The months since the Rams left St. Louis for L.A. have seen the Univ. of Missouri quietly working to "capitalize on the gap" in the local market, according to Dave Matter of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. In meetings and conversations around the MU offices, St. Louis "has been a consistent topic." MU has planned "several measures to address the market, some before the Rams moved" to L.A. and others "in the wake of the NFL team’s exit." For the first time, Mizzou Sports Properties "moved a staffer to St. Louis where he’ll work exclusively with local companies to build corporate partnerships." Also for the first time, a member of the school's athletic program, MU Deputy AD Wren Baker, sits on the BOD "for the St. Louis Sports Commission." The department also has "dispatched new football coach Barry Odom and his staff to St. Louis for several public events." MU’s marketing arm will "roll out its media and ticket sales campaign and has devoted a greater share of advertising money for promotions targeting fans in St. Louis." MU Senior Associate AD/Strategic Communications Ryan Bradley in an email wrote, "Building relationships and being visible in the St. Louis community is very important for us." Mizzou Sports Properties GM Nick Garner believes the school "can benefit on the corporate side, too." It is "less visible to the public eye but still crucial for an athletic department’s bottom line." Among the Rams’ top local sponsors "were Charter Communications, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Edward Jones." Garner: "Our priority will be companies in St. Louis that don’t have a purely local feel but are based in St. Louis" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/16).
