St Louis Rams fans were left distraught by the NFL’s decision to move the team to Los Angeles on Tuesday, the second time the city has lost its franchise.
NFL owners voted overwhelmingly to give Rams owner Stan Kroenke approval to move the team to Los Angeles for the start of the 2016-2017 season.
The city’s original NFL team, the Cardinals, who played in St Louis from 1960, left for Arizona after the 1987 season, but the Rams took their place, moving to the midwest from Los Angeles in 1995.
Photo: AP
Fans in downtown St Louis expressed a mixture of sadness and rancor at the decision, with anger directed at Kroenke, who masterminded the move.
“It is just a slap in the face for the city,” Rams fan Jermaine Chambers said. “Even though things might not have gone the way he wanted them to, he created the relationship with the city, so it is kind of his fault.”
“Beyond that he still made money here. To dump on the city, to dump on the people and the community I just think it was classless,” he added.
Other fans felt the NFL had let down St Louis by failing to take into account the effort made to put together a plan for a new stadium for the 1999 Super Bowl champions.
“St Louis did everything the NFL required them to do ... and it just seemed that they were ready the whole time to take them to L.A.,” Rams fan Zach Roberts said. “They are going to take the team that we have had for 20 years here back to a town that could not support them when they had them.”
Zach’s father, Dennis Roberts, said the NFL could face a backlash.
“I think they showed a lack of character and lack of concern for fans,” he said. “Maybe in overloading the L.A. area in expectation of this big money grab, maybe it will fail. Two teams in an area where you have had none in 20 years? The NFL has become a bit of a bully. I just wonder if there won’t be at some point a bit of blowback and the NFL will experience a little slide.”
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said St Louis had not deserved Tuesday’s outcome.
“This sets a terrible precedent not only for St Louis, but for all communities that have loyally supported their NFL franchises,” he said in a statement.
“Regardless of tonight’s action, the fact remains that St Louis is a world-class city deserving of a world-class NFL team. We will review the NFL’s decision thoroughly before determining what next steps to take,” he added.
Those who had rallied to put together an alternative stadium plan with a US$400 million commitment in public money in order to persuade the NFL to stay in St Louis said the move was a mistake and unfair.
“Today’s decision by the NFL concludes a flawed process that ends with the unthinkable result of St Louis losing the Rams,” a St Louis NFL Stadium Task Force statement said. “Over the past 15 months, our stadium task force has delivered in every respect to what the NFL demanded of St Louis to keep our team.”
“We will leave it to the NFL to explain how this could happen and hope the next city that may experience what St Louis has endured will enjoy a happier and more appropriate outcome,” it added.
ADVANTAGE ATLETICO: Well off the pace in La Liga, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico Madrid’s best chance of silverware this season Atletico Madrid on Thursday hammered Copa del Rey holders Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. After an Eric Garcia own-goal sent Diego Simeone’s side ahead early on, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez struck to give Atletico a landslide lead by halftime. Barca defender Garcia was sent off in the final stages, with Atletico maintaining their significant advantage on the record 32-time winners, which they take into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 3. Both sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off
Stade Rennais, four days after firing coach Habib Beye, stunned Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 on Friday, snapping the defending champions’ seven-match winning run in French Ligue 1. Second-placed RC Lens could leapfrog the champions and retake top spot last night after press time if they beat Paris FC in the capital. PSG started brightly, with Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue carving openings to no avail. Rennes fired Beye on Monday and promoted his assistant Sebastien Tambouret, and the same players who had lost four games on the bounce seemed transformed. Jordanian forward Mousa al-Tamari bagged the opener, unleashing a fierce strike
Dasun Shanaka hammered the fastest half-century by a Sri Lankan in T20Is as the cohosts thrashed Oman by 105 runs at the World Cup yesterday in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, for their second win in Group B. The 2014 champions piled up 225-5, the highest total of the tournament, before restricting an outclassed Oman to 120-9. The 43-year-old Mohammad Nadeem waged a lone battle for Oman, compiling an unbeaten 53 to become the oldest player to score a 50 in T20 World Cups. Having promoted himself up the order and under pressure to deliver, Sri Lanka skipper Shanaka smashed a 19-ball half-century. It has been
Manchester City FC halved Arsenal FC’s lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 home defeat of Fulham FC, and Aston Villa FC stayed in the frame with a late 1-0 victory at home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC on Wednesday. Nottingham Forest FC squandered a chance to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three as they drew 0-0 at home to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Second-from-bottom Burnley FC pulled off a remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace FC to boost their slender survival hopes. City have little margin for error in their pursuit
RSS