Now, that Stan Kroenke has majority ownership of the Rams, the question that should be asked here is, “Just what do we have now?”
From a financial stability position, the Rams should be in good shape. After the owners stick it to the players again in contract negotiations, being an owner should be even more profitable.
As for the product, if it will be anything like the way Kroenke runs his basketball and hockey operations in Denver (where he does not meddle in the day-to-day), the Rams should be fine too. That does not preclude that he may make changes in how and who makes decisions about the Rams as an organization now.
Who is Stan Kroenke? Unlike Dave Checketts, who is definitely renting St. Louis, Kroenke is from Missouri with relatives who live here. Great. By all accounts, he is a low-key, private businessman who has been extremely successful in a number of areas, including sports.
When the question is asked who knows Kroenke or who can get to him, there is quiet in the room. He has insulated himself from the real world with well-paid and highly-organized staff members who make sure getting to Stan is second to getting to Osama Bin Laden.
He has been part of the St. Louis Rams ownership group since day one and has lived through the good and the bad so he has a good idea of what’s going on. How much he and his organization will be involved in the community has yet to be seen.
Now that Kroenke owns the team, where will its final resting place be? The current set-up in St. Louis is not a good one. The team plays in an already outdated stadium, there’s fan apathy and no financial relief in sight.
The local half-full population seems to think that Kroenke will find some land and build his own stadium in the county and surround it with a Walmart. Let’s all get grip on ourselves. Kroenke has made his money in real estate and finding land to build Walmarts and Walgreen’s stores. To tie a stadium and a shopping center together would be rather far-fetched, considering the St. Louis market is well-saturated with both stores.
To build a stadium with his own money would be odd, considering none of the other NFL owners took on such a venture without subsidies. These days to appeal to a city government for such a venture may fall on deaf ears, not to mention public sentiment to support a billionaire building a toy. I think not.
There are other options, like Los Angeles. The league has done well without L.A. since the Rams left, but as owners are about to enter into TV contract negotiations, to have a team in L.A. would up the price. Here is the problem Kroenke may have here. Jacksonville may not be long for that area, as attendance is down and the stadium is worse than the one in St. Louis. In Minnesota, government officials and taxpayers are in no mood to finance another stadium considering they just built a ballpark for the baseball team. Both teams may look at packing their bags and moving to L.A. sooner than Kroenke is ready.
All of this is at least two years away, but the discussion will become more involved sooner than that. As for Rams fans, one can only hope that the team gets better sooner than later so you can enjoy good football for a change.
As for Stan Kroenke being an owner in the NFL, the jury will be out for awhile as he deserves a chance to grow the team in a patient, effective manner. The current management team is on the clock, as this year’s developing players have to step up before the word “bust” is stamped on them. Those who drafted and coached them will be held accountable by, not only the fans, but Stan Kroenke.
