There is some more encouraging news out there on the Rams sale front. There seems to be more signs pointing toward a sale coming sooner rather than later and the Rams remaining in St. Louis.
One of the signs comes from Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports who is one of the most tied in people in NFL circles when it comes to covering the league. I would place him ahead of the Peter King's and Chris Mortensen's of the world, that is how good his info is. In Friday's column Silver placed this note in his article on things he says you can take to the ATM....
"The NFL will waive its provision against cross-ownership of teams in competing markets to allow minority owner Stan Kroenke to purchase a controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams."
That would be a huge win for the Rams, the league and the fans. Kroenke has been a model owner in the NHL, the NBA and the English Premier League. As well he has been as good of an owner as a minority partner can be here in St. Louis. If the NFL were to waive the rule then there is no question that Kroenke would be the best option for Rams fans.
Bernie Miklasz at the Post-Dispatch wrote about how Kroenke has been silent during this whole process and will most likely continue to be. I am wondering if there has been some politicking going on in league circles to see if Kroenke can make the deal. In other words make sure you have the votes before you make the deal with the Rosenbloom family. It makes a lot of sense.
One other note from Silver in today's column that is an interesting thought and is another positive for Rams fans. Silver says that "I believe the league will try to ensure that St. Louis doesn't lose its team, and here's one reasons why: For all the talk about wanting to fill the L.A. void, I think NFL owners LIKE having a vacancy in the nation's second largest market. That's because every time a franchise wants a new or upgraded stadium in its current locale - often with outright public assistance or, at the very least, considerations from voters and lawmakers that improve the financial terms - the teams owner can explicitly or implicitly threaten to move to Los Angeles, and it seems believable. Once the L.A. market is filled, that blackmail option won't be as viable." I think that Silver is on to something there. I don't think that it is maybe said openly but it certainly doesn't hurt the other 31 owners if the doomsday option is on the table. Ask the Saints, Chargers, Vikings, Jaguars and now Rams if that might not be a motivator to help their situations.
Another article, and positive sign about the Rams sale situation, that is worth your time reading is by Josh Lobdell, the Sports Business Examiner. Lobdell believes that the Minnesota Vikings are more likely for Los Angeles than the Rams are. As I stated the first day this story came to life there is a long way to go before the Rams would even be considering a move to Los Angeles and there are a number of teams that can beat them there.
Comments
“For all the talk about wanting to fill the L.A. void, I think NFL owners LIKE having a vacancy in the nation's second largest market.”
Michael Silver (and Yahoo in general especially their sports division) is a pile of S***! The NFL using Hollywood in order to blackmail other cities? Yeah, right! Keep dreaming! The NFL definitely WANTS to get a team into Hollywood (like any sporting league) it’s just that the taxpayers are actually SMART enough not to pay for a new stadium and thus it’s gonna have to be privately financed in order to get one (the way it should be).
I’m surprised that you don’t work for Yahoo as you’re the type of guy they can use! Apparently, Yahoo has a line about the type of people they hire after all!
“Lobdell believes that the Minnesota Vikings are more likely for Los Angeles than the Rams are.”
Doubtful. I’m sure Minnesota will survive this ordeal in the end.
And if they move, the Vikings and the Rams should swap divisions and for that matter their names as well!
I can see it now:
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers
Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals
NFC North
St. Louis Vikings (or whatever you want to call them)
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
This way you restore the San Francisco-L.A. Rams rivalry, while creating a St. Louis-Chicago rivalry at the same time!
Of course since this is the NFL, it won’t happen, not that it matters since I don’t think the Vikings will move anyway.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!