Can't Make it Up
You won’t believe this, but the NFL reportedly wants a team in St. Louis
Brian Bahr
In 2015, after two decades under the arch, the St. Louis Rams packed their bags and headed west. Stan Kroenke, one of the worst owners not only in America, but in England too, wanted a bigger market. So did the NFL. St. Louis fought hard to keep their adopted team, but ultimately the gravitational pull of La La Land was too strong. The Rams moved to LA, hired a baby-faced coach, built a shiny new stadium, and, magically, were good again. Go figure.
Fast forward to today. The NFL is expansion crazed. In reach. In scheduling. In sheer number of teams. This year alone they implemented a 17-game regular season and expanded the playoffs by two teams, resulting in three Wild Card games per conference. Word on the street is they want an 18-game season soon and, for round-robin scheduling purposes, 36 teams to go with it. According to Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright, the league has targeted four potential expansion cities to make that happen:
London, Toronto, San Antonio, and [drum roll please] St. Louis. Friends and Missourians, we’re not making this up.
At this point, we should probably point out two key things, one of which is obvious and the other maybe not so much.
1. The NFL had a team in St. Louis. Less than half a decade ago. Now they want a team in St. Louis. You see why this is silly, right?
2. The NFL is currently being sued by the city of St. Louis for breach of contract, fraud, illegal enrichment, and several other unsavory financial terms. The lawsuit alleges that the NFL basically did not follow their own enforceable relocation policy when they approved Stan Kroenke’s plan for a standalone stadium in Los Angeles, resulting in considerable financial losses for the city of St. Louis. Barring further delays, trial is tentatively set for January 10th in St. Louis, and as Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Brandt explains, it's not currently looking great for the NFL.
Is this a makeweight for all that? Is the league blowing smoke to soften the anti-NFL sentiments brewing in the St. Louis court system? Is this just hubris and obliviousness, per NFL SOP? All questions without answers for now, but one thing is certain:
Goodell won’t be vacationing in Missouri anytime soon.