London, Denver may be contingencies for Kroenke if LA falls through

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Rams owner Stan Kroenke is fixated on moving his franchise to Los Angeles for 2016, and the prospect of remaining in St. Louis for any extended period of time does not appeal to him. Should he lose out to the Chargers and Raiders on the rights to the LA market, the league knows it would have to work actively to find other solutions for Kroenke, which could include possibly London or Denver, according to league sources.

Kroenke already has business interests in England, and he owns the powerful London-based soccer club Arsenal, which has lavish training grounds and world-class facilities. Colorado serves as Kroenke's base, and his family already has extensive sports interests there as well, owning the Nuggets and Avalanche. The future ownership makeup of the Broncos is very much in doubt when long-term patriarch Pat Bowlen passes on.

For his part, Kroenke has not considered options outside of Los Angeles, and sources close to him say that while they have heard chatter regarding other potential fall-back plans from the league's perspective, it's not something the owner has actively mulled or taken part in.

rest - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/25393693/london-denver-could-be-contingencies-for-kroenke-if-la-falls-through

Not one time has it been reported locally that "the future ownership makeup of the Broncos is very much in doubt when long-term patriarch Pat Bowlen passes on." It has always been stated that ownership of the Broncos would remain in the Bowlen family.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Denver Broncos Retweeted
Patrick Smyth ‏@psmyth12 2h

Patrick Smyth Retweeted Jason La Canfora

An option will not be the Denver Broncos. Plan remains in place to keep the team in the Bowlen family.

[MOtorboat]

That logically doesn't even go together. He has a team, so if a move to L.A. doesn't come through his options are London or buy Denver and sell St. Louis?

That takes a giant leap in logic to come up with that one.

[Valar Morghulis]

That logically doesn't even go together. He has a team, so if a move to L.A. doesn't come through his options are London or buy Denver and sell St. Louis? That takes a giant leap in logic to come up with that one.

Some journalist went ooh, trouble moving to LA......arsenal...london....nuggets.....denver.... .kroenke...lightbulb....

[MOtorboat]

Some journalist went ooh, trouble moving to LA......arsenal...london....nuggets.....denver.... .kroenke...lightbulb....

His source made the leap in logic. If La Canfora made a mistake it was not vetting that information.

[Joel]

Some journalist went ooh, trouble moving to LA......arsenal...london....nuggets.....denver.... .kroenke...lightbulb....
To be fair, some of that's not a leap: Arsenals owner moving his OTHER pro franchise to a place where the NFL's already planning to stage half a dozen games annually in a couple years time isn't a big stretch. The NFLs best UK relocation candidates are perennial losers whose owners already have UK premiere league teams that both give them experience exploiting that sports market and existing stadium and other facilities the move would require.

The idea of Kroenke buying Mr. Bowlens majority share of the Broncos sounds more than a little far fetched though. I suppose anything's possible when his final dark day dawns; his plans beyond that aren't set in stone for his heirs (unless he put some kind of "total asset forfeiture in the event of selling the Broncos" clause in his will) but right now that's coming out of left field, especially when the article openly admits its "sources" say they've heard NO mention of Kroenke going ANYWHERE but L.A.

British teams are coming though; it doesn't take a genius to look at last years pics of a Bucs stadium virtually empty by halftime, then Man Us stadium filled for EVERY game, and figure out the Glazer family has strong incentive to consolidate their interests in the one city that's paying off for them. Likewise the Rams (sorry, Chronic, but winning one SB and losing another 15 years ago doesn't change the reality that the teams been garbage all but one (L.A.) OTHER year since the early '50s.) Wembley's practically a second home stadium for the Jags already, and they sell about twice as many tickets there. The EUs $16 trillion GDP is hard to ignore, and the NFL's not even trying.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Broncos Reiterate Desire To Keep Ownership Within Bowlen Family

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/09/21/broncos-reiterate-desire-to-keep-ownership-within-bowlen-family/

[Timmy!]

Media fail.

[slim]

Hmmm...

[OrangeHoof]

If they moved the Rams to London, some divisions would need to realign.

[LawDog]

That makes as much sense as moving the Rams to Colorado Springs.

[ShaneFalco]

what an awful owner.

NFL needs to Sterling him out of league before he ruins any more franchises.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Doesn't Kroenke get the first opportunity to purchase the Broncos if the Bowlen family wants to sell?

[DenBronx]

Denver Broncos Retweeted
Patrick Smyth ‏@psmyth12 2h

Patrick Smyth Retweeted Jason La Canfora

An option will not be the Denver Broncos. Plan remains in place to keep the team in the Bowlen family.

Thank God! Kroenke is an idiot!

[Joel]

If they moved the Rams to London, some divisions would need to realign.
Moving any less than eight teams would force realignment, which may be part of the delay. They could, however, move one from each conference and revert to the old 6X5 alignment intended from the moment of the merger, but only briefly achieved for a few seasons three decades later. It seemed to work OK till a couple greedy owners screwed up by moving teams when host cities refused to pay for bigger versions of stadiums the teams ALREADY COULDN'T FILL, and also seems to work for MLB.

Best part: No more 7-9 division "winners." The NFL avoided that for nearly 90 years, but has since produced TWO in just five seasons. Maybe too many divisions? ;) The only thing more impressive than baseball stealing the best ratio of teams:divisions:playoff spots is football inexplicably LOSING it because of irrational unrealistic owner greed.

[DenBronx]

Broncos Reiterate Desire To Keep Ownership Within Bowlen Family

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/09/21/broncos-reiterate-desire-to-keep-ownership-within-bowlen-family/

By Bowlen family that of course means Elway. We all know he's part of that family.

[ShaneFalco]

Guy literally poisons his own fanbase over LA, then when chances are now that he is going to get denied, this leaks that he is looking at London. I have no doubt Kroenke leaked this to poison the well just a bit more.

Guy is the worst owner of all time.

If only we could get him out of Hitlers bunker to sell the team he views as an investment instead of a sports franchise.

[ShaneFalco]

Clown cant even leave his bunker to fire jeff fisher.

[slim]

Glad I'm not a Ram fan.

[Joel]

If only we could get him out of Hitlers bunker to sell the team he views as an investment instead of a sports franchise.

Hate to break this to you, but that's how MOST owners view most teams, else St. Louis would've never HAD one: The Rams would never have left Cleveland nor the Cardinals Chicago. You're getting pissed at Kroenke for doing what Frontierre did to bring you the Rams in the first place, but it could be worse: If Robert Irsay had loved the Rams too much to trade them for the whole Colts TEAM whose owner (and Frontierres husband) loved them no more, just imagine where you'd be now. Or if Irsay hadn't outbid Culverhouse they could be the Bucs.

[ShaneFalco]

no it is not joel.

The bowlens love this team. It is not just an investment to them.

[Joel]

no it is not joel.

The bowlens love this team. It is not just an investment to them.
That's why I said, "most." Broncos fans are EXCEPTIONALLY lucky to have the Bowlen Family, because Pat Bowlen's the exception to the rule of Stan Kroenke, Georgia Frontierre, Carroll Rosenbloom and Robert Irsay—and that's just among Rams owners. Among others, we have Al Davis and Bud Adams (AFL founders,) Bill Bidwill, and Art Modell (whose loyalty to Cleveland was so great he managed to spawn TWO separate franchises by firing the beloved coach who won the Browns only championships, then moving the team to Baltimore.) And that's just off the top of my head.

If that bothers you, you're best bet is to become either a Broncos or Packers fan (guarantee the city of Green Bay won't relocate them, though they did play home games in Milwaukee for a few seasons due to stadium issues.) Otherwise, just accept the reality that billionaires don't become billionaires by putting emotion ahead of business.

[ShaneFalco]

i am sorry, you cannot compare anyone else to multi mogul of sports walmart that is stan kroenke.


As a sports fan of any team he owns..... Good Luck, you will enjoy mediocrity, that stems from ownership for years.

[Joel]

i am sorry, you cannot compare anyone else to multi mogul of sports walmart that is stan kroenke.

As a sports fan of any team he owns..... Good Luck, you will enjoy mediocrity, that stems from ownership for years.
One of my cousins-in-law is an Arsenal fan with few complaints. The Avalanche won their second Stanley Cup the year after Kroenke bought them; they also have the NHL record for consecutive sellouts, and if the Rams had the NFL record we probably wouldn't be discussing this. The Colorado Mammoth have the same kind of league-leading attendance at the same facility, and won the pro lacrosse championship in 2006; the Colorado Rapids won US pro soccers championship in 2010. Sorry the Rams are the NFLs Nuggets.

And yeah, there are plenty of other sports multi-moguls like Kroenke in other ways: I daresay it's the norm, because teams in the worlds top sports are the kind of highly lucrative low-risk investments that both attract and are exclusively available to billionaires. In the NFL, they're GUARANTEED ~$300,000,000 even if they go 0-16, so what do you think most are thinking about when they buy a team?

Your loyalty to a team you didn't even HAVE until 20 years ago (the owners actually voted DOWN that move, for once, but Frontierre threatened a lawsuit until they caved) is as touching as it is misplaced, but also unusual in billionaires who alone have the means to buy majority control of teams in any major pro sports league. Proof: Had the Rams' lone SB win happened even five years ealier it would've been the L.A. Rams vs. the Houston Oilers. It wasn't, so it wasn't.

[ShaneFalco]

hey joel you know the last time he even adressed the media was when the Rams hired jeff fisher?

[Joel]

hey joel you know the last time he even adressed the media was when the Rams hired jeff fisher?
Hey, Falco, you know Frontierre threatened to SUE the NFL just to force the other owners to let her move the Rams there? That people born when that happened weren't even old enough to DRINK before this year? That there are a buttload of greedy, heartless disloyal SOBs among owners of MOST major sports teams, that it's actually the primary reason most of them got enough money to BECOME owners in the first place and that they'll always do what they believe makes them the most cash, whoever's in the way?

Did you also know Kroenke gets the same NFL revenue-sharing from ratings and merchandise whether the Rams play in St. Louis, L.A., London or on the moon, but the ONE thing he gets to keep the majority of (with the rest going to each visiting team) is stadium receipts, and that this years Rams home opener had THE LOWEST ATTENDANCE SINCE THEY LEFT L.A. (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/14/smallest-home-opener-crowd-in-20-years-watches-rams-win/)? That RAMS SEASON ATTENDANCE HAS ONLY BEEN >30TH ONCE SINCE 2007 (http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance/_/year) (2009, when it was 29th)?

Give him a reason to stay. No, not "think about the million St. Louis fans who've supported the team the whole 20 years it's been here," because that's 1) not very long, 2) not very many and 3) not even TRUE for the past decade. "Our state-of-the-art new stadium complex will be a far more appealing convention center than L.A." doesn't track either, especially since that pitch is only good for a few years; the state-of-the-art site that lured the Rams there in '95 isn't keeping them there in '15.

Even from a pure St. Louis perspective, I'd wager (strongly supported by Rams attendance records) few people >30 CARE if the Rams leave: They were out-of-towners just looking for a fast buck in the first place, so small surprise they're moving on as they KEEP looking; it's not as if they're cutting deep long local ties like the "Arizona" Cardinals did.

Be glad you have the Broncos; as a born Oilers fan, I certainly am.

[TimHippo]

Stan Walmart, I mean kroenke has a friendly mustache so I find him less evil then guys like Dan Snyder and Donald sterling.