Finding Common Stadium Ground Is Key to Arbitration with Rams

After proposals and counter-proposals by both the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission and the St. Louis Rams on stadium plans were rejected by each other, the two organizations now have entered the official arbitration portion of negotiations.

Between now and the end of the calendar year, the two sides hopefully will work toward an agreement on how to update the Edward Jones Dome.  The CVC needs to placate the Rams in accordance with terms indicated in the existing contract between the two parties, or else the Rams are free to leave town after the 2014 season.

The situation is tenuous and far from a satisfactory result for the City of St. Louis and the metropolitan area.  Proponents for a new stadium or a vastly enhanced Dome point out the potential revenue that could be generated with an updated stadium that is amenable to the Rams.

However, that same argument for a new stadium was made in 1995 when The Ed was built to lure the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis.  So, it’s fair to ask how much business has been generated between 1995 and 2012 because of the Dome, isn’t it?

Has St. Louis seen a boon in outside business from conventions, events and other businesses attracted here because of the stadium and convention center?  If not, then why would the lure of an even newer new stadium necessarily be economically impactful for the region?

It seems most likely that any plan that is accepted will involve financing by taxpayers as well as Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the National Football League itself.  That’s largely what’s been the case with stadium financing in recent years in other NFL outposts from Dallas and New York (New Jersey) to a proposal just recently approved in Minneapolis.

There is a growing contingent of people in our area who don’t want to help finance the Rams in a new or renovated stadium.  They contend that taxpayers are still on the hook to pay off the Jones Dome for several more years.  They point out the high unemployment rate in the St. Louis area and the need to spend state, county and city money on concerns more vital to all residents, such as education, job development programs and paying for improved infrastructure.

It seems increasingly clear that any proposal must require the Rams and the CVC to acknowledge the region’s economic realities.  We’ll likely know, as the days between now and January 1, 2013 tick by, just how interested Kroenke and the Rams are in staying here.

We’ll also find out just how confident the CVC is in selling taxpayers on any renovation that surely will involve their own financial contribution for any facility that will keep the Rams, more or less, among the top 25 percent of NFL teams in stadium quality.

Regardless of the outcome, however, one point is certain:  These arbitration proceedings will be anything but easy.

Evan Makovsky
HOST, THE E-MAK SHOW
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