SILENCE OF THE RAMS?
Can a team hope no one shows up to their games? To some, that is the desire of St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who wants to build a
stadium in Inglewood, Calif. He has pointedly declined to engage with the state-appointed stadium task force in Missouri. To many, Kroenke may be trying to depress turnout this year in St. Louis to use as evidence to his fellow owners that the market will not support the team. So attendance at Rams games is a key issue to watch.
ESCAPE TO L.A.
In that vein, both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers have eyes on the Los Angeles region, too, having announced a joint stadium
in Carson. Unlike the Rams, these two teams did engage with their local markets’ politicians, though the Chargers have ceased to do so. Nevertheless, these clubs have one foot in the door, one out, so the messages have not been as negative toward fans. Watching attendance in these markets also will be key as the NFL moves toward a decision on who gets to move to Los Angeles.
NO GOLD RUSH?
How will San Francisco 49ers fans react to a losing team, which could occur given the club’s unprecedented rates of retirement, injuries and
off-field incidents removing players. With the second year in Levi’s Stadium coming up, could fans, used to a championship-caliber team, no show if the club stumbles badly?
BULLISH IN BUFFALO
This will be the first full year under new owner Terry Pegula. The season already is stacking up nicely, with a new coach in Rex Ryan,
wide optimism for the team and news that the club passed 60,000 season tickets for the first time in its history. That should put to rest any relocation talk, and perhaps even that of a new stadium.
