urbanSTL

I sent this note to Claire McCaskill related to the Rams leaving:

In normal businesses, as demand for a product increases, the suppliers increase production to meet the demand. The NFL has an anti-trust exemption, and thus is allowed by Congress to control supply. I believe that Congress should pass legislation that requires sports leagues, such as the NFL to expand the number of franchises they allow, like real businesses, in line with demand -- as measured by gross receipts.

Currently the NFL limits supply to 32 teams and increasingly demands that their home cities provide fabulously luxurious stadiums with paintings, sculpture, movable roofs, giant video, etc. If a city does not offer such a place, the customers there are denied the product -- it moves to city that will fund the palace through increased ticket prices driven by pent-up demand due to league-induced scarcity in the new city. This scarcity model of business is closer to the old Soviet model of distribution than it is to American capitalism. Under this legislation, the NFL would be required to add two teams when gross receipts across the league increases by 2/32 of the current receipts.

The NFL chose to deny their product to the 3 million loyal customers in St. Louis because they had an opportunity to move to a place with more demand manufactured through scarcity in California. Now there is scarcity in St. Louis. St. Louis is now the largest metro area in the US that is not within 3 hours of an NFL team -- the only one of the 30 largest metros, and one of only 3 in the top 50 metros. St Louisans have to drive nearly 4 hours to reach the nearest NFL product in Kansas City -- 8 hours round trip -- making it essentially an overnight stay.

I believe our Congresspersons should introduce legislation that requires leagues such as the NFL with special exemptions from competition to match supply with demand -- as measured by gross receipt increases -- through team expansion, in order to maintain that special status.

Written by By Tom Torrisi | FOXSPORTS



Kenny Nowling has watched an NFL franchise leave the City of St. Louis twice in the past 28 years and he can empathize more than most with how fans of the Rams are feeling following Tuesday's announcement that the team is relocating to Los Angeles.

Now the CEO and president of the River City Raiders, an indoor football team based in St. Louis, Nowling told FOXSports.com in a phone interview that it was much tougher for him to see the St. Louis Cardinals bolt for Arizona in 1988.

"I was 15 the first time the Cardinals left. I took it a lot harder then," Nowling said. "I looked at it as (then-Cardinals owner) Bill Bidwill being real selfish. The reality is that Bill Bidwill was much less selfish than (Rams owner) Stan Kroenke."

Now 43 and in charge of his own football operation, Nowling said he can better understand the business side of such developments. Still, he was taken aback by Kroenke's criticism of the Rams' fan base and his claims that there was not enough support in St. Louis.

"It's a sad commentary. He could have said it was a business decision and not burned so many bridges," Nowling said. "I just was surprised by the way he went about it."

Nowling unveiled a promotion shortly after the announcement of the relocation, offering all Rams season ticket holders free season tickets for the Raiders' five home games this season. Asked if he feared a backlash from fans who might think he was attempting to cash in on the Rams' departure, Nowling defended the move by pointing out the Raiders were giving away tickets.

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