The Los Angeles Rams: A Familiar Face With Different Results?

Last week it was announced that 3 NFL teams have filed papers for relocation to Los Angeles. The St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers have all taken the next steps in the process to bring football back to the Los Angeles area for the first time since the Raiders left after the 1994 season. This is, without a doubt, great news for football fans in Los Angeles, the biggest sports hub on the West Coast. While fans throughout the greater Los Angeles area are more than likely jumping for joy, its important to remember that this day is also serving as the beginning of the end of an era for these teams current cities.

Although the fates of both the Raiders and Chargers are still up in the air, it would appear that St.Louis Rams will be the first domino to fall in this great escape back to the West Coast. The St. Louis Rams got their original start in Cleveland in 1936, they moved the franchise to Los Angeles in 1946, thus becoming the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams would call L.A. home for almost half a century before moving to St. Louis just before the 1995 season. Ever since that time, the Rams have been a key member of the St. Louis community, culminating with the franchises only Super Bowl win in 1999. During that time, they also spawned the greatest nickname in sports, ‘The Greatest Show On Turf.’ Aside from that Super Bowl championship, the Rams also won another conference title (2001) and 3 division titles (1999,2001,2003).

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Unfortunately for the Rams in St. Louis, most of the football that was played there was mediocre if not worse. Those 4 division titles would be the only winning seasons the Rams would enjoy throughout their entire 21 year stint in St.Louis. Truthfully, it wasn’t just bad, it was putrid. From 2007 to 2011, the Rams were only able to manage 19 wins. Thats not a typo, thats 19 wins throughout the course of 5 full seasons. If it wasn’t for the anomaly of the 2010 season in which they won 7 games, the numbers would have been even worse.

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The sub-par play on the field has also played a large role in the teams attendance records. For example, in both the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the Rams ranked in bottom 5 of attendance throughout the entire league. By comparison, the Washington Redskins ranked in the top 3 of attendance in 2011, even though they played to the tune of a 5-11 record. Even the Carolina Panthers, who finished 2011 with a 6-10 record, were in the top 10 of attendance. So to me, it’s tough to believe the “well, why support a team that stinks” theorem in terms of the Rams. (Although interestingly enough, the Rams last season in L.A., they were dead last in attendance.)

Aside from the fandom however, there is a certain aspect of this relocation that is inarguable, and its the effect on the local economy. No matter your thoughts on the NFL, the fact remains that an NFL franchise is nothing if not a cash cow. Not only that, it’s tough to think about all of the employees who work in the stadium, the bars who host the locals who don’t want to go to the games, and so on. With the Rams heading back to L.A., there’s no doubt that the city of St. Louis will feel the negative effects of a city that now is void of a professional football franchise.