It’s a seismic decision that returns the highest level of professional football to the country’s second-largest media market after a 21-year absence.
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Which means that no team can win a ticket to Los Angeles unless Kroenke is convinced not to block the effort.
Chargers owner Dean Spanos read a statement and said that he would “explore the options” the Chargers have. The decision also opens the door for the city and county of San Diego to reopen negotiations with the Chargers to keep them from moving, while giving the team a safety net if such talks break down again.
The newspaper also reported the owners considered two scenarios during their first round of votes Tuesday afternoon: Chargers and Raiders in Carson, or Rams and another team in Inglewood.
This is a tidewater day, if you will. This is a significant day because it allows us to not only do what we need to do in Los Angeles, but it is a significant endorsement to our commissioner.
The team’s proposal to relocate to a planned $US1.85 billion ($2.6 billion) facility in Inglewood, roughly 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles, was approved by owners by a vote of 30-2. They played there from 1980 – 1994 while the Oakland Raiders moved to L.A, giving the area two football teams. But if a new stadium can’t be built in the Bay Area, then Texas seems like the next destination for Raider Nation.
The Rams current owner, Stan Kroneke is the one who had originally put out the proposal to build a swanky new stadium in Inglewood to the tune of $1.86 billion. “In particular, we are interested in their justification for departing so significantly from the NFL’s guidelines after St. Louis had – in record time – presented a proposal for a first-class stadium”. It’s got too much tradition. The city’s long NFL-free nightmare is finally over! “We’ll get it right”.
Since the NFL last relocated a franchise, when the former Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, the NBA has seen three clubs change home cities and baseball and the National Hockey League have each had one club relocation.
“It’s painful for the fans, the communities, the teams, for the league in general”, said Goodell. “Stability is something we have taken great pride in”.
Holy smokes! The St. Louis Rams will be Californians…. again!
The Rams will be able to begin playing in Los Angeles immediately for the 2016 season, but it won’t be a full-on “welcome home” event until 2019.
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But she said, “We recognize that the clock is ticking” and realize that the city may have only a year or less to try to reach an agreement with the Raiders.
