Should We Feel Bad For St. Louis?

     A few weeks ago, the Rams franchise was approved for relocation to the Los Angeles metropolitan area by a 30-2 vote from the league owners after a meeting in Houston. Even if you weren't a Ram fan at all, but even a simple football fan, you probably had an opinion on the matter and fell into one of two categories. Those categories would have been Team St. Louis or Team Los Angeles. The writing had been on the wall for a while, and Moshe Football had predicted a move more than five years ago. Articles and rumors coming from the Carson camp had been smoke screens, but anybody who truly followed the relocation process knew the Rams Inglewood project was going to happen.
     The Rams franchise had moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946. They stayed there until the move to St. Louis in 1994. Yes, they did play in Anaheim, but that is considered the Los Angeles area. The move from Los Angeles was filled with controversy, but in the end St. Louis offered Georgia Frontiere something she couldn't refuse. Now over 20 years later, the Rams are moving back to Los Angeles.
     Many people are disappointed with this. Some say Los Angeles shouldn't have gotten another chance after three failed attempts. That is a ludicrous statement. The chargers left because the Rams already had a stronghold in LA and stayed for only one year. The Rams and Raiders left at the same time because they couldn't get a stadium deal done.St. Louis now has lost two teams. People also feel that Los Angeles fans won't support a team. Once again a ludicrous statement. Just look at all the fans who've advocated for the Rams return or all of the deposits for season tickets.
     The Rams return will be supported. Many are happy for LA, but should we feel bad for St. Louis? The answer is "Yes"...and "No". Of course you should feel bad for the loyal Ram fans in St. Louis, not all the fans though. The loyal fans truly do love their Rams and that sucks. However, the fans that never showed up, didn't care, or are becoming chief fans, there is no reason to feel bad. Also, don't feel bad for St. Louis' $16 million debt. They are a big city. They chose to take on that enormous debt and risk something that wasn't going to happen. Asking someone else (Stan Kroenke) to pay for it isn't fair.
     Yes, it is sad for loyal fans. Don't feel bad for the non-loyal fans. And definitely don't feel bad for the city.