1995-1999 The Rams weren't very good. 22 Wins 64 Losses 1999-2004 The Rams were really good. 64 Wins 32 Losses 2004-2010 The Rams haven't been very good. 20 Wins 60 Losses I wouldn't say that last year they were abnormally horrible. The last three years they have won 6 games. As you can see - the first few years weren't all that great either. The Midwest Regional when it is in Saint Louis always plays at the Dome - not Scottrade. As far as braving the elements, count me out.
my guess is you won't accept free tickets to rams games because the team isn't any good. If the team would have been 15-1 last year instead of 1-15, there wouldn't have been any free tickets to be had. And if there were - you would have gone.
And you guessed wrong. I love football. I'd go to the Ram's game if it were in a legitimate football stadium. I've turned down tickets when the Rams were good. Seeing them live in that "stadium" is not an enjoyable experience.
MLS status is still: awaiting billionaire white knight investor. I don't think this Athletica/ACSTL mess really affects anything. The Vaids were never going to be our ticket into the MLS.
That is a shame. You missed some really good football. In terms of the white knight investor - I agree. It won't be Cooper.
That's because the Dome is there and it seats 40,000 for basketball. But if we didn't have the Dome, I'm fairly sure the Missouri Valley Conference and the St. Louis Sports Commission would still bring it here, and the only option then would be Scottrade. For example: 2013: West Regional at Staples Center, Los Angeles 2012: East Regional at TD Garden, Boston; West Regional at US Airways Center, Phoenix (which by the way also has a large indoor football stadium in which the game could be played, but apparently won't). 2011: West Regional at Honda Center, Anaheim; East Regional at Prudential Center, Newark 2010: West Reginal at EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City So a large football stadium isn't necessary for a regional to be held there. The first four years the Rams were in St. Louis were crap, to be sure, but at least we didn't do worse than 4-12, which most of us would kill for now. The last three years we've been worse than that, of course. But this is not normal for most of the rest of the NFL, especially our 1-15 last year. Only eight teams have ever finished 1-15 (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Has_an_NFL_team_ever_gone_1-15, plus our own Rams last year) and the 0-16 Lions in 2008 were worse. So yes, I would say that our team has been abnormally horrible the past three years, and especially last year. To bring us back on topic, though, yes, I don't mind the Dome if it means we have a chance of getting a Final Four (even if I don't have the money to attend) and if the atmosphere were better. But the fact is that if we had an outdoor stadium in the first place, there's a good chance we would've had an MLS team early on with our history and passion when they were only looking at outdoor football stadiums, and we'd only be missing out on one Final Four from 2005, which many of us probably were not able to attend and don't care much about anyway.
I didn't miss it - it was much more enjoyable in a pub than at the stadium. Now, Mizzou, outdoors, snowing, cold, flask in hand, you cannot beat it.
But the point is, we've already known it wouldn't be Cooper for years. So it's hard to say this debacle hurts our MLS chances much if any.
We should all sign a petition and send it to Khan! Hell and send one to our local billionaire also, Jack Taylor. Make it really professional, include history of soccer and it's importance to the city and to the nation, etc. This team would be pocket change for these guys. They could even bring back the Athletica for next year. What do you think? It couldn't hurt, right? Who wants to head this? Step up!
The problem is that the Convention and Visitors Bureau were focused on an NFL team and not an MLS team. The way the Dome was sold to the public was that it could be used the rest of the year for conventions etc. when it was not used for football. Unfortunately, an outdoor stadium could not be used in kind. In terms of the atmosphere at the dome, there was no problem from 1999-2004 when they were winning I would imagine.
Does the "I would imagine" = I'm guessing? I'm guessing you are not from St. Louis. I'm also guessing you've never been inside the Dome. Am I correct? The Dome is a horrible place to watch a game regardless of winning/losing or the team on the field.
Agreed completely on the Dome. That place is a world-class dump. It was obviously built on the cheap, and has nothing resembing game-day atmosphere. If someone gave me a free ticket (and I *like* the Rams), it's not an automatic that I'd go.
I don't think any city's convention and visitors bureau was focused on an MLS team back then, especially when MLS hadn't even played a game. MLS played its first match a year after the Rams moved to St. Louis, and they played them in football stadiums back then. There was no such thing as an SSS yet. And most teams were owned by a select few, including Lamar Hunt and AEG. I'm not sure either owner had much pull outside of their respective home markets of Kansas City and Los Angeles back then. If I remember correctly, they just found venues in which soccer teams could play and used them. And with St. Louis's soccer history, if we had an outdoor stadium, we almost surely would've gotten a team back then. True, the Dome can be used for conventions and was sold to the public that way. But, I'm just saying that if we had an outdoor stadium in the first place, we would've gotten an MLS team by now. And the only reason the atmosphere in the Dome was great when we were winning was just that: we were winning. Think of how much better it would've been if we were outdoors.
It's quite ironic; back when Tagliabue visited in 1999, he said that the venue would be a good site for a Super Bowl. Wow, we've regressed.
I was going to say that the ACSTL situation probably has no affect on MLS in STL. It may be a little harder, since Cooper's name may be mud in MLS circles (maybe yours, too; I don't know), but I imagine St. Louis is in the same boat as everybody else wanting MLS, and that is, "Dude(s) w/$$$, wanting to blow it on MLS + stadium deal/plan = MLS"
Even if MLS distrusts Cooper, if he shows up with a billionaire they'll probably look past any personal flaws.
Been to the Dome many times to see the RAMS play. I don't see where the problem lies. You have to remember it is a stadium and was built for multi-purpose, so it is difficult to have all of the amenities you would like. Plus there was a finite (not infinite) amount of money available. The only thing that I would change is the roof should come off so that in August, September, October and maybe November you could play with the roof off. In December and January it is too cold to play outdoors in Saint Louis. I am not sure what more people want in a facility. My guess then is that everyone is in favor in building and paying for a new stadium for the Rams?
Why do you keep saying this? Until about 20 years ago, soccer was a winter sport in St. Louis. That being said, if it is not too cold to play outdoors in Chicago, Buffalo, Green Bay, Cleveland, etc in December and January, how is it too cold in St. Louis? The average high in STL in Dec & Jan is 42 and 38 respectively.
It used to be a winter sport and I guess the reason that they moved it to fall and spring is that there are better weather conditions for the games. I will put it this way - it is too cold for me to sit out in the stands for any length of time to watch a game. Those folks in Green Bay, Chicago, and Buffalo - good luck to them - that really doesn't look enjoyable. I am more than happy to go to the dome and take my jacket off and be comfortable. We will see how the cold weather Super Bowl goes over? I don't want to pay $1000 and sit out in freezing weather - all bundled up. It is another reason that MLS will struggle to change to a calender that is like the rest of the world. Too many teams in cold weather venues that would struggle to get attendance (Chicago, Denver, Columbus, New Jersey).
Given the remarks by Don Garber, it looks like the Southeast will be the next move for expansion. If New York gets #20, then you could have Atlanta, Miami, and (Tampa or Orlando). Would still need a team to round out to 24 and St. Louis would be nice. The closest MLS club for me is 350 miles away. Guess I'll just take the money I would have spent on season tickets and go on an annual trip to England. It is a shame that the once, "Hotbed Of Soccer", has been relegated to hoping to get a MLS reserve team.
I don't get the impression that Beckam thinks the Galaxy fans are the most loyal or best fans in the MLS. Also, a lot of Americans seemed quite surprised at how large and intense the support has been in Seattle at certain games. The same will apply to Montreal. There is still great untapped potential out there for a shrewd businessman who does their research. Even foreign media commented on it a little, departing from the usual dismissive insults (e.g. about Freddy Lundberg's 'match fitness' for returning to a european club). There's no room for another team in LA and Beckam will not want a failing business on his hands - he will simply pick the most ripe market - fan numbers. And if he lives in LA... I think he can afford a jet. I don't know if SLS has the right fan numbers, but it certainly has more potential of being a 'proper football city', than other candidates due to youth programs, amateur teams and links with the national set-up/ college leagues. Your owner is doing the best thing by trying to demonstrate and grow the size of support first. They can't argue with figures. You've got tp also wonder, with the amount of sponsors and contacts Beckam has, will a company or club fund his new venture? Man Utd? Tottenham? Nintendo? Wilkinson? There's already a satellite club in MLS and company clubs are common in South America. St Louis Hotspur perhaps?
I would say that StL's MLS prospects have pretty much died. Unless somebody really rich and capable of sustaining losses appears out of the woodwork, that is. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2011/01/19/ac-st-louis-shuts-down.html