Dilip Vishwanat - Getty Images
over 1 year ago: ST. LOUIS - SEPTEMBER 12: A general view of the Edward Jones Dome prior to the NFL season opener between the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on September 12 2010 in St. Louis Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)2
On Friday, the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission released a statement that said the St. Louis Rams' decision to relocate one of their home games in each of the next three seasons violated the terms of their lease on the Edward Jones Dome. Early Saturday morning, the Rams released a statement addressing the CVC's claim, the first comment from any team official regarding the matter.
Here is the Rams' statement.
We think that playing in London is great for the Rams and great for St. Louis. We are in talks with the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, which is also the region's chief marketing group, about how to make the most of this opportunity. As the CVC said today, this will ‘elevate an awareness of St. Louis on the global stage.' We look forward to having amicable and meaningful dialogue with the CVC on many issues and believe those conversations should remain between the parties.
Many saw the Rams' decision to play in London partly as a tactic in their upcoming negotiations with the CVC over the future of the Dome. The CVC threw out a leverage play of its own noting that their tenant was violating the lease. Now, the Rams are essentially telling the CVC that they know what they're doing, and to bring a favorable offer to the table as a starting point.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the CVC must deliver a proposal for upgrading the Dome, putting in line with their interpretation of it being a "top tier" facility. The Rams can present their own plan by May 1, and the two sides can then enter arbitration where the arbiter can reconcile the two offers and make a determination about what constitutes "top tier."
The Rams have the upper hand here. The NFL has a vacancy in the country's second largest media market that they would like to fill, sooner rather than later. There isn't much the CVC can do to fulfill the lease agreement to make the Dome "top tier" short of spending hundreds of millions from the public treasure, which would require the involvement of the city of St. Louis and the state of Missouri.
Fireworks start, officially, on Wednesday.
0 recs | 24 comments
CVC come on...
I don’t think Stan has been unreasonable throughout this whole thing. He hasn’t come out and attacked the CVC. All he did is send very subtle messages that people write entire articles about, breaking down everything he didn’t say and what it means.
The CVC, in my opinion, struck the first blow and if it comes down to a messy fight, that is how I will remember this whole thing starting. We made a deal when we brought the Rams here, a really bad deal, but we were desperate to get a team. Now we have to honor that deal.
Jholtmeier - January 28, 2012
agreed
Ramzman18 - January 28, 2012 via mobile
I'm going to be pretty pissed if the Rams take away my excuse to go to London this year.
Don’t do it CVC.
Eric Nagel - January 28, 2012
take a flying kite to London i dont want to Rams to go any were to play there home games Fuck London and fuck ST.Louis
Rammon105 - January 29, 2012
fuck LA!
sergey606 - January 29, 2012
Has anybody seen this website before?
http://countondowntown.com/2011/12/one-vision-for-the-bottle-district/
I just found it this morning. This looks like something very promising. If Kroenke has the money to buy the Dodgers, he has the money to fund this addition and own this section of the convention center..
Mean Machine II - January 28, 2012
I agree. I renovating the Bottle District could bring Kroenke a lot of dough. If I’m the CVC I would help Stan do this, because doing so will help the CVC obtain more conventions. Furthermore, I would tell Stan that if you could build some nice restaurants, clubs, and a hotel there, they could get you the land and the partnership could grow. The CVC could then take the extra dough and use it to upgrade the dome. Everyone wins.
brokeu91 - January 28, 2012
The problem with all of this is
No one really wants to go to downtown St. Louis unless they really, really have to.
The movie “Escape from New York” was about how NYC suffered a massive earthquake (or something that wrecked it) and was turned into a giant prison. Where was this movie shot to give it the look of a run down, ruined metropolis? St. Louis! And that was 30 years ago – it’s only gotten worse.
DiscoJer - January 29, 2012
"The problem with all of this is"
Chain of Rocks Bridge is where most the filming was done which is north of downtown. The other scenes were shot in East St. Louis across the river.
Your personal feelings or opinions don’t mean thats the way others feel. I don’t like Calif. but I’m not ignorant enough think that everyone feels the same as I.
Please keep your comments yours and not try to speak for the rest of us.
STLfan1 - February 11, 2012
How does stuff like this get funded in St. Louis?
In Kansas City the county was the one who helped subsidize the Arrowhead renovations. And I don’t think we got any money from the state. But since St. Louis is it’s own county, they won’t be able to get any financial help from St. Louis county, and St. Louis city doesn’t seem to have the money to afford it.
So that means the state would have to help out. But people from Kansas City would oppose it (rightfully) because we funded our own stadium, why should we pay for yours?
wustl_chiefs_fan - January 28, 2012
Basically, I'm asking how major public projects are funded.
Who paid for the Edward Jones Dome to be built in the first place?
wustl_chiefs_fan - January 28, 2012
The city and the county collectively paid for the Ed to be built. IIRC, the county’s portion of the revenue bonds are financed through a 3.5% hotel tax.
troyflowers - January 30, 2012
It’s a good point.
But actually St. Louis City and St. Louis County would likely team up. The problem would be trying to get St. Charles Co and Jefferson Co to put in their fair share.
brokeu91 - January 28, 2012
UCLA
do you?? you see L A??? I do!!!!
fearsomefoursum - January 28, 2012
How does this sound for a new team name? London Rams!
Ram Fan Since 4 Years Old - January 28, 2012
how does this sound ? go jump of the nearest bridge and do us all a favor, Fuck London
Rammon105 - January 29, 2012
here is a question...
if the rams move to L.A., how many STL locals will still be rams fans?
UsArmyRAM - January 28, 2012
Shit, I'm not even local and I don't know if I can ever be a fan of an LA team
but I’ll probably still stay with them. I’m one of the biggest opponents of the team moving
sergey606 - January 28, 2012
yeah like the teams gonna ask you if then want to move or they care what you think be serious please
Rammon105 - January 29, 2012
I'm not saying they would care about me
but they would lose a big chunk of fans
sergey606 - January 29, 2012
I dunno
When the Cardinals moved to the desert, I followed the Chiefs. So did a lot of people, I think.
Despite the fact that the Cardinals were only in St. Louis 27 years and were never any good (mediocre in their best year), they were more part of St. Louis than the Rams have been.
I mean, how many former Rams players live here? 2? The Rams were always still run from LA. About the only ones from the Rams there ever seemed to appreciate St. Louis were Georgia (though not enough to live here) and Jack Snow.
Still, personally, I’ve lost interest in the NFL. The Patriots mostly, how they got away with cheating, which basically led to the downfall of the Rams, but just that constant money-grubbiness of the league as evidenced by this London game stuff. .
DiscoJer - January 29, 2012
I'll answer from the converse side
I grew up a Los Angles Rams fan and I never gave up on them. Even when they moved to St. Louis.
Guitpik - January 29, 2012
If the Rams move to LA and all the ST.Louis residents stop being fans of the team i would not care one bit
Plenty of other fans in CA and the rest of the country to make up for ST.Louis based fans,im in MA. and have loved the Rams since i was born
Rammon105 - January 29, 2012
Problem is LA couldn't support the Rams and the Raiders in the past
What has changed now?
St Louis has great fans even for middle of the road teams, the problem has been the product being sold to the fans, not the fans themselves.
Ownership has a lot to do with the state of the Rams as of now and Stan seems to be headed in the right direction now that he has all the say.
STLfan1 - February 11, 2012
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