Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday said that the proposed NFL stadium to keep the Rams in St. Louis is an "economic development project and doesn’t require a vote of the public or of the Legislature," according to David Hunn of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Nixon also "warned that Missouri’s AAA credit rating would be damaged if some Legislators follow through on their threat to block debt payments needed to fund a new stadium." Hunn writes this was Nixon's "most substantive defense yet of the new stadium effort." Nixon said that even if St. Louis' stadium task force "gets everything done and on time," there is "no guarantee" that NFL owners will decide to keep a team in St. Louis. Nixon: "Guarantees are written documents. There’s no guarantees in any of this.” Hunn notes Nixon "regularly talks with" Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt, who sits on the Owners Committee on L.A. Opportunities. Nixon "met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell" in N.Y. on Wednesday. Nixon said that they "all have the same message: You’re making progress. You’re meeting timelines. You have exceeded expectations" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/4). In St. Louis, Benjamin Hochman asks, "Can Nixon save the NFL in St. Louis?" He is "going up against" Rams Owner Stan Kroenke, the "stalwart Soviet hockey team of businessmen." But even if St. Louis is to lose the Rams, Hochman writes he can "foresee St. Louis becoming the NFL’s latest 'Cleveland,' a proud city that is awarded an expansion team." This is something the NFL execs "have indeed considered" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/4).
EMPTY SEATS, PUBLIC MEETS: In K.C., Vahe Gregorian wrote, "Considering the horde of Chiefs fans who traveled across the state, and the thousands of empty crimson seats on Thursday night at the Edward Jones Dome, a sea of red more suited to Arrowhead Stadium became the backdrop for their game against the Rams." There "looked to be fewer than 20,000 people in the stands" (KANSASCITY.com, 9/3). In St. Louis, Jesse Bogan notes about 200 people "gathered Thursday evening" before the game "to rally behind" the new $1B riverfront stadium. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay addressed the crowd, saying, "We've got a plan that we are going to make happen to keep the Rams in St. Louis and to keep St. Louis a strong NFL city." Bogan notes the main crowd attending the Missouri Athletic Club event "cheered for the mayor and other new stadium promoters speaking outside the Edward Jones Dome," including stadium task force co-heads Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz and HOK architect Eli Hoisington (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/4). Also in St. Louis, Joe Strauss notes Thursday’s pep rally was "part of a multi-level public relations push" that lasted only 11 minutes but "made a rock star of Peacock." This was a "stay-the-course message to those desirous of keeping the Rams" in the city. Strauss: "Give Nixon and his committee credit. They are taking a process cloaked in political misdirection and Kroenke’s secrecy into the public domain." But the whole process "resembles an insider’s game" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/4).
