Because, as is the case with any relocation deal, the league’s owners have to approve each team’s move by a two-thirds majority to pass and now that St. Louis has a number on the table it becomes a numbers crunch as the Rams, Chargers and Raiders all set their eye on LA.
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Stadium task force co-chairman David Peacock has said the new stadium will create jobs, revitalize a dilapidated area of downtown St. Louis and help the city retain its image by keeping the NFL.
“We’re like at the strip club … and the stripper is throwing the money back at us”, said one frustrated city alderman.
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen officially passed the measure to put about $150 million in city money toward the proposed $1 billion-plus stadium on the city’s north riverfront.St. Louis mayor Francis Slay is expected to sign the bill on Monday.
Aldermen tentatively approved the plan Tuesday. Although the board of aldermen clearly didn’t waiver in its support between the earlier vote and Friday’s, there were a couple of last-minute roadblocks that came from the league that could have complicated things.
Three NFL teams are threatening to move to Los Angeles, including the Rams. That proposal apparently drew National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell’s ire.
The NFL’s G-4 program finances up to $200 million for teams looking to build a new stadium, not $300 million. Under the new proposal, the city would give up tax revenue in exchange for the additional $100 million from the NFL.
Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins is the Chargers home finale for the 2015 season, and since they’re not going to the playoffs, it could be the last time they appear in San Diego as the home team.
A task force appointed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has been working on a stadium proposal that could keep the Rams in St. Louis. To this point, Kroenke has showed little interest in what St. Louis is offering.
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Kroenke’s actions have made it clear that he wants to take his franchise to Los Angeles, and if he can’t move to L.A., he might start to look at other cities like London, as CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora recently reported.
