The St. Louis Rams are one of three teams facing a potential move to Southern California, along with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders. Odds are at least one team will be in Los Angeles by next year, according to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
All three teams are in dire need of a new stadium. St. Louis, at this point, has been the only city to actively engage in talk of a new venue. The Rams have been silent on the topic, and it is presumed that Stan Kroenke will pack his franchise up at the end of the year and head West.
I don't want that to happen.
I have grown up in a suburb roughly 30 minutes west of St. Louis for all 19 years of my life, and I barely know what winning football is like. The only Rams playoff appearance that I have even a slight memory of is from 2004, when they lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round.
My grandparents had season tickets in the outfield bleachers for the St. Louis Cardinals football team that played at the Old Busch Stadium. They had season tickets for the Rams for over 15 years. They grew up going to football games it St. Louis.
Some people say, "Let them leave, I don't care!" or, "I don't want my city to support a team that can't win!" I understand the frustration. I'm frustrated, too.
From 2005-2013, the dismal Rams produced a .299 winning percentage (the worst in the NFL). I don't know what it's like to root for a football team that has the potential to win a Super Bowl year-after-year, and I don't know what it's like to root for a MVP-caliber quarterback. Sorry, Marc Bulger and Sam Bradford.
However, I do know that I would much rather talk about my team's upcoming game on Sunday than talk about how much I miss my team because its greedy owner decided to run for greener pastures.
For all you young St. Louis fans, from 1969-1981 the baseball Cardinals did not make the playoffs once. Now, in the last 12 years, the same team that couldn't reach the postseason has won four National League pennants and two World Series championships. If the Cardinals suddenly went on a losing streak similar to that of the Rams, would you be calling for the team to leave? Would you care if your beloved Cardinals left town? Don't be too naive, St. Louis. It could happen.
St. Louis is an NFL city. During the Greatest Show on Turf era, the town showed that if a quality team is put out on the field the fans will support. Heck, they have supported the Rams for the last 10 years, which is more than they probably deserved.
The Rams arguably have a top five defense in the NFL right now. The offense is just a weapon or two away from becoming a highly efficient unit. The Rams are on the right track. This isn't the 1-15 Rams from 2009. This team has real upside. Sure, the Rams haven't had the best track record lately. But who's to say that they can't turn things around? What if they do move to Los Angeles, and they win a Super Bowl within five years of being there? Don't you think fans in St. Louis will be wishing that they had the team back in their own city?
No one can definitively say they know the outcome of what will happen when the NFL decides who will relocate to Los Angeles. But, there is no doubt that whatever the outcome is, fans in at least one of these cities will be heartbroken. That's a damn shame.