Photography courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Kelly Martin
Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke is nationally known for his regular appearances on ESPN’s Around the Horn. His counterparts often chide him for being a curmudgeon and “Doubting Thomas." So if Plaschke writes that it's plausible that the St. Louis Rams could move back to L.A., then the statement deserves notice.
According to Platschke, Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s purchase of 60 acres between the now-closed Hollywood Park raceway and the rejuvenated Forum in Inglewood, Calif., is the Rams owner’s announcement that he wants to move. “The bottom line is, even if Kroenke wanted to move the Rams back to the home they never should have left, would the NFL approve it?" Plaschke wrote in a Sunday column. "Well, if you believe those papers on those 60 acres in Inglewood, he's already started to move them."
He admits that Kroenke could be using L.A. as leverage to gain support for a new stadium in St. Louis. Other NFL owners have done the same thing in various ways. “But no NFL owner has yet stomped a footprint like this, using real money—$90 million by some estimates—to purchase a real spot for an NFL stadium," he wrote. "Kroenke’s spot is not only real, but it's already been basically approved by the NFL."
Still, there remains much skepticism and distrust of the NFL. L.A. Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik wrote, “Underlying these shenanigans is the league's desire to keep Los Angeles open as a permanent threat to force incumbent NFL cities to pony up hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds to make life easier for its billionaire owners, like Kroenke. So the NFL talks endlessly about its heartfelt desire to have a team in L.A., which it doesn't, really.”
Ed Roski, who wants to build a stadium in the City of Industry area, and Phil Anschutz, who backs a downtown stadium near the Staples Center, are the latest to suffer “ritual NFL humiliation,” writes Hiltzik.
But he also warns that St. Louis (or Gov. Nixon and the state of Missouri) had better start talking dollars with Kroenke, or he will begin serious negotiations in L.A.: “If St. Louis continues to hold back, it's a good bet that we’ll begin to hear terms. First will come a demand for the same environmental giveaway Roski and Anschutz got. Then there will be talk of infrastructure upgrades—widened ramps on I-405, for instance. That will just be the start. Game time is almost here.”
On Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Rams fans and area residents should not overreact to the land-purchase news. “I think, instead of overreacting, we should make sure we do what's necessary to continue to support the team locally, which the fans have done in St. Louis," Goodell said. "And make sure we can do whatever we can to make sure that team is successful in the St. Louis market."
In other words, fans should keep buying tickets and attending games, and the region should better come up with a plan to entice the Rams to remain in St. Louis, which could mean some type of financing, tax abatement and/or favorable land deal for Kroenke. I doubt most St. Louisans are interested in those options, however, considering the uncertainty surrounding the Rams’ future. I guess we’re supposed to ignore the facts that Kroenke created a business entity for the sole purpose of purchasing the 60 acres and that he simply refuses to say the words, “I’m not moving the team.”
Plaschke knows that L.A. and the NFL haven't seen eye to eye on franchise relocation and that there are hurdles to clear before the Rams could return to L.A. But Kroenke has the means to make that happen. “The motto on luring a team to Los Angeles has always been taken straight from the movies: "If you build it, they will come." Well, guess what. This is a guy who is coming before it is built, and acting like he could build it himself,” Plaschke wrote.
Then again, Plaschke’s prognostication skills can certainly be questioned: He picked the Denver Broncos to beat the Seattle Seahawks by at least two touchdowns in the Super Bowl. Final score: Seattle 43, Denver 8.
Commentary by Alvin Reid
