[Elvis]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/a ... lobal-team

Could the LA Rams become the NFL's first truly global team?

Rams top brass believes move from St Louis opens up opportunities for growth in Europe and Asia – in line with owner Stan Kroenke’s global vision


Stan Kroenke, the LA Rams owner, believes Los Angeles gives the team a glamorous identity that St Louis didn’t. Photograph: Getty Images


Les Carpenter @Lescarpenter

Friday 8 April 2016 06.00 EDT Last modified on Friday 8 April 2016 10.34 EDT

When the Rams petitioned the NFL to move from St Louis to Los Angeles, they made an interesting appeal. They would use the US’s second-largest city as a foundation upon which to sell themselves to the world, seeking not only to be LA’s football franchise but Asia’s, Central and South America’s and Europe’s NFL team as well.

Their pitch mirrored the philosophy of team owner Stan Kroenke, who is also the lead shareholder of the English Premier League team Arsenal, and has long looked for ways to maximize the marketing power of that franchise with the Rams and his NBA and NHL teams in Denver. Rams management believes Los Angeles gives them an identity that is appealing around the world, conjuring images of a glamorous and important metropolis.

“I think in Stan’s vision, Los Angeles and London are on-par as world class cities, and you can link those opportunities with the Denver opportunities for an international platform,” Rams chief operation officer Kevin Demoff told the Guardian. “That was the thought with Los Angeles.”

The Rams could not sell themselves internationally from St Louis. While some NFL franchises in smaller US markets like the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are iconic names known around the world, the St Louis Rams did not resonate globally. As the Los Angeles Rams, they think they have a chance to emerge from the slurry of NFL teams and perhaps build name recognition in other countries.

We don’t want to play games in just London; we want to explore the Asian opportunity
Even before they have played their first game in LA, the Rams are seizing opportunities to spread themselves around the world. Because they are playing in a temporary stadium – the Los Angeles Coliseum – until their new home opens in 2019, they are subject to an NFL rule requiring them to play an overseas game in each of the next three seasons. While some teams might balk at giving up home games in three straight seasons, the Rams embraced the mandate, agreeing to honor an already-scheduled game in London this fall and to play a 2018 regular season game in China.

“This is philosophical, I think. There are people who will view change as a challenge and there are people who view change as an opportunity,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president of international. “In the Rams point of view this is an opportunity. This is a chance to re-frame how they view their franchise for the future.”

None of this means the Rams will play international games every year. While they want to be recognized worldwide, they are also trying to rebuild a fanbase in the region they left in 1994. Their new stadium in the LA suburb of Inglewood is expected to cost more than $2.5bn. They know they can’t spend that much for a home in a new market and play just seven home games in it every year. They are also focused on rebuilding a team 10 years removed from their last winning season. A foreign mandate does not trump the need to have a good team.

And being international doesn’t even mean leaving California. The Rams and the NFL see LA’s vast and diverse immigrant communities as a key to their global ambitions. Waller said the Rams will build their name in Hispanic and Asian neighborhoods, hoping to create a foundation of fans who have moved to LA from other countries and can talk about the Rams to friends and family in their former homeland.

Both the Rams and the NFL talk about Los Angeles as a gateway to Asia. The league has long wanted to establish themselves in China, Japan and Korea, but have not had the success of their ventures in the UK primarily because they haven’t been able to play games in those countries. Nine years ago the NFL cancelled a pre-season game between Seattle and New England when logistics proved too difficult. All these years later, they believe they ready to make a push and they hope to use a Los Angeles team to do so.

Demoff pointed out that the Inglewood stadium is only four miles from Los Angeles international airport, and the most common flight path takes planes only a few blocks south of the stadium as they land. With several flights landing daily at the airport from Asia he said he imagines that the first glimpse many of those passengers will get of the US is the Rams stadium out their window.

“When they fly over they’ll say: ‘Look at that stadium,’” he said.

With the Rams now in California, their management sees more opportunities to market themselves in the UK as well. Already they are committed to playing the franchise’s second-ever London game on 23 October when they host the Giants at London’s Twickenham stadium. But their first LA-area training camp in two decades will coincide with Arsenal’s two-game, pre-season tour in California. Arsenal’s second friendly, on 31 July against Chivas will be played only a few miles up Interstate 405 from the Rams camp at the University of California-Irvine.

“You think of the possibilities of Arsenal in Los Angeles while the Rams are in training camp filming (HBO’s) Hard Knocks,” Demoff said. “How do you pair the Rams with Arsenal? How does this line up with Stan’s vision?”

But Kroenke’s vision is not regional. And as much as having a football team in a city as big as Los Angeles gives him a chance to sell his NFL and Premier League franchises together, his Rams are interested in more than just the US and UK. Not long after the NFL awarded the LA market to the Rams in January, league officials approached the team about the 2018 China game. The Rams leaped at the chance to go.

“We don’t want to play games in just London; we want to explore the Asian opportunity,” Demoff said. “We want to grow the brand internationally. I think there’s an opportunity to grow the Rams brand and I think the league wants to grow their brand in that market.”

As the NFL has accelerated their international growth with three games in London this year and one in Mexico City, Waller said several teams have shown a greater interest in the league’s attempt to build themselves overseas. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shaid Khan, who also owns Fulham, has been the biggest champion of the NFL’s international push, annually moving home games to London since 2013. Waller notices that clubs who have owners with overseas businesses or sports teams embrace the league’s foreign pursuits more than those who don’t.

Kroenke’s Rams have always been receptive to the NFL’s international plans, but the LA move has allowed them to do more, both in immigrant communities in Los Angeles as well as overseas.

“From an early stage they felt strongly that the Los Angeles opportunity was a much bigger proposition than moving a team from City X to City Y,” Waller said. “They felt this would be an opportunity to do something broader and different with the international component.”

In Los Angeles they think they have the chance to do so.

[Hacksaw]

Who know's.. the Rams may become the most popular team in the world. And we can say we knew them when,,,,

[maxxx power]

Arsenal fans hate kroenke. HATE him.

I'm glad he got our team back to LA but let's not become the worlds team. More specifically, let's not go through the machinations to try to be

I know I'm old and that thought is like pissing in the wind. I fear that as I get older the game will be more and more about business and marketing and growth than football.

Man, I sure do sound old.

[TomSlick]

Who know's.. the Rams may become the most popular team in the world. And we can say we knew them when,,,,

Good one, Hack.

Stan is making this too complicated. Try winning the Super Bowl, that will do more for world-wide advertising than anything else. People around the globe know the Patriots because they are consistent winners. Few know, or even care to know, who or what the RAMS are. They are just another mediocre team in a league. The world is full of mediocre.

Time to get down to brass tacks and get this team in the playoffs, stop worrying about Asia, Europe and South America.

[TomSlick]

I know I'm old and that thought is like pissing in the wind. I fear that as I get older the game will be more and more about business and marketing and growth than football.

You're not old, you're just vintage.

For Stan it appears to be more about business and marketing. Unfortunately, for us, the other 31 owners are more interested in winning than being the Earth's team. It is hard not to get the feeling we are going to be the whipping boy for other teams, while our owner appears more interested in ringing up airline miles for his team.

[Hacksaw]

I know I'm old and that thought is like pissing in the wind. I fear that as I get older the game will be more and more about business and marketing and growth than football.

You're not old, you're just vintage.

For Stan it appears to be more about business and marketing. Unfortunately, for us, the other 31 owners are more interested in winning than being the Earth's team. It is hard not to get the feeling we are going to be the whipping boy for other teams, while our owner appears more interested in ringing up airline miles for his team.

Didn't they just leave Earth City. WTF? lol

Agreed, and as Al said, "Just Win Baby",, and the rest will come.

[bubbaramfan]

Not going to happen unless Rams start putting up winning seasons.

[Elvis]

Stan's acute awareness of branding and franchise value were huge factors in bringing the Rams back to L.A. But they may also be working against us when it comes to being the best we can be.

Every owner profits as the NFL grows internationally. They need to share the burden too...

[/zn/]

Could the LA Rams become the NFL's first truly global team?

Sincerely? I hope not. And I hope no other team becomes that either. This whole thing the Jones/Goddell NFL has about watering down the league in order to expand the product? I don't see the point. Some say, it's business. But arguably, it's also bad business along with being bad for football.

[Stranger]

Who know's.. the Rams may become the most popular team in the world. And we can say we knew them when,,,,

Now, that would be cool.