The Rams are doing it right. That’s a phrase we haven’t heard since the days when Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk led the prolific offense affectionately known as the “Greatest Show on Turf.” I should be clear, when I say they are doing it right, it has nothing to do with their performance on the field this year, where the bi-polar Rams somehow beat the Seahawks twice while losing to the 49ers and Ravens.
The Rams announced earlier this week that they would be moving the team from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The most shocking tidbit from this major news story is that the Rams’ new stadium in Los Angeles will be 100% privately funded. This is refreshing news in an age where it seems like every sports franchise holds cities and states hostage by demanding taxpayer money. The Rams’ new stadium will be the most expensive NFL stadium by more than a billion dollars over the next highest one, and yet it’s all being privately funded.
The Rams are running their team like a business and respecting the taxpayers, which should be applauded. In a few years, the Titans (who would love nothing more than to be called bi-polar rather than just horrendous) will inevitably come asking for more taxpayer money for a new stadium. When they do, the city of Nashville and state of Tennessee should say no and point to this example.
While the Rams story is still a developing one where details can change, I hope that teams paying for their own stadiums rather than stealing money from unsuspecting taxpayers becomes the new normal rather than the noteworthy exception.