urbanSTL

Over the course of his career, Steven Jackson has shown a remarkable ability to build upon his natural football talents, dissecting and analyzing his game with a craftsmanlike attention to detail, looking at every angle to improve.

So perhaps it isn't all that surprising that one of the Pro Bowl running back's lifelong passions is architecture. As SJ39 revealed in an interview exclusively for his web site, http://www.sj39.com, his interest in design began at an early age, and continued through his college studies at Oregon State.

Q: Where do you see this interest in architecture taking you once your football career is over?

A: I definitely want to practice architecture. I want to have my own firm. I’m very interested in the residential side of architecture, more so than landscaping or commercial architecture. That goes to the appreciation I have, knowing that people in America value a home.

Q: How about in St. Louis, what do you think of the architecture there?

St. Louis’ architecture has a lot of European influence I guess you’d say. There are a lot of beautiful Catholic churches. It’s a city that has a lot of travelers coming through it, heading West by way of Union Station. There’s a lot of history there and it was once the world’s biggest and busiest transport station.

Of course you have the arch. I think it’s amazing that after all of this time it’s still standing. When it was built, it was the Gateway to the West. It’s a symbol of opportunity. It’s an iconic piece of art that without saying anything, it kind of says a lot.

Q: Now we’ve announced the architectural tour of St, Louis contest, where did this idea come from?

A: I just feel like St. Louis has such great architecture. But there are so many important buildings that a lot of people drive by daily but don’t know the history or even realize what it is. Sometimes you just need to shine light on certain things that some people find appreciation for while others don’t. But if you shine a little light on it, those other people might find appreciation somewhere in their heart for it.

I also wanted to show off the beauty of St, Louis. It’s a city that I’ve been living in for seven years now and I’m greatly appreciative of the community, the way they have embraced me. This gives us another way to educate people, not only on Rams football and the sport, but to also to educate them on the city of the team that I represent.

gary kreie wrote:Stan Kroenke article in Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/ ... newsletter

Long before he bought Arsenal Kroenke had proved he understood that stadium economics could be more important than winning when it comes to making money. In 2000 he bought the Nuggets, the Avalanche and the Pepsi Center, the arena the two teams play in, from Ascent Entertainment for $404 million. The gem in the deal was the Pepsi Center, which opened the year before Kroenke bought it at a cost of $180 million. Owning the arena and its two tenants made it relatively easy for Kroenke to sell its 95 luxury suites and 1,900 club seats.

Denver's Nuggets and Avalanche have reached the finals only once between them (in 2001 when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup) while Kroenke has owned them. Yet today FORBES reckons the two teams combined are worth $514 million, an unusually rich valuation for a small market. A big reason: They generate over $25 million a year in premium seating revenue. Contrast that with stand-alone hockey teams (New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues) or basketball teams (Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves). All are seeking investors or new homes because they lack the stadium revenue Kroenke's two teams yield.

the count wrote:Or: Denver is a smaller market than St. Louis...