For the umpteenth time, plans have been unveiled to build an NFL stadium in or around Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the United States but one without an NFL team.
A typical southern California fan response: Yeah, sure. Call us when a goalpost is in the ground.
The difference this time is that the group announcing their project included an NFL owner – the St Louis Rams’ Stan Kroenke – and controls 300 acres of land in nearby Inglewood, much of it the former home of the Hollywood Park racetrack. The land would handle an 80,000-seat stadium and sufficient parking.
So the Rams, who played in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994, could be back in their rightful home by 2016. Or Kroenke could be using LA as leverage to get a better deal in St Louis, which has been standard procedure for owners who want local governments to build them a stadium.
Of late, Kroenke is not picking up the phone. St Louis city officials said on Wednesday that the Rams owner is not returning their calls, so they plan to work directly with the NFL on efforts to keep the team in St Louis, amid speculation the Rams are leaving.
That LA has not had an NFL team for 20 years is a joke. But no one in St Louis is laughing.
This is more of a wait-and-see situation.
Since 1994, NFL fans in southern California have been presented numerous schemes to put a team in the city, so they will not be breaking out the Eric Dickerson jerseys any time soon.
agray@thenational.ae
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