The taxpayers of St. Louis county will not help the taxpayers of St. Louis city keep the St. Louis Rams. Under a newer proposal spearheaded by a group of lawmakers trying to keep the Rams in town, a new NFL stadium was to be built costing nearly $1 billion. $6 million of that was planned to come from the country, but even that low number could not gain support among the county politicians. That really seems to underscore the sentiment out there of using public funds to build stadiums from privately owned sports team owned by the mega rich.
St. Louis Rams
Christian Post Report – St. Louis county will not contribute taxpayer dollars without a vote
The NFL is behind at least one team, but more likely two, moving to Los Angeles. They favor Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke plan because he has the capitol to build a stadium with private money. If that is true, then it seems very silly for anyone in St. Louis to build him a stadium in a dire hope he keeps the team there.
With that being said if St. Louis believes having a NFL team brings a certain value to their city, and that value is not in terms of actual dollars and cents most often, than losing the Rams is not the end of the story. Currently three teams are attempting to move to the LA market, whichever one of them loses will likely be stirred to St. Louis by the league itself.
“The move could actually smooth the stadium’s path. St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger has said he wouldn’t support public spending without a public vote, and taking the county out of the funding mix could avoid a messy, time-consuming election,” the LA Times reported. “In the fast-paced merry-go-round of NFL relocation, that matters, said Jim Shrewsbury, chairman of the Edward Jones Dome Authority, which oversees the Rams’ current stadium.”
It may still be in St. Louis’ best interest to continue to find support for a new stadium, even after the Rams officially announce that they are leaving.
Source : Christian Post