Is football about to return to Los Angeles, California? Reports are indicating that Rams owner Stan Kroenke has purchased a 60-acre piece of land in Los Angeles that could possibly be the future site of a stadium for a franchise in LA. That would mean that the Rams would have to move from St. Louis and back to Los Angeles. He wouldn’t be able to officially move the team until next year when the lease is up in 2015.
Kroenke has been pressuring St. Louis to upgrade their stadium situation, and some feel that the purchasing of land in LA could be just a ploy to expedite the process and get a new stadium for the Rams in St. Louis. No matter what the outcome of this situation is, it is clear that LA is dying for a football franchise and getting one out there needs to be done.
There has also been a ton of speculation about the Jaguars moving from Jacksonville to LA, but nothing substantial has been brought to the table.
Check out some more details after the jump.
A clause in the team’s contract with the Dome requires it be a “first-tier” stadium — in the top eight of 32 NFL stadiums — by 2015. If it’s not, the franchise would be free to leave St. Louis, or go on a year-to-year lease, by this time next year. The Rams and local officials have been talking about improvements since 2012, but have made little headway so far. A team proposal that local leaders said would cost at least $700 million was rejected last year, and since then, Gov. Jay Nixon has been taking a lead role in the negotiations.
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