Will St Louis Get An NFL Team?
It’s been a long time since the Rams left St. Louis, and many football fans in the city are still hoping for an NFL team to call their own. But will it happen? Let’s take a look at the prospects.
The Pros of St. Louis Getting an NFL Team
St. Louis is a city with a rich football history. The city has produced some of the greatest football players of all time including Hall of Famers like Walter Payton and Lawrence Taylor. In addition, St. Louis has a passionate fan base that would support a team. The city also has the necessary infrastructure to support an NFL team.
The city has a long history with the NFL
St. Louis has a long and storied history with the National Football League. The city was home to two NFL teams in the past, the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. Both teams left the city in recent years, but there is still a lot of support for football in St. Louis.
There are several reasons why St. Louis would be a good fit for an NFL team. The city has a strong fan base, and there are already facilities in place that could be used for a team. The city is also centrally located, which would make it easy for fans to travel to games.
There are also some drawbacks to putting an NFL team in St. Louis. The city does not have a lot of corporate support, and it would be competing with other sports teams for attention. There is also the risk that another team would leave the city if it did not have success.
Ultimately, whether or not St. Louis gets an NFL team is up to the league owners. They will need to decide if the benefits of having a team in the city outweigh the risks.
There is a large fan base in the city
The city of St. Louis has been home to two NFL teams in the past, and there is a large fan base in the city that would support a new team. In addition, the city has a number of large venues that could be used as a home stadium for a new team, including the Edward Jones Dome and Busch Stadium.
The city has the necessary infrastructure
St. Louis has the Edward Jones Dome, which is a dome stadium that was built in 1995. The dome is the home of the St. Louis Rams, and it can seat up to 70,000 people. The city also has a convention center that can accommodate large events. In addition, St. Louis has several hotels that would be able to accommodate visitors who come to see an NFL game.
The Cons of St. Louis Getting an NFL Team
The NFL is a business, and as such, they are always looking to make the most money possible. That means that they will only put a team in a city if they think it will be profitable for them. In some cases, that means cities with large populations and/or a history of supporting professional football teams.
The city does not have a strong enough economy
There are a number of reasons why the city of St. Louis may not be able to support an NFL team, the biggest one being the city’s economy. According to Forbes, St. Louis is the 48th most populous city in the United States with a population of just over 315,000. The city’s metro area is slightly larger at 2.8 million people, but that is still small compared to other NFL markets. For comparison, the New York Jets and Giants play in the country’s top media market with over 19 million people in its metro area. The Green Bay Packers play in the smallest market, but they benefit from having a very strong and loyal fan base.
The city’s economy is also not as robust as it once was. In recent years, a number of large companies have either left or downsized their operations in St. Louis. This has led to a decline in jobs and income levels for many residents. According to The Verge, the poverty rate in St. Louis is nearly 28 percent, which is well above the national average of 15 percent. The city also has a higher crime rate than average, which could make it difficult for an NFL team to attract fans and corporate sponsorships.
There is not enough support from the government
One of the biggest cons of St. Louis trying to get an NFL team is the lack of support from the government. In order for a city to be seriously considered as a potential home for an NFL team, there needs to be a clear commitment from the city’s leaders to supporting the team financially. This includes building a new stadium or making significant improvements to an existing one.
Unfortunately, there has been very little movement on this front in St. Louis. The most recent proposal for a new stadium would have required nearly $1 billion in public funding, and it was ultimately rejected by the Missouri Legislature. Without a clear commitment from the city’s leaders, it’s unlikely that an NFL team will ever call St. Louis home.
There is not enough interest from potential investors
There is not enough interest from potential investors: The biggest obstacle for St. Louis getting an NFL team is that there is not enough interest from potential investors. While there are a number of wealthy individuals in the city, the number of people who are willing to invest in an NFL team is far too small. This means that the city would likely need to subsidize a significant portion of the cost of building a new stadium, which is not feasible.
The market is too small: Another issue facing St. Louis is that its market is simply too small to support an NFL team. The city’s metropolitan area ranks 21st in the nation, behind much smaller markets like Green Bay and New Orleans. This means that there would not be enough fans to generate the revenue needed to support an NFL team.
There are already two other professional teams in the market: In addition to the relatively small size of the St. Louis market, there are already two other professional teams (the Rams and the Cardinals) competing for fans’ attention and dollars. This makes it even less likely that an NFL team would be able to succeed in the city.