[Elvis]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow ... story.html

Angry, mournful fans in St. Louis give NFL officials an earful

Sam Farmer

Rams fans filled the Peabody Opera House in downtown St. Louis on Tuesday for the first of NFL three town hall meetings — San Diego and Oakland are next — to voice their concerns about the possibility their team will relocate.

The fans, many wearing Rams jerseys and hats, were cordial and orderly but robust in their support of the franchise, giving a loud standing ovation to Dave Peacock, who heads the city’s stadium task force, and booing every mention of Rams owner Stan Kroenke. There were five metal detectors and an explosive-sniffing dog at the door of the theater.

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On stage in director’s chairs were Eric Grubman, the NFL’s executive vice president, and three other league executives: Chris Hardart, vice president of corporate development; Cynthia Hogan, senior vice president of public policy, and league attorney Jay Bauman.

Rams executive Kevin Demoff made brief introductory comments and received polite applause.

For most of the three hours, the NFL executives listened to the comments and questions but only occasionally answered them.

“If Mr. Kroenke inks a 30-year lease, I guarantee you all of this will go away,” one commenter said. “… Just sign the lease and join the St. Louis family.”

Los Angeles has had several sites proposed for an NFL stadium over the years, yet the nation's second-largest city is still without a team.
There were lecterns at either side of the stage, and fans introduced themselves before asking a question or making a statement. The questioners were alternately angry and mournful, many speaking with a tremble in their voice.

“If they move, it’s a joke,” another commenter said. “And NFL, you’ve lost one fan that will never come back.”

The Rams are backing a proposed stadium in Inglewood and hope to move back to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.

On the other side of this situation are droves of Los Angeles Rams fans who felt similarly bereft when their team left for St. Louis two decades ago.

Rob Audrain of St. Louis attended Tuesday night’s event wearing a Kurt Warner jersey. He said there was a feeling around St. Louis that the town hall meeting was merely a formality.

Rams, Chargers, Raiders and relocation are focus of NFL's town hall meetings
Rams, Chargers, Raiders and relocation are focus of NFL's town hall meetings
“I know they have to do it in every city and they’re just checking off the boxes,” he said.

Across the aisle sat another fan, Quinton Slay, who was more optimistic about what the meeting could produce.

“I don’t think [the NFL] has decided yet,” said Slay, of St. Louis. “I feel like they’re still trying to make a decision. At least I hope.”

[email protected]

[Elvis]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... EU.twitter

Hochman: Is the NFL on our side?

Imagine being accepted into the brotherhood of your fraternity … and then being asked to re-pledge.

That’s what this feels like. That’s what Tuesday night felt like.

We are St. Louis, and our city is a member of the NFL fraternity of cities.

Yet the NFL is asking St. Louis to prove its worth.

OK, so, St. Louis will prove its worth. Its task force has cooked up a recipe for a new stadium with naming rights. And its citizens showed up Tuesday at the Peabody Opera House, giving smart speeches and making passionate pleas to NFL executives in attendance.

St. Louis can’t do anything about its owner trying to leave St. Louis — but the other owners owe it to St. Louis to have the city’s back, because, unequivocally, St. Louis is a current and proud member of the fraternity. If anything, shouldn’t the NFL at least be on St. Louis’ side of the table during this process? At times it comes off as if we’re lucky to even be talked about, like St. Louis is a lesser NFL city just because its on-field performance has been so bad in recent seasons. Did the Super Bowl appearances not happen? Did winning and joy and profits not occur?

On Tuesday, we were told that the NFL is looking out for St. Louis (though, of course, the execs are off to California to say the same thing to San Diego, which is a year behind in its new stadium process, and in Oakland, where there is no plan).

His name is Eric Grubman, and he knows people. Grubman works for the league, and thus the owners. He’s the exec overseeing the possibility of the NFL moving to Los Angeles. Grubman was in St. Louis for the public hearing, and he proclaimed: “If after this is done, the owners have an awful, awful hard decision, then we’ve done our job. We’re supposed to produce an outcome in the St. Louis market, if we can, that can make the team be healthy. And we’re not going to give up until we’ve had the opportunity to see it through to the end.”

That sounded reassuring on a night in which, amid so much logic and passion being presented, one wondered: Knowing that the task force essentially has a new stadium ready to be built, how is it possible that somehow St. Louis could lose out on a team but Oakland, with no future plan, somehow keeps its team?

Grubman said all the right things, but St. Louis has to be skeptical about how much clout and sway he has.

Also, Grubman was asked about the guidelines the NFL owners have put forth in regards to allowing a franchise to move. We talk about them often, quote them often. Well ...

“These relocation guidelines, they’re not a checklist that gives you an answer at the end,” Grubman said. “We are not the voters. The 32 owners are the voters. These are subjective things.”

The NFL owes it to St. Louis to try to make this work here. Integrity isn’t just nine letters squeezed together. Is that in the form of an expansion team? Is that having Stan Kroenke sell the team and perhaps purchase one of the California teams to move to Los Angeles?

This Grubman guy will have the owners’ ears. Well Eric, St. Louis is pleading to you: Sell St. Louis to these guys with unwavering confidence. Make it irresistible. It was just 16 seasons ago when this city packed the Dome and then the streets for a Super Bowl parade. This member of the fraternity represented the fraternity in the biggest way: as a champion. These fans still tried to support the Rams recently, and they were loud and proud Tuesday. The reality is, if you have a bad team and a bad stadium, it’s hard to have a good situation. But there’s a chance St. Louis could soon have a good stadium — and maybe even a good team, too. We saw what happens here when that happens. Confetti.

Cynthia C. Hogan, former Deputy Assistant to the United States president, is the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs. On stage Tuesday, she proclaimed: “After listening to all of the speakers tonight, it’s hard for me to imagine there’s a city in the United States that has better fans.”

Is that going to come back to bite her? Let’s hope, on the contrary, it’s something St. Louis looks back upon with pride.

One longtime fan, Dan Palen, said to Grubman and the committee: “The NFL believes football is family. And I also believe St. Louis is saying we want you, we need you as part of our family — so much so that we’re trying to build you a second home in 25 years. If the NFL is about family, then please, please, let’s get this done in St. Louis.”

Grubman gets it.

During the night, Grubman himself said: “If our roles were reversed, I’d be saying what you’re saying. I know what it’s like to be a fan. I’m a fan. Our job, if asked is to give our opinions, and we’ll do it.”

After Tuesday, we know what his opinions are about the fans. And they know there’s a stadium coming. And he remembers Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk and that parade.

[Elvis]

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/ram ... ams-future

Rams fans direct their ire at Kroenke during public meeting on team's future

By JASON ROSENBAUM

If the passion inside the Peabody Opera House could determine the future of the St. Louis Rams, then the team would probably stay in the Gateway City for eternity.

Of course, it’s not that simple.

The NFL held a public meeting on Tuesday night for Rams fans to sound off on the team’s potential relocation to the Los Angeles area. It’s a required step before a team can considering moving to another market.

Tuesday’s gathering at times resembled a raucous football game: Crowd members dressed up Rams shirts and jerseys cheered loudly in favor of their team and expressed their extreme displeasure at owner Stan Kroenke. And many longtime fans at times expressed exasperation about the team’s predicament.

“Don’t ever question our allegiance to our team. St. Louis loves the Rams,” said Jerry Brendell, who’s been a season ticket holder for the Rams and the St. Louis Football Cardinals for 50 years. “We love them. Nobody attends games that have been subjected to 11 years of mediocre football and five years of the worst football in the history of the game.”

In essence, the public hearings will probably have little bearing on a nearly year-long sports melodrama that’s put professional football’s future in St. Louis in question. A team needs the votes of three-fourths of the NFL’s owners to move – which is a dicey proposition for the Rams and two other franchises thinking of moving to Los Angeles.

While Kroenke has said little about his intentions, he’s unveiled plans for a stadium in Inglewood, Calif., that is primarily funded with private dollars. That’s sparked rampant speculation that Rams are heading back to the Los Angeles area, the market the team left in the 1990s. And it also prompted very palpable backlash from some of the crowd members.

“He’s not involved in the community,” said Hillsboro resident Dean Geary. “If he was more involved and took a role in that, maybe it would be easier to get the funding for the stadium. … He’s never in the community or anything. It’s hard to get corporate support when you don’t support corporate St. Louis.”

A number of speakers contended that Kroenke was not following some of the NFL’s bylaws, including ones prohibiting an owner from moving a team for financial game. Others said that Kroenke had not done enough to showcase his support for the team’s facility or fans.

“If the NFL does not value St. Louis to keep the Rams here, what kind of message are you sending to Cleveland or Jacksonville or Detroit or Carolina? Smaller markets and many without the support the Rams have in St. Louis,” said Collinsville resident Jill Bauer.

Speaking with reporters after the public hearing, NFL executive Eric Grubman said he was impressed by the crowd’s passion. In response to a question about whether the event was just a “dog and pony show” that didn’t mean much, he replied: “I can’t guarantee them what weight it’s going to have. But I can guarantee people that I’m coming to dog and pony shows.”

I think it’s a very emotional night. For them, it’s clearly the time to express their point of view and their passion,” Grubman said. “And frankly for the NFL employees, it’s hard. It’s hard to hear that kind of passion come through and not have answers that make people happy.

“I come away impressed with the passion. How could you not?”

He also said he wasn’t surprised many in the crowd were perturbed at Kroenke’s unwillingness to commit to St. Louis.

“I think that whenever the owner of a franchise is perceived as being willing to leave, it is going to inflame the fans,” Grubman said. “And fans have nothing to give but their loyalty. And they want that in return. And when they think they don’t have it, it’s going to be a pretty tough expression of their points of view.”

Stadium Arcadium

As the relocation drama churns on, state and local policymakers are trying to push forward with a roughly $1 billion stadium on St. Louis’ riverfront. Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz are heading a task force trying to get the facility through various private and public channels.

The crowd gave the duo a thunderous ovation when they were introduced. In fact, somebody in the crowd shouted “BUY THE TEAM” when Peacock made brief remarks at the onset of the meeting.

“The fans who spoke this evening represented the St. Louis community and expressed our love for the Rams in an incredibly powerful and convincing manner,” Peacock and Blitz said in a statement after the meeting. “We thank the NFL for the opportunity to be heard, and we are extremely humbled and proud to represent St. Louis in this effort.”

The riverfront project would be funded with state, local and private funds, and is contingent on the Rams or another team agreeing to play in St. Louis. Members of the Board of Aldermen are expected to consider a plan detailing the city’s commitment to the stadium in the next few weeks.

Grubman says owners are looking for three things from a stadium proposal: “The first is there has to be a specific plan. The second is it needs to be actionable. And the third is it has to be attractive to a team.

“The first has been met. There’s a specific plan. The second is it has to be actionable, which means fully financed – whatever the financing proposal has to be – has to be in place. That is not yet complete for the St. Louis proposed stadium. And the third, the attractiveness to a team, I understand that when fans are skeptical because a club may be looking at that and saying ‘it’s not interesting to them.’

“The question is whether it’s interesting to the rest of the 32,” he added. “That’s the purpose of a vote – to make that assessment on a 32-team basis, not on a one-team basis.”

But the stadium plan hasn’t been universally embraced. Some state lawmakers are threatening to withhold payments on stadium bonds if they’re not first approved through either a legislative or statewide vote. And some local officials have expressed dismay that county and city voters aren’t deciding whether to approve stadium funding.

When asked if the threats of state lawmakers should be taken seriously, Grubman replied: “I can’t assess the seriousness of it. I’m not an expert on these legislative matters.”

“We’ve said all along we respect the communities,” Grubman said. “We respect the political leaders. We appreciate the support of the fans and we appreciate the support of the leadership of communities. … But as to state legislative risk, I’m not the expert and you should probably ask somebody else.”

For his part, St. Louis County resident Karl Sides was optimistic about the progress of the stadium. But Sides – who was dressed up in his Hall of Fame-worthy “Ram Man” costume – said both Kroenke and the NFL must step up.

“Stan Kroenke, I don’t have a message except for ‘You know what? Put up or shut up.’ If you want to be an owner, embrace the city and we’ll embrace you. We’ll support you if you respect the city,” Sides said. “As for the NFL? Live by your rules. We have a commissioner that as of late has made many, many poor decisions. So what guarantees do we have as a NFL market that he’s going to make the right decision and live by the letter of the law for the relocation guidelines.”

[BuiltRamTough]

"Knowing that the task force essentially has a new stadium ready to built".

Wait what?

[Elvis]

“Stan Kroenke, I don’t have a message except for ‘You know what? Put up or shut up.’

Also, stop being so silent...

[majik]

And third it has to be attractive to the team.

What about this offer achieves that requirement? Stan put up $610 in NFL defined team revenues, has to rely on a local government that has reneged on promises in the past to rebate additional money considered team revenue (naming rights) in budget votes each year, and Stan does not own the stadium or receive non-NFL revenue from events nor any revenue from the surrounding development. Does Spanos have any relatives on the Task Force? Sounds like a deal he wants from Stan in Inglewood

[Elvis]

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news ... ml?ana=twt

Town hall meeting: NFL exec says league didn't ask that public stadium vote be skirted

Brian Feldt

St. Louis Rams fans came with passion to the NFL’s town hall meeting to discuss potential team relocation to Los Angeles, but likely left frustrated as league officials sidestepped most questions and failed to shed light on an eventual outcome.

NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman, who’s been in charge of relocation, said it was the decision of the St. Louis stadium task force assembled by Gov. Jay Nixon to bypass a public vote to approve any public financing for a proposed $1 billion stadium on St. Louis’ north Mississippi riverfront.

“We respect the task force’s view of how it should be done," but the league never said the community couldn't have a public vote, he said. An alderman has filed a bill that would require a public vote approving city money for the project. A judge previously invalidated a city ordinance requiring a public vote for tax dollars for a stadium. That case was brought by the RSA. A separate financing bill, brought by stadium proponents, is likely to be filed this week.

In April, when the city of St. Louis and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) were in court to determine if a public vote was needed to approve stadium financing, task force co-leader Dave Peacock said, “To finalize our proposal in the accelerated timeframe required by the NFL, it’s important to obtain legal clarity quickly.”

Peacock was not available for comment after the town hall meeting Tuesday. When asked for comment at the event, task force co-leader Bob Blitz declined to comment.

Most fans in attendance at the town hall, held at the Peabody Opera House, stressed Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s lack of engagement with the fan base and stadium task force. They also told league officials that letting the Rams move to Los Angeles would violate the league's relocation guidelines. Rams COO Kevin Demoff was in attendance Thursday, as were NFL executives Chris Hardart, a vice president for corporate development, league attorney Jay Bauman, and Cynthia Hogan, a public policy senior vice president.

But Grubman said the guidelines were not a checklist of tasks. He also said it wasn't required that Kroenke be at the negotiating table.

“Negotiations take many forms,” Grubman said. “The Rams, including Stan Kroenke, haven’t discouraged (the NFL) from having any meetings with the task force.”

Most other questions, especially those concerning opinions on the St. Louis plan and the Los Angeles market, were left unanswered. Answers from Grubman, for example, included the phrases “it’s not up to me” or “my opinion doesn’t matter.” One woman pressed Grubman, responding, "Well you’re the only one here, honey.” That drew cheers from the crowd.

Grubman said he doesn’t expect an owners’ vote on relocation until early 2016.

The NFL will continue its town hall series Wednesday in San Diego and Thursday in Oakland.

[Elvis]

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/p ... um-efforts

Completed term sheet next step for St. Louis stadium efforts

Nick Wagoner

ST. LOUIS -- Their town hall hearing officially complete, many St. Louis Rams fans departed the Peabody Opera House on Tuesday night wondering what the next step in the process is.

To hear NFL executive Eric Grubman tell it, the answer can be found in two words: term sheet.

For those unfamiliar, the term sheet is the piece or pieces of paper that tick off all the important parts of the St. Louis stadium proposal when it comes to financing.

"If you're buying a house, you have got to say which house are we talking about?" Grubman said. "What's the address? Who owns it now? How much are you going to pay for the house? When are you going to do that? How much money are you going to borrow? All of those things are in a term sheet. Who gets what and who gives what is what's put in a term sheet? They're non-binding. It's a strong impression about how they see the deal being done. 99,000 times out of 100,000 or whatever it is, the other side responds and says 'Well, we have a different plan.'"

That seems to likely be the case here as the St. Louis stadium task force submitted its term sheet last week and is now in wait-and-see mode as it waits for the NFL to offer a response. If and when the two sides find a common ground, the task force can then submit those terms to the St. Louis board of aldermen for approval of the city portion of the funding expected to go toward the stadium's construction.

Grubman indicated after Tuesday night's town hall hearing that the term sheet response should be issued within the next few days, though it could take a little bit longer given that Grubman and Co. are traveling to San Diego and Oakland for more town hall meetings over the next two nights.

For any of the home markets attempting to get a stadium done, the term sheet is a critically important piece of the puzzle. The league openly wondered where St. Louis' sheet was at the New York owners meetings earlier in the month and now that they have it, they clearly have inquiries that need to be answered.

"We have some questions about the term sheet which we hope to get answered over the next couple of days or week," Grubman said. "And I think probably next week and the week after, we'll be in discussions with the task force."

If that term sheet gets negotiated to agreeable terms by both sides, the stadium task force can then submit it to the board of aldermen for a vote in the city. If that gets approved, the stadium task force would finally be at a point where every public dollar proposed is "actionable," a term Grubman has used many times for a financing plan that doesn't just look good on paper but can actually be executed in the real world.

The St. Louis task force is hoping to have something actionable in the next couple of weeks, which would afford them the chance to potentially present that plan in November.

"We haven't yet finished negotiating a term sheet," Grubman said. "We still have to respond to that term sheet. It was asked in many different ways by a number of the speakers, what are you going to do? We're engaging on the term sheet and we will have something to say about those terms."

Although the St. Louis stadium plan calls for Rams owner Stan Kroenke to chip in $250 million of his money plus $200 million in a G4 loan, Kroenke's lack of engagement in negotiations has basically been replaced by the league.

"Let's demystify this, if a club doesn't want to engage and there's a term sheet on the table, the league takes its obligation very seriously to do the best we can to produce as attractive terms as we can from that term sheet," Grubman said.

[Pancake]

Problem is, the Rams need about 60 -70 thousand passionate fans. A couple hundred at the town hall meeting doesn't cut it.

[Elvis]

Problem is, the Rams need about 60 -70 thousand passionate fans. A couple hundred at the town hall meeting doesn't cut it.

Exactly.

A few hundred fans who brave the rain to say how much they hate Stan Kroenke while the EJD is nearly half-empty on game day is probably not going to impress the NFL very much...