Photography courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Around the same time that St. Louis was enthralled with the Cardinals’ run to the World Series, the Los Angeles City Council officially went on record with a simple request to the NFL. “Hey, we want football here again,” said councilmember Tom LaBonge, author of a formal resolution seeking “at least one or possibly two teams.” LaBonge said he's contacted NFL executives and officials through letters and phone calls.
In response to LaBonge’s efforts, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told CBS Los Angeles, “We continue to closely monitor all stadium developments in the Los Angeles area.”
There's a year-old deal in place with sports-and-entertainment juggernaut AEG to construct a downtown stadium and to redevelop the Los Angeles Convention Center. Financing for the center upgrades depends on the stadium project.
Both NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones keep hinting that the NFL is in L.A.’s future.
Both also can’t keep the city of London out of their respective thoughts.
"I'd love to be back in Los Angeles. But it has to be done the right way, we have to do it successfully,” Goodell said last week, while in London. “I want both [London and L.A.], but it doesn't matter which one is first."
Though the NFL will play three games in London in 2014, the idea of the U.K. having a franchise before L.A. seems far-fetched.
In the meantime, I’ve been trying to arrange an interview with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. No response has come to several emails. I want to ask him if L.A. officials are following the St. Louis Rams' lease situation and if they're aware the franchise becomes a free agent after the 2014 season. Garcetti has said that he's committed to bringing an NFL team to L.A., though it must be "on our terms."
Unless an agreement is in place that few are privy to, the Rams could load up the moving vans and seek greener pastures after the 2014-15 season. Five games into an eight-game home schedule, the Rams are second to last in attendance, with an average of 55,353 fans per game. (The Oakland Raiders are last, with a five-game average of 51,296.)
In the meantime, LaBonge and his fellow council members—along with its economic-development agency—are making some noise. Goodell and the NFL, while not saying anything substantial, keep relocation and/or expansion on the table.
The only silence seems to be coming from St. Louis...or Denver or Malibu or London. Wherever Rams owner Stan Kroenke is located.
Commentary by Alvin Reid
