The St. Louis Rams are moving to Los Angeles. The Oakland Raiders might also move to Los Angeles. And if they don’t, the San Diego Chargers will. L.A.’s two teams might even play in the same stadium!
L.A. lost two teams in the 1990s–ironically, the Rams and the Raiders–but now will have two at the same time. The NFL owners approved the move from St. Louis, despite the city’s proposal to build a new stadium. Yes, L.A. is the nation’s second biggest media market, but small market cities like Green Bay and in basketball Oklahoma City can still have successful and profitable professional teams.
Losing an NFL franchise is traumatic for any city, but it should hit St. Louis especially hard, with its reputation of being such a great sports city. What’s happening, all you Lutherans from St. Louis?
From With Rams returning to LA, challenges abound for 3 NFL teams | News OK:
The Rams belong to Los Angeles once again.
The Chargers might be headed there, as well.
What about the Raiders? Who knows at this point.
What is certain is that all three franchises face serious challenges over the next few years now that the NFL has approved the relocation of the Rams from St. Louis, and given the Chargers a one-year option to join them in the nation’s second-largest media market.
Should the Chargers stay in San Diego, seemingly a long shot, the Raiders could then step in and move from Oakland to L.A.
A long Tuesday of votes and re-votes ended with 30 of 32 NFL owners approving Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s ambitious plan to move his team to the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack in Inglewood, California, about 10 miles from downtown L.A.
The Raiders and Chargers had a competing proposal to share a new stadium in nearby Carson, but neither option got the 24 votes needed for approval. After another negotiating session in the afternoon, Kroenke’s $1.8 billion project prevailed.
The decision ends the NFL’s 21-year absence in Los Angeles.
[Keep reading. . .]
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