The NFL has talked about returning to the Los Angeles area almost from the moment the Raiders and the Rams left after the 1995 season. All the talk may end when the 32 owners meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Houston, where they are expected to vote on proposals that would allow one or two teams to return to the nation’s second-largest market. Here is a primer:
Q: What is in front of the owners?
A: The fact finding is largely done. The San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams have applied to relocate. The Rams said they would build a domed stadium in Inglewood, California, that could accommodate a second team, while the Chargers and the Raiders, if allowed, plan to build an outdoor stadium together in Carson. The cities of Oakland, St. Louis and San Diego have told the NFL how they intend to help their teams stay at home.
Q: Why do the Chargers, the Raiders and the Rams want to move?
A: The three teams play in some of the oldest stadiums in the league, and they claim that they do not generate enough money to keep franchises competitive. While the teams are in the bottom half of the league when ranked by value, they are all profitable thanks to ample television revenue. Still, they say their host cities have been unwilling to help them build newer stadiums.
The Chargers said they wanted to stay in San Diego, but when the Rams announced plans to move to Inglewood, they felt compelled to protect their turf in Southern California.
Q: Where do the owners stand regarding these proposals?
A: The owners have been guided by the committee on Los Angeles Opportunities comprising the owners of the Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Giants, the Carolina Panthers, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Houston Texans. The committee is expected to make a recommendation to the full owners before or during the two-day meeting.
The stadium and finance committees have also vetted the proposals and helped set parameters for the ultimate vote, which requires that at least 24 owners approve any proposal to move.
Q: What criteria are the owners using?
A: The NFL’s relocation guidelines outline how and when teams can move. Among other things, teams and cities must negotiate in good faith to find an appropriate stadium for the team. The Chargers, the Raiders and the Rams claim they have been stymied in their efforts to get a new stadium, something civic leaders in Oakland, St. Louis and San Diego dispute.
In St. Louis, a group led by Gov. Jay Nixon has proposed building a $1.1 billion stadium, 40 percent of which would be paid for with public money. The Rams’ owner, E. Stanley Kroenke, dismissed the proposal, saying the stadium would lead to “financial ruin” for any team that moved in.
Q: How will the voting proceed?
A: The owners must approve the criteria of their final vote first. For instance, they must approve the fee that a team or teams would pay to relocate to a much larger market. The fee is expected to be $650 million paid over 15 or 20 years.
They also must decide on whether they are voting for teams or stadium proposals. This is important because the owners have many supporters and detractors. The Chargers’ owner, Dean Spanos, is considered the most popular of the three, while some owners do not feel inclined to help Mark Davis, the owner of the Raiders, because they still resent his father, Al Davis, who was often at odds with the league when he owned the team before his death in 2011. Kroenke has a few powerful allies, including Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
Q: What alternatives are possible?
A: There are two proposals on the table: The Rams move to Inglewood, and the Chargers and Raiders to Carson. But alternatives include, among others, the Chargers moving to Carson alone; the Chargers teaming up with the Rams in Inglewood or Carson; the Raiders moving to Inglewood with the Rams and the Chargers remaining in San Diego.
At present, neither proposal on the table has 24 votes, though the Carson alternative is much closer. One or more of the alternatives could be added to the slate to reach a solution.
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