Rams, Chargers Win Relocation Bid

(Written on 1/12/16)

Despite St. Louis’ efforts to keep the Rams in St. Louis (the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a measure to put about $150 million in city money toward the proposed $1 billion-plus stadium on the city’s north riverfront on December 18, 2015), owner Stan Kroenke was able to push the Rams to the 24 necessary votes from the 32 owners to relocate to Los Angeles after 21 years as the final tally was 30 for, two against. Originally, the St. Louis stadium task force, led by Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz, made final changes to the St. Louis Stadium proposal which included an addition of an extra $100 million from the NFL, which brought the league’s commitment to $300 million to make the project work.

Because of the distrust between Kroenke and Chargers’ owner Dean Spanos, the Chargers now have until January 2017 to join the Rams in Inglewood should they so choose. This allows them the opportunity to try one final time to stay in San Diego; should the Chargers stay put, the Raiders will then have a chance to join the Rams in Inglewood. The Chargers’ desired location in Carson, where the Chargers and Raiders wished to share a venue, is the sole reason the Rams and Chargers must now come together to reach an agreement: in Inglewood, Spanos would be paying Kroenke to play. At the same time, Kroenke had to defeat Disney CEO Robert Iger and his ESPN subsidiary that gives the NFL $2 billion per year for the rights to televise Monday Night Football. He personally attended the ownership meeting and lobbied the league to adopt the Carson plan as would have been directly involved in the stadium construction with the right to become a minority owner of the Chargers or Raiders.

While the new Inglewood stadium likely won’t be completed until 2019, it is assumed they will play in  L.A. Memorial Coliseum. As commissioner Roger Goodell stated, “In 2019 they will be opening in a new stadium which we are all, as ownership, very excited about — the kind of facility that we believe will be extraordinarily successful in the Los Angeles market. It’s more than just a stadium, it’s an entertainment complex.” Though the cost of the Inglewood stadium proposed by Kroenke is an estimated $1.86 billion, officials and owners say the cost would likely exceed $2 billion by a significant amount, thus making it the most expensive venue in U.S. sports history. At three million square feet, including identical locker rooms, office space and owner’s suites for two teams, it would also be the NFL’s largest stadium. The project would be the centerpiece of a 298-acre entertainment, retail and housing development, something dubbed an “NFL Disney World.” Kroenke has also stated he wishes to hold the NFL Combine and Super Bowl in his venue which seats 70,000 and can expand to 100,000 for such an event.