Last Friday, the St. Louis contingent submitted their plan to save the Rams, or should I say, pro football in St. Louis. They showed some very nice drawings that were reminiscent of those unveiled by the City of Inglewood, California the week before. Kudos to David Peacock and Bob Blitz for putting this plan for St. Louis together, as they have certainly shown some leadership and vision at a critical stage for the survival of the NFL in St. Louis.
However, if you are thinking this plan will save the Rams, think again. I am willing to wager there will never be a shovel full of dirt turned over to help Stan Kroenke and his current St. Louis football setup. There will be no need to run out and buy some silver shovels and hard hats for the groundbreaking ceremony. It’s not going to happen.
For one thing, the Rams are not worthy of saving under the current ownership. How can you negotiate with a team when you have not yet had the owner in the same room? This is all for show.
As for the show plan, it is flawed on many levels. Let’s start with the concept of having an open-air stadium.
An open-air stadium is nice for that limited group of so-called football purists who think it’s a good idea to sit outside in freezing weather to watch bad football. To have an open-air stadium where you could play a maximum of 12 dates a year for the NFL leaves you with a whole lot of open dates. Throw in a pro soccer team, which we don’t yet have, and you may add 15 more scheduled dates. An outdoor concert or two gets you to over a month of bookings. Last time I checked, the year has 11 more months of days. What else is left after eliminating mid-January through at least April?
And don’t forget an open-air stadium eliminates any chances of hosting a Super Bowl, Final Four or Bowl Championship in St. Louis.
Let’s talk about the capacity. The rough number being used is 64,000. Did anyone bother to examine the fact that attendance has been spiraling down throughout the NFL over the last few years? Did anyone bother to look at how often the current dump the Rams play in has had 60,000 people show up when the Rams were somewhat competitive? That’s way too many seats that will never be filled, no matter what is coming to town.
The only large facility in the area for open-air events is Busch Stadium, where they have hosted concerts that featured U2 and the Eagles and acts of that nature – and a crowd of 45,000 was a good number.
The real solution to justify an investment of this sort would be a stadium with a retractable roof. Yes, it would cost more, but one reason that St. Louis is in this mess now is because they went cheap on the current eyesore which is home to the Rams. If St. Louis does not have the money to do it right, then maybe they should not be in the football business when it comes to the NFL. This venture has too many questions and not enough answers.
As for financing, it was disclosed that it would be a community effort that includes the fans. That only means one thing: the PSL, the old Personal Seat License. Surely you remember that venture and how it went over. You had a right to buy a ticket along with having your name on a plaque. Nice, but this is the way owners go about getting things built without paying too much out of their own pocket.
After all, how can they remain billionaires if they have to use their own money? Guess that might risk making them mere millionaires. I wonder how they would survive. Seriously, giving Stan Kroenke any of your money for anything at this point should make you doubt your sanity. But that’s the price to be paid if you want pro football in St. Louis.
Speak no evil
While the NFL continues to be one of the great national embarrassments on and off the field, the latest gaffe sums it up.
Seattle Seahawk running back Marshawn Lynch usually does not say much to the media. While there has been no specific reason, other than being uncomfortable, Lynch has gone most of his career saying very little if anything at all. Now the league has fined Lynch $100,000 for giving the silent treatment to many guys who have few real questions to ask. They just want to show who is boss, but Lynch was willing to pay rather than talk.
At what point does Marshawn Lynch’s lack of desire to talk to the media have anything to do with his ability to run the football? I doubt Lynch is keeping secrets on how to fix Ferguson, shut down ISIS once and for all or how to keep my gasoline under $2 a gallon. I hope he continues to talk if and when he wants to, at no cost to himself.
As for the NFL, instead of worrying about Marshawn Lynch talking, how about finding some referees who know how to apply common sense when officiating a game? Also, if Roger Goodell would tender his resignation, maybe that would give even Marshawn Lynch something to talk about.
