Feel the Hate
PostPosted:9 years 10 months ago
Stan Kroenke is the worst owner in St. Louis sports history
By Spencer Engel
August 28, 2015 8:55 am CDT
He’s a morally bankrupt, money-hungry, cowardly recluse, but St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke has earned one distinction: The worst owner in St. Louis sports history.
Looking back at that first sentence, I suppose it looks like I was setting it up to say something somewhat nice, or at least not vicious, about Kroenke. But for a St. Louisan like myself to say anything remotely positive about Kroenke at this point would be anathema to all we stand for.
Kroenke has no redeemable qualities whatsoever.
In April 2010, when a majority stake of the Rams was up for sale, he wrestled the team away from Illinois-based businessman Shahid Khan, who without question would’ve done everything in his power to keep the team in St. Louis.
Some St. Louisans saw the writing on the wall back then and were concerned that the Rams’ future in St. Louis was instantly thrown in flux when Kroenke became the principal owner instead of Khan. So Kroenke made a rare media appearance and claimed that he would do everything that he could to keep the Rams in St. Louis.
Since Kroenke decided to match Khan’s bid, Kroenke’s motives have come under scrutiny. For starters, Kroenke didn’t express a commitment to St. Louis in the statement he issued to announce his decision to match. Then came a report that Kroenke was a member of an NFL committee that supervises potential new-stadium projects in Los Angeles, which is seeking an NFL franchise. Then came the Sports Business Journal report, which caused more commotion in St. Louis.
Kroenke is bothered by the perception that he’d work against St. Louis, or that he’d scheme to move the Rams back to Los Angeles. He pointed to a life spent largely inside Missouri borders, and his base in Columbia, Mo.
“I’m born and raised in Missouri,” Kroenke said. “I’ve been a Missourian for 60 years. People in our state know me. People know I can be trusted. People know I am an honorable guy.”
No, Stan, people do not know you are an honorable guy. You are a greedy billionaire asshole with no moral compass. There’s a reason Joe Buck, who usually keeps his opinions somewhat tempered now that he’s one of the prominent voices of the NFL, ripped you a new one earlier this week.
As I wrote last year, Stan Kroenke doesn’t give a damn about St. Louis, and he never did. Ever since that Post-Dispatch piece from April 2010, Kroenke has done absolutely nothing to back up his statements. He has made zero effort to keep the Rams here, and he has eyeballed Los Angeles probably this entire time – or at least he has for the past three years or so.
A couple weeks ago, when presenting his L.A. stadium plan to the NFL, Kroenke went so far as to say St. Louis was not a viable location for the Rams. The comment is an incredible insult to a city that, 22 years ago, gave the then-L.A. Rams a remarkably good deal to move to St. Louis. Kroenke, who was a part-owner back then, didn’t seem to have any qualms with moving the team then. All St. Louis did was sell out every single game between 1995 and 2006. Only when the franchise started consistently losing 70 percent of its games and fighting with one another in the front office did the attendance dip, and even then, this city has supported the moribund Rams better than most other NFL cities would have, including L.A.
The city of St. Louis has had some appalling sports owners over the years – Bill Bidwill of the St. Louis football Cardinals, Bill Laurie of the St. Louis Blues, the last few years of the Anheuser Busch era for the Cardinals in the 1990s – but none of those guys were as malicious as Kroenke.
Despite what he said five years ago, I firmly believe Kroenke has had his eyes set on L.A. from the moment he outbid Khan. He gave that interview to buy himself a little good will and to placate the media. Kroenke has not given a meaningful interview to the St. Louis media since then, and he has not even attempted to keep the Rams in St. Louis. I mean the guy had the nerve to show up to the Rams’ practice in Oxnard, Calif. earlier last week after not making an appearance during any of the numerous practices in St. Louis.
The city of St. Louis deserves a lot better than Stan Kroenke, who will join the likes of Art Modell and Robert Irsay as the most villainous and hated owners in NFL history. Hope L.A. is worth that legacy, Stan.
Read more at http://cover32.com/rams/2015/08/28/stan ... mFKHCR1.99
By Spencer Engel
August 28, 2015 8:55 am CDT
He’s a morally bankrupt, money-hungry, cowardly recluse, but St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke has earned one distinction: The worst owner in St. Louis sports history.
Looking back at that first sentence, I suppose it looks like I was setting it up to say something somewhat nice, or at least not vicious, about Kroenke. But for a St. Louisan like myself to say anything remotely positive about Kroenke at this point would be anathema to all we stand for.
Kroenke has no redeemable qualities whatsoever.
In April 2010, when a majority stake of the Rams was up for sale, he wrestled the team away from Illinois-based businessman Shahid Khan, who without question would’ve done everything in his power to keep the team in St. Louis.
Some St. Louisans saw the writing on the wall back then and were concerned that the Rams’ future in St. Louis was instantly thrown in flux when Kroenke became the principal owner instead of Khan. So Kroenke made a rare media appearance and claimed that he would do everything that he could to keep the Rams in St. Louis.
Since Kroenke decided to match Khan’s bid, Kroenke’s motives have come under scrutiny. For starters, Kroenke didn’t express a commitment to St. Louis in the statement he issued to announce his decision to match. Then came a report that Kroenke was a member of an NFL committee that supervises potential new-stadium projects in Los Angeles, which is seeking an NFL franchise. Then came the Sports Business Journal report, which caused more commotion in St. Louis.
Kroenke is bothered by the perception that he’d work against St. Louis, or that he’d scheme to move the Rams back to Los Angeles. He pointed to a life spent largely inside Missouri borders, and his base in Columbia, Mo.
“I’m born and raised in Missouri,” Kroenke said. “I’ve been a Missourian for 60 years. People in our state know me. People know I can be trusted. People know I am an honorable guy.”
No, Stan, people do not know you are an honorable guy. You are a greedy billionaire asshole with no moral compass. There’s a reason Joe Buck, who usually keeps his opinions somewhat tempered now that he’s one of the prominent voices of the NFL, ripped you a new one earlier this week.
As I wrote last year, Stan Kroenke doesn’t give a damn about St. Louis, and he never did. Ever since that Post-Dispatch piece from April 2010, Kroenke has done absolutely nothing to back up his statements. He has made zero effort to keep the Rams here, and he has eyeballed Los Angeles probably this entire time – or at least he has for the past three years or so.
A couple weeks ago, when presenting his L.A. stadium plan to the NFL, Kroenke went so far as to say St. Louis was not a viable location for the Rams. The comment is an incredible insult to a city that, 22 years ago, gave the then-L.A. Rams a remarkably good deal to move to St. Louis. Kroenke, who was a part-owner back then, didn’t seem to have any qualms with moving the team then. All St. Louis did was sell out every single game between 1995 and 2006. Only when the franchise started consistently losing 70 percent of its games and fighting with one another in the front office did the attendance dip, and even then, this city has supported the moribund Rams better than most other NFL cities would have, including L.A.
The city of St. Louis has had some appalling sports owners over the years – Bill Bidwill of the St. Louis football Cardinals, Bill Laurie of the St. Louis Blues, the last few years of the Anheuser Busch era for the Cardinals in the 1990s – but none of those guys were as malicious as Kroenke.
Despite what he said five years ago, I firmly believe Kroenke has had his eyes set on L.A. from the moment he outbid Khan. He gave that interview to buy himself a little good will and to placate the media. Kroenke has not given a meaningful interview to the St. Louis media since then, and he has not even attempted to keep the Rams in St. Louis. I mean the guy had the nerve to show up to the Rams’ practice in Oxnard, Calif. earlier last week after not making an appearance during any of the numerous practices in St. Louis.
The city of St. Louis deserves a lot better than Stan Kroenke, who will join the likes of Art Modell and Robert Irsay as the most villainous and hated owners in NFL history. Hope L.A. is worth that legacy, Stan.
Read more at http://cover32.com/rams/2015/08/28/stan ... mFKHCR1.99
