Rams L.A. Bound?

According to the L.A. Times, Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build a new football stadium in Inglewood, California. If the plan is approved by local voters, it would clear one major hurdle for moving the Rams to Los Angeles. The mayor’s office in Saint Louis maintains that it will not get into a bidding war with Los Angeles over the Rams (the proposed stadium in Los Angeles would be built without tax dollars).

The sentiment coming from the mayor’s office is encouraging. Cities should not be spending public money in order to keep/lure professional sports teams. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want the Rams to move. However, Mr. Kroenke obviously feels that Los Angeles is a better venue for his team than Saint Louis. Considering that new stadiums tend to cost more than a billion dollars, the amount of public subsidies needed in order to change Mr. Kroenke’s mind probably would be astronomical. If subsidies were provided, what would taxpayers get in return, an economic adrenaline shot? Not really. Would keeping the Rams here do wonders for the city’s brand, as some have argued? I doubt it. Even when Mayor Slay brags about Saint Louis to the rest of the country, I don’t see the Rams mentioned anywhere (the Cardinals are a different story).

Sports often binds people, families, and communities together. There is no more popular sport in the United States than football, and I enjoy looking back to the time when I was a kid and I went with my father to watch Rams games (believe it or not, there was a time when the Rams were worth watching). Unfortunately, it appears that Saint Louis could end up losing yet another pro football sports franchise. That’s not an appealing prospect, but if public officials hold the line and refuse to grant any more taxpayer support to the Rams, then they should be commended and we should be thankful for their discipline.