NFL: St. Louis Stadium Won’t Receive Upgrades
By Stu White
The request made by the St. Louis Rams organization to pump $700 million of public funds into upgrading their stadium was denied this week.
The decision may impact whether the city has a football team in the upcoming years. The Rams have Edward Jones Dome leased through the 2014 season, but the future beyond that is unknown. If the Rams indeed move after the 2014 season ends, it’ll mark the second time a football franchise has left the city, the first occurring in 1987 when the Cardinals left St. Louis for Arizona.
Governor Jay Nixon has expressed interest in the developing situation, saying on Friday that values “having two solid NFL franchises in the state of Missouri, with stable ownership in both St. Louis and Kansas City.” He continued:
"I will never forget the way both franchises stepped up to help the people of Joplin after the 2011 tornado, including building several new homes as part of the Governor’s Joplin Habitat Challenge. I look forward to hearing from the Rams about their long-term plans."
When the Rams arrived in St. Louis in 1995, they signed a lease requiring the dome to remain among the upper 25% of all stadiums. In order to achieve that requirement, the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission proposed $200 million in renovations and upgrades last year, but the organization wanted more elaborate and expensive updates to be made.