The St. Louis Ram's franchise announced yesterday that it would be playing one game per season in London for the next three years. Fans and media are up in arms, spouting that this is just a prelude to relocating the team to Europe, a long speculated idea around the NFL. Ram's personnel, including head coach Jeff Fisher and COO Kevin Demoff have both voiced their support for the move, commenting that this is a good move for the franchise. They are selling the idea that this move will create buzz for the team and attract untapped revenue streams.
Everyone please take a deep breath. What I am about to suggest will at first, seem like anarchy. Go support the team! During the Jeff Fisher hiring press conference, owner Stan Kroenke was asked about the future of the franchise in reference to possible relocation in 2014. His response, "we'll see". Many fans and media members were turned-off by this vague response. However, I saw this response as a business man... being a business man. His response is truly a "we'll see" proposition. It's the same response we give to our kids when they ask for something. Our response as parents is decoded like this: If you are good, then yes; bad, then no. Stan Kroenke's message decoded:
"Regardless of how bad the team has been in the past, I feel we have vastly improved the team with this hiring. During the next three years, we will make every attempt to produce a winning team and fill the dome every Sunday. If fans come to support the team, the team makes money. If fans do not come to support the team, it does not make money".
I saw this as Stan Kroenke daring the fans to support the team. Let me repeat, Stan Kroenke is a business man. If Kroenke does not make money, he will move the franchise to a location that has better potential for making money, possibly Los Angeles or London.
Two weeks ago, Ram's fans had no good reason to support the team in 2012; they do now. The Ram's finally made a good personnel decision with the hiring of an experienced, winning coach. There is an old saying in professional sports, "winning solves everything". If the Ram's can at least get back to respectability, fans will show up.
Because I know there are still some doubter's out there, consider this: If you support the team now and prove that the fan base in St. Louis is indeed supportive of an NFL franchise, they there is no need to worry about what Stan Kroenke does with the Rams. Bottom line: even if he moves the team, there is a good possibility that another franchise will seriously consider moving here. The Jacksonville Jaguars are an example: a failing franchise, long being rumored to relocate.
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