I remember in 1987 when the Big Red left town that I blamed the owner. Why? Because he was an awful owner. I mean, that organization was a joke. Every draft, they’d take an awful late-round player … except they took that player in the first round. The talent was just so bad. And, the owner, Bill Bidwill, asked for help to build a new stadium. It’s hard to convince the public to pay for a horrible product. And, that’s what the local leadership was asked to do. I don’t remember all of the details, but I just know that Bidwill shopped the Cardinals, and turns out Arizona wanted a football team bad enough that they opened up their coffers and welcomed Bidwill with open arms. Years later, after Bill Bidwill died, the team got better. So, Arizona is enjoying some good football. I only know of one person who followed the Cardinals after they left St. Louis. I said, screw that, I rooted against Arizona’s team, and I watched other NFL football games just because I really liked it. San Francisco was on every week back then. I watched the Niners, and (gasp!) they became my team. Why not? I got to see them play every week. They had the best team. I like rooting for somebody. It was never the same as rooting for the home team. I didn’t live and die with the 9ers. I was also a Lakers fan back then. There was no NBA team here, and I loved Magic Johnson. The Lakers were fun to watch. I actually really followed them closely and got to know a lot about the team, even if I was mostly a fan of Magic. It’s easier with basketball, because there’s really only about 6-7 players who make a difference during the game. Football? You have to pay close attention to the team to know what’s going on. Back when the Cardinals left, free agency hadn’t taken off, yet. San Francisco was able to keep all of its talent year after year, and you knew the main players on the team. Nowadays, there is more information out there to learn about teams and players, but it takes some work. Teams change all the time. The NFL Draft is a whole industry unto itself. I can’t just say a team is “my team” without knowing a lot about that team.
So, how does this translate to this loss of the NFL in STL? I know a lot about this team, obviously. I don’t know a lot about any other team. I don’t care about following any other team. I know a lot about this team mainly because I stay connected through this forum, and I listen to sports talk radio on a fairly regular basis. I talk with some other STL fans about the team, too. I didn’t go to a lot of games. I don’t have much extra money to do that — it actually would be selfish of me, as the rest of my family cares little to nothing about the Rams. These sports franchises charge WAAAAAY too much money these days. And, we have many other needs and wants for our family as we continue through this crazy existence here on Earth. I have a different perspective on things these days. I was a teen when the Cardinals left. I’m an adult with many responsibilities these days. And, my eyes are wide open to the realities of this world. I can say, screw it, SK is just like any other rich scumbag, he just happens to be richer than most of those scumbags and just did what he naturally does. Why not just watch the product on the field? Why not just follow the Rams?
And, the thing that keeps coming back to me: This version of me today has the crazy notion that in order to invest my energy and emotions on a team, I need to know that the team also cares about me and its other many supporters. When I write that down, it almost seems silly. But, it’s true that I feel this way. The nomads here obviously wouldn’t feel that way. The connection is different for you. But, for me, there needs to be more of a connection. The St. Louis Cardinals, the baseball organization, obviously does care about its fans. They want to win. They are part of the local community. There is a mutual respect between the organization and the fans. And, that comes from ownership. There were some years that wasn’t true, after the old owner August Busch died, where I kind of slipped away as a Cardinals fan. Became less invested. Gussy’s son was an idiot who didn’t care about the Cardinals. Luckily, a local ownership group stepped up and bought the team from Anheuser-Busch. As a fan, you really are at the mercy of ownership. If they’re good, you’ll likely have a lot of success and the experience will be great. If the owner’s awful, you’ll struggle to stay connected. Or at least, that’s how I feel.
With the Rams, it’s Fisher’s team, really. SK handed over the keys a few years ago, and Fisher tried to turn around one of the worst products in professional sports. No matter what, while the Rams were here, I felt that they were trying. I always looked at SK as an absentee landlord, which is definitely for the better, I think. He lets his guys do their thing. He gives them marching orders and steps back (including hiring Demoff as the P.R. side of the operation). So, I just didn’t have much opinion about the guy. When you find out that he really didn’t want to stay in St. Louis, that he was completely full of shit about caring about this region, and that he has no connection to me, or any other fan for that matter, it’s really hard for me to get past that. The players are the players. They’re gonna do as they’re told. I’m sure some would have rather stayed here, and many are excited about the move to California. But, I don’t have much connection to them now that they’re gone. None of them ever won in St. Louis. Think about that. They lost, year after year. Only Donald, Quinn and Gurley are special. The rest? You could replace any one of them tomorrow, and it wouldn’t make that much difference. And, many of them will be replaced, and through time almost every connection with St. Louis will be gone.
No, I just don’t think I can do it. I just don’t know if it will matter much to me anymore. And, I just don’t know if I can continue to even be a fan of the NFL, because it’s obvious the NFL cares nothing about me, except whether I will open my wallet for them. This time, unlike 1987, I do not think I can watch on Sundays.
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Agamemnon
