Just one week before NFL owners will meet in Phoenix to vote
on the Rams move to St. Louis, the league confirmed yesterday
that Fox is objecting to the team's move from Anaheim. Fox's
move contradicts a "public statement" by News Corp. Chair Rupert
Murdoch in January, and "could mean millions of dollars to each
team in the league" (Himmelberg & Mouchard, ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER, 3/9). NFL VP of Communications Joe Browne said Fox
officials issued a letter to the league in opposition to the move
and sources told the L.A. TIMES the "letter demands a monetary
rebate to compensate for Fox losing its 'home' team in the
nation's second-ranked TV market in exchange for a team in the
18th market" (Bill Plaschke, L.A. TIMES, 3/9). Because of the
"enormity" of Fox's investment in the NFL ($1.58B for NFC
rights), their stance "is certain to be weighed." Fox officials
told NFL owners of their opposition at the owners meeting in
February (Jerry Magee, SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE, 3/9). Fox is
also a partner in the revised World League.
MOVE IN TROUBLE? Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said he "will
give the owners a real good understanding" of how the league
views the Rams' move when the owners meet from March 12-17.
Tagliabue: "I've said that two teams in L.A. is one question.
One team in L.A. is the minimum" (Gordon Forbes, USA TODAY, 3/9).
49ers President Carmen Policy said Tagliabue's recommendation
"will be critical" on how owners will vote (Himmelberg &
Mouchard, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 3/9). Rams Owner Georgia
Frontiere "could be guilty of the NFL's worst case of premature
celebration since Leon Lett," writes Bill Plaschke of the L.A.
TIMES. Chiefs Owner Lamar Hunt: "You just can't have teams going
different places willy-nilly" (L.A. TIMES, 3/9). Some "observers
doubt the move (to St. Louis) will ever happen. Others are
confident it will, though not without strife" (Ed Hinton, SI,
3/13 issue). Joe Alioto, the S.F. attorney who succesfully
represented the Raiders against the NFL, predicts the Rams could
win $300-400M in damages against the NFL should the league vote
down a move (Vito Stellino, Baltimore SUN, 3/9).
HOLLYWOOD PARK: The NFL's Browne also said that a proposal
for private interest to construct a stadium near Hollywood Park
for use by the Raiders "is still alive in the NFL's view" (SAN
DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE, 3/9).
