sports. The Rams moving to Los Angeles is the icing of the cake for what has been a rough couple of years for St. Louis. The city's population declined 8% five years ago during a time where they were expecting it to grow according to census data gathered by officials. Two years ago in Ferguson, Missouri, a northern suburb of St. Louis, an unarmed black man was shot by police and riots ensued. The news of losing the Rams on top of a declining economy is not the direction most residents wanted things to go. Now, the taxpayers of St. Louis are racked with the burden of paying off $144 million in stadium debt and maintenance costs Kroenke left behind. St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed has contacted the NFL for aid to help pay off the stadium debt, but has been left hanging. "The fans are being left holding the bag," Reed said. "I think they should factor that into the total cost of the move." (Respaut) This is the usual result of teams leaving their respective cities. Along with leaving an empty stadium behind, they tend to forget to take millions of dollars' worth of debt with them. Finance reporter Robin Respaut puts the situation in perspective when she states, "NFL stadiums are primarily designed for one thing - eight home games a year - and don't necessarily adapt well to alternate uses." (Respaut) This leaves the city of St. Louis with almost no opportunities to rent out Edwards Jones Dome in any effort to help pay off the debt. It is estimated that the city, the state, and the county are going to be left paying off the stadium until 2021. 

This is a bleak situation for the city of St. Louis; a city that has now lost two NFL franchises and owes $144 million in debt on Edward Jones Dome. However, in all bad things there is a silver lining. Jere Longman puts it best, "Fans will no longer be forced to watch a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2003 and can instead view the best N.F.L. games available each week on television." (Longman) To go along with this, St. Louis did propose an idea for a new stadium in an effort to keep the Rams in town. While their efforts went to waste, they did manage to collect over $400 million in public money that can be put to better use elsewhere. No, the money cannot go directly to paying off the debt, but it can go towards public schools, hospitals, and even pot holes. This is the start of a new era for the city of St. Louis. It is very difficult for a city to overcome losing an NFL team. Thankfully, they still have their crown jewel, 11-time MLB Champion St. Louis Cardinals to take away some of the sorrow, but hopefully some fans can still root for the Rams even if they happen to be in Los Angeles. 

Reflection Questions

Personal Context: 

The National Football League has been a huge part of my life since I can remember. I grew up watching the Baltimore Ravens with my family, and got to go to many games when I was younger until my dad had to give up his season tickets in 2008. My interest in football quickly grew into a fascination with every aspect of the game. I strive to understand how each organization is run and how the NFL operates as a whole. I have done much of my learning through both playing and managing my high school football team, becoming a student manager for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and even briefly interning for the Baltimore Ravens after they won Superbowl XLVII. This brings me to my current topic of interest, which pertains to why the St. Louis Rams are moving back to Los Angeles. I was only 3 months old when the Los Angeles Rams agreed move to St. Louis on December 24, 1994, and the Raiders moved to Oakland soon after, so it's safe to say my memory of any Los Angeles team is nonexistent. 

This issue interests me because of the impact it will have on the players, the dynamic of the league, and the fans, both in Los Angeles and St. Louis.

