Early last Monday morning I got a text message and it read in all caps, “DAMN YOU KROENKE.” So I wanted to see what did the aloof billionaire owner with the push-broom mustache do to interrupt my sleep.
One year after purchasing 60 acres of land in Inglewood, California near LAX International Airport, Stan Kroenke and Stockbridge Capital Group confirmed with LA Times their intention to build an 80,000-seat stadium.
That news didn’t play well in St.Louis. And it shouldn’t have. I understand that it’s a business. However, this whole situation is more than just business to me. It’s personal. Very personal.
I was 12 when the Big Red left after the 1987 season. And it hurt like nobody’s business. You naturally become attached to your local teams. The Big Red was inept, sure. They were frustrating to watch. Bill Bidwell wasn’t a good owner. All their home games were blacked out on local TV, with the exception of when they played the Dallas Cowboys. But, they were “our” team.
The eight years without a home team to root for in the NFL really sucked. St. Louisans wanted a team to root for, and after getting spurned by NFL expansion the only way for St. Louis to get a team was relocation.
Then came the Rams – and a Super Bowl victory four seasons later. We saw winning football five out six seasons, including trips to the playoffs. St. Louis embraced the Rams. They had the city on fire. The Rams changed the idea that this is just a baseball town.
Now loyal St. Louis Rams fans deserve so much better. The Rams continue to draw well, despite no place to tailgate, decent parking, amenities or winning football team. All of this is overlooked by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, whose bottom line is a dollar sign. He couldn’t give a damn about how St. Louis fans have continued supporting such an inferior product for over a decade. His silence about the Rams or what they mean to the community is deafening.
This past Friday in a presentation at Union Station, former Anheuser-Busch President Dave Peacock and former Edwards Jones attorney Bob Blitz unveiled their project of an open-air stadium on the North Riverfront. It would have the seating capacity of 64,000 with hopes of attracting an MLS franchise as a tenant – at the cost around $900 million, with the cost being split between the city, the NFL and Rams. The biggest contention is taxes and how or when this will get passed down to the taxpayer.
I like the stadium design, and I hope it comes to fruition. St. Louis can’t afford to lose another football team. My gut tells me the Rams are gone after 2015. Nevertheless, I look forward to watching this unfold.
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