NFL circles just can't seem to make up their minds. First, it was reported that the league could have at least one team in Los Angeles by 2015. Now, that is looking very unlikely. The San Diego Chargers announced yesterday that they will be staying in their current residence next season. The St. Louis Rams, one of the other two teams mentioned as a likely relocation candidate, won't be moving further west anytime soon either.
"According to league sources, [Dave Peacock, who helps lead a task force organized by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to cultivate a long-term stadium solution in St. Louis] revealed [to the NFL late last month] preliminary plans for a stadium near the Mississippi River north of the Gateway Arch, and discussed other potential sites," wrote Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"Peacock recently had a preliminary meeting with high-level Rams executives to give the team a progress report on his stadium efforts. According to league sources, Peacock used the meeting to describe potential stadium locations and funding sources. Rams owner Stan Kroenke did not attend the meeting but was briefed on the details."
Adding to the support system that hopes to keep the Rams in St. Louis is Missouri governor Jay Nixon.
"According to league sources, it is anticipated that Nixon's initial update [in the coming days] will be followed by a public unveiling of preliminary stadium plans - sometime around the first of the year," Miklasz wrote.
San Diego's sudden change of heart also has some questioning whether the team knows something everyone else doesn't.
"There are plenty of signs pointing to no team moving to Los Angeles in 2015," ESPN's Nick Wagoner wrote. "That includes the Rams. Why? Well, the theory goes that the Chargers wouldn't so boldly and outwardly forfeit their leverage on the Los Angeles situation without some sort of knowledge that nobody would be moving to Los Angeles in time for the 2015 season. San Diego has long claimed that about a fourth of its season-ticket holders come from the Los Angeles and Orange County areas and that another team moving into the city would be detrimental to its business. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times offered similar thoughts in a column Tuesday night. And the New York Times reported earlier this week that the chances of a team moving in 2015 had 'dimmed.'"
That's unfortunate news for the NFL. Los Angeles is still a hot bed of activity with a star-studded fan base already in place. It is the country's second-largest media market, and offers a wealth of financially profitable opportunities for potential franchises. There's a reason the league has been pushing for an L.A. team since the Oakland Raiders left the area in 1994.
