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The Rams moved to St. Louis from Los Angeles in 1995. Early that season, what is now known as the Edward Jones Dome opened. The stadium was built with tax money and is operated by the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission.
Negotiations about upgrades began in early 2012. The commission proposed a new glass addition, outdoor terraces and a huge new scoreboard — improvements of less than $200 million. It proposed that the Rams pick up half the cost.
The 30-year lease between the convention commission and the Rams requires that the stadium be among the top quarter of NFL stadiums,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, and it clearly isn't. As a result, the team can break the lease after this season — and potentially move. Rumors of a return to Los Angeles have swirled.
The Rams countered with a far more elaborate plan that included a sliding roof, reconfigured seating and other amenities. The Rams didn't estimate the cost, but city officials said it would be at least $700 million. The convention commission informed the Rams last year that the dome would not get the upgrades that the team requested.
Recent speculation,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, including on TV and radio talk shows and in newspaper columns, has focused on a potential new stadium either in the city or St. Louis County.
Nixon said the economic impact of having an NFL team "extends long beyond Sunday afternoon, and sends a clear signal that this city is a worldwide player." He said the 60-day deadline for the analysis is important because he wants to communicate options to the Rams before Jan. 28 — the deadline the team set to provide notice of their intent to convert the dome lease to year-to-year.
Michael Rathbone, policy researcher for the St. Louis-based think tank Show-Me Institute,Wholesale Jerseys 2018, said additional public funding would be a mistake.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A former Anheuser-Busch executive and a prominent lawyer — both experienced in dealing with the NFL — have been tapped by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to consider options that will ensure the future of pro football in St. Louis.
"There's no justification on an economic basis to do so," Rathbone said. "It wouldn't generate any economic benefit either through personal income growth or job creation."
Nixon on Wednesday announced the appointment of former A-B president David Peacock and suburban St. Louis attorney Robert Blitz to analyze the troublesome stadium issue that is threatening to send the St. Louis Rams packing, and to present options within 60 days.
Nixon said Peacock worked directly with the league on advertising and marketing while with A-B and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame advisory board. Blitz was part of the legal team that helped bring the Rams to St. Louis and is legal counsel to the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority.
"We are prepared to look at serious options to remain an NFL city," Nixon said.
"We have funding streams that folks have gotten very used to,Cheap Jerseys Online," Nixon said.
It's not clear how construction of either dome improvements or a new stadium would be funded,Jerseys NFL Cheap, but one option would be to extend the funding mechanism for the dome. Repayment for the 30-year bonds that financed it will total $720 million. The state of Missouri pays $12 million annually toward that debt; the city and St. Louis County pay $6 million each.
Messages left with the Rams were not immediately returned,Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale. |
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