Hello, Elegant Lovelies,
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Temperatures in Missouri were in the negative range early in the week and now is supposed to be almost 60 degrees this weekend. Oh my!
If you ask my hubby I am not watching 24/7 football, however, that Prince halftime show was and continues to be priceless. Everyone knows whether a football fan or not that this is Super Bowl weekend and the ever-determined Patriots versus. the strong bucking Rams. I go over and over in my head that the Rams were in St. Louis, Missouri for twenty years and the only Super Bowl win was while in the Gateway City. In this post in Sports Illustrated by Joan Niesen, “St. Louis’s Super Bowl: Confusion About the Rams-and Contempt for Stan Kroenke” says that most St. Louisans want to just not even bother but that’s not everyone. I have some friends who don’t care about Kroenke’s antics and have gone to California to watch live and in person at the Coliseum.
In 2014, JT met then Rams players Corey Harkey (left) and Cody Davis (right) at a Lady Rams event.
I know even though Kroenke was born and raised in Missouri, space and money is the main focus of moving the Rams back to Los Angeles, California. The new stadium according to the Washington Post will cost approximately $5 Billion dollars that’s no chunk change. In the article by Liz Clarke, “The Rams’ $5 billion stadium complex is bigger than Disneyland. It might be perfect for L.A.,” the new stadium will cost megabucks.
“The surrounding multiuse development, which includes a 250,000-square-foot West Coast headquarters for NFL Media and the NFL Network, will be constructed in stages and drive the total project’s cost well over $5 billion.”
Money, Money, Money!
We want to say that money isn’t what it’s about and that it’s about the game. But we know, in today’s era of professional sports, that just isn’t the case.
With this year’s Super Bowl featuring the now Los Angeles Rams against the New England Patriots, a big dilemma has hit the people of Saint Louis. Who does one root for? Let’s look at it. The Rams won their first Super Bowl following the 1999 season. The Greatest Show on Turf was rolling high and the Rams were the talk of the NFL world. By the end of the 2001 season, the Rams were back in the Super Bowl, taking on the upstart New England Patriots, with a second-year quarterback by the name of Tom Brady. The Rams were a heavy favorite to win the game, but much to the surprise on many people, the Patriots came away victorious. This win by the Patriots propelled them into a string of Super Bowl appearances. In the last seventeen seasons, the Patriots have won five of the eight games they have played, with this year’s game being number nine.
The fact that New England defeated the Rams and their continued success has left many Saint Louisans feeling not so nice things about the Patriots. We know many people who would always cheer against Patriots whenever they were planning, especially in the Super Bowl.
And when Kroenke and the Rams left the Gateway City after the 2015 season, many Saint Louisans feel the burn of a money-hungry owner who allowed his team to hit rock bottom all the while demanding a new stadium for his team. While Saint Louis officials were planning to build a new stadium for Kroenke, he convinced the NFL League officials to approve the move back to Los Angeles while promising to build a sports and entertainment complex that would benefit the NFL as a whole. Officials overwhelmingly approved the move and Saint Louis was once again without a professional football team. Many Saint Louisans supported the Rams from day one and became true supporters and fans. If leaving Saint Louis for Los Angeles was not bad enough, but once they get back to Los Angeles, they start playing better, winning games and now back in the Super Bowl. Saint Louisians’ frustration and loathe for the Rams have now been taken to a higher level.
So here we are. February 2019. The Saint Louis, I mean the Los Angeles Rams are playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. Who does one root for? The team that left our city for more opportunities and more money. Or the team that beat our then team back in 2002. I can honestly say, I don’t know. A colleague at work said he would be root for the team that ends up winning the game. Maybe so!
I would like to hear your thoughts and comments! Who are you rooting for? Do you even care? Are you more interested in the halftime show or the commercials? Or will you not be watching any of it and doing other things.
Let J and JT know in the comments below.
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