# The Rams are returning to Los Angeles **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 13, 2016, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023 "2016-01-13T09:50:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/41 "2016-01-14T02:16:19Z")
> [@Grsz11](#): > > I thought Oakland staying definitely wasn’t a done deal. They still can move to LA if the Chargers don’t (not likely), but they also weren’t not working well with the city and could still leave to San Antonio or St. Louis. The Alamodome opened in 1993. Since then the Raiders and Rams moved, Jacksonville and Carolina got expansion teams, Baltimore and Nashville got old teams they could call new, and Cleveland and Houston got replacement teams. All San Antonio got was three Saints games after Katrina tore up the Superdome. San Antonio now gets to be the “we’ll move if you don’t give us what we want” city. Don’t expect them to actually get a team, though. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/42 "2016-01-14T02:53:28Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > … With the Chargers later, maybe. The Raiders are staying put. > > Sorry, St. Louis. No, you mean “Sorry, Oakland”.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/43 "2016-01-14T03:47:39Z")
They’re building a stadium in Southern California…with artificial turf? Seriously? Is it 1975? That’s the lamest thing I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/44 "2016-01-14T04:33:34Z")
It tends to be incredibly difficult to build grass stadiums in domes ;). ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/45 "2016-01-14T07:29:29Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > They’re building a stadium in Southern California…with artificial turf? Seriously? Is it 1975? That’s the lamest thing I’ve heard. Well we don’t get much rain here. And there’s the drought thing. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/46 "2016-01-14T13:37:17Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I think the 49ers need to be willing to share their facility and there is no evidence they’d want to. I don’t know about the 49ers, but the [NFL would like them to share the stadium](http://espn.go.com/blog/oakland-raiders/post/_/id/14072/whats-next-for-the-once-and-still-oakland-raiders), altho the Raiders’ owner is against it (for now): _The NFL would love it if the Raiders shared Levi’s Stadium with the San Francisco 49ers, but that’s a tenant situation. Nothing about the Santa Clara stadium says silver and black. Davis wants nothing to do with it._ On the news here in Sacramento, they were saying Levi’s stadium was built for two teams, and includes two home locker rooms, as well as LED lighting that can change colors. Altho all the seats are 49er red. The mayor of Santa Clara is supporting a Raiders move to the stadium (altho I am not sure how much pull he has). If the Chargers go and become room-mates with the Rams, the Raiders’ owner may have no other option. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/47 "2016-01-14T17:24:44Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Built in 1995. OMG, it’s 20 years old!! :dubious: > > Apparently that’s the new life span of stadiums. The Braves are ditching Turner Field after almost exactly 20 years as well. They are moving to a majority taxpayer funded stadium in another Atlanta metro county. And actually the Atlanta taxpayers are on the hook for a new football stadium for the Falcons as well, opening in 2016. > > In all cases, millions of dollars of tax money being wasted to lure a sports team to play somewhere, when the current stadium was perfectly fine. ``` Amazing how in baseball Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are a century old, they have small seating capacity yet the fans love them and both franchises are very profitable. I've seen estimates that moving to Los Angeles increases the value of the Rams by $500 million. While all NFL teams are profitable (and many of the other teams in other sports are), where an owner really makes money is when he sells it. ``` ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/48 "2016-01-14T21:57:45Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Well we don’t get much rain here. And there’s the drought thing. I don’t think an NFL team would have trouble affording some sprinklers and a water bill. [QUOTE=Jim’s Son] Amazing how in baseball Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are a century old, they have small seating capacity yet the fans love them and both franchises are very profitable. [/QUOTE] Fenway and Wrigley are both significantly different from what they were a long time ago, and their seating capacities are not that small anymore as compared to the average. I don’t think Wrigley’s even in the bottom ten anymore. MLB stadiums have been getting smaller, in terms of seating capacity, for some time now. There used to be many stadia above 50,000, some above 60,000 and one in Cleveland above 70; now only one, Dodger Stadium, is substantially above 50,000, and just a handful more are around that number, and one of them, Turner Field, will soon be gone. The truth is that most of the seats past a certain number were all cheapies anyway. You’re better off building a stadium that gets rid of those but allows you to charge more for the good seats. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/49 "2016-01-14T23:57:04Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Fenway and Wrigley are both significantly different from what they were a long time ago, and their seating capacities are not that small anymore as compared to the average. I don’t think Wrigley’s even in the bottom ten anymore. MLB stadiums have been getting smaller, in terms of seating capacity, for some time now. There used to be many stadia above 50,000, some above 60,000 and one in Cleveland above 70; now only one, Dodger Stadium, is substantially above 50,000, and just a handful more are around that number, and one of them, Turner Field, will soon be gone. The truth is that most of the seats past a certain number were all cheapies anyway. You’re better off building a stadium that gets rid of those but allows you to charge more for the good seats. And in the days when large stadiums were relatively common in MLB, they tended to be only half-full most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/50 "2016-01-15T00:54:13Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Built in 1995. OMG, it’s 20 years old!! :dubious: > > Apparently that’s the new life span of stadiums. The Braves are ditching Turner Field after almost exactly 20 years as well. They are moving to a majority taxpayer funded stadium in another Atlanta metro county. And actually the Atlanta taxpayers are on the hook for a new football stadium for the Falcons as well, opening in 2016. > > In all cases, millions of dollars of tax money being wasted to lure a sports team to play somewhere, when the current stadium was perfectly fine. To be fair-ish, Turner Field was not built as a baseball stadium but as the olympic stadium for the 1996 Olympics. It was converted to a baseball stadium a year later. Don’t take this as a defense of the Braves moving, though; everything about that deal stinks to high heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/51 "2016-01-15T01:12:26Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t think an NFL team would have trouble affording some sprinklers and a water bill. > Fenway and Wrigley are both significantly different from what they were a long time ago, and their seating capacities are not that small anymore as compared to the average. I don’t think Wrigley’s even in the bottom ten anymore. MLB stadiums have been getting smaller, in terms of seating capacity, for some time now. There used to be many stadia above 50,000, some above 60,000 and one in Cleveland above 70; now only one, Dodger Stadium, is substantially above 50,000, and just a handful more are around that number, and one of them, Turner Field, will soon be gone. The truth is that most of the seats past a certain number were all cheapies anyway. You’re better off building a stadium that gets rid of those but allows you to charge more for the good seats. I mean there are watering restrictions in place. Not that a pro team can’t get around that. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/52 "2016-01-15T01:41:43Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > To be fair-ish, Turner Field was not built as a baseball stadium but as the olympic stadium for the 1996 Olympics. It was converted to a baseball stadium a year later. > > Don’t take this as a defense of the Braves moving, though; everything about that deal stinks to high heaven. If you haven’t seen this… > **[A desperate trip into the ruins of Turner Field](https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/11/11/5092546/a-desperate-trip-into-the-ruins-of-turner-field)** > > A harrowing urban safari to the abandoned playground the Atlanta Braves once called home ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/53 "2016-01-15T02:44:52Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t think an NFL team would have trouble affording some sprinklers and a water bill. > Fenway and Wrigley are both significantly different from what they were a long time ago, and their seating capacities are not that small anymore as compared to the average. I don’t think Wrigley’s even in the bottom ten anymore. MLB stadiums have been getting smaller, in terms of seating capacity, for some time now. There used to be many stadia above 50,000, some above 60,000 and one in Cleveland above 70; now only one, Dodger Stadium, is substantially above 50,000, and just a handful more are around that number, and one of them, Turner Field, will soon be gone. The truth is that most of the seats past a certain number were all cheapies anyway. You’re better off building a stadium that gets rid of those but allows you to charge more for the good seats. You are right but I suppose a newer stadia could have more corporate luxury suites, which a lot of owners love. The Red Sox in the mid 60s were talking about a new stadium but dropped the idea when they suddenly got good in 1967. I also think a lot of stadium and arena deals are also tied to developing the land around it. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/54 "2016-01-15T18:01:16Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > …I also think a lot of stadium and arena deals are also tied to developing the land around it. This is very true. I would say ALL deals are tied to additional development, with promises of “multi-use” development, additional jobs, and “revitalization”, which may or may not work. The plan in L.A. is very much like this, but the location at the Hollywood Park race track is going to make things interesting on the surrounding freeways - I wonder how they are going to mitigate that. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/55 "2016-01-15T19:46:22Z")
> [@The\_Tof](#): > > As a Charger fan, I’m a little frustrated with the result, only in that we’ve been waiting for these meetings for a conclusion- and now we just get to wait longer. As a Los Angeles fan, I’m MORE than a little frustrated. :mad: C’mon, Rams! St. Louis is LOVELY this time of year! #LAdon’tneednostinkingfootball ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/56 "2016-01-15T19:48:24Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > This is very true. I would say ALL deals are tied to additional development, with promises of “multi-use” development, additional jobs, and “revitalization”, which may or may not work. The plan in L.A. is very much like this, but the location at the Hollywood Park race track is going to make things interesting on the surrounding freeways - I wonder how they are going to mitigate that. It’s my understanding that Hollywood Park has been closed down for some time now. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/57 "2016-01-15T19:54:56Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > To be fair-ish, Turner Field was not built as a baseball stadium but as the olympic stadium for the 1996 Olympics. It was converted to a baseball stadium a year later. I visited Turner Field in 2004 and was stunned at how nice a ballpark it was. I expected a multipurpose stadium and it looked like nothing of the sort. They planned its transition to baseball field really, really well. I found it a really lovely ballpark and my visit was thoroughly enjoyable. One cool feature of Turner Field was the Braves Hall of Fame, literally a mini-Hall of Fame and Museum dedicated specifically to Braves history and great players (which is a hell of a history, when you think about it.) I spend 20 minutes in it before the game and was enchanted. It was such a wonderful idea and yet I’ve never seen anything like it at any other park I’ve visited. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/58 "2016-01-15T20:03:44Z")
This is going to utterly fuck traffic which is my main concern. I was just fine with no team in the area. The guy who sits next to me at work had a great idea (maybe not original to him). They should have built a big stadium there and done like they do with London except do it like ten times a year. Have different teams every week. L.A. has so many people from all over who would love to see their team and they wouldn’t have the problem of fickle LA fans abandoning a shitty team. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/59 "2016-01-16T02:03:33Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It tends to be incredibly difficult to build grass stadiums in domes ;). It’s been done. Move the field out. Make the dome retractable. > [@Laggard](#): > > Well we don’t get much rain here. And there’s the drought thing. And yet every other stadium in So Calif. manages to have grass fields. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023/60 "2016-01-16T03:20:08Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > It’s been done. Move the field out. Make the dome retractable. > > And yet every other stadium in So Calif. manages to have grass fields. Never mind [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rams-are-returning-to-los-angeles/743023.md?page=4)