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2015 Priorities: Keeping Those New Year’s Resolutions and the Rams
By Randy Gardner
It’s here…the first week of the year…the week that we make all of our resolutions that we know we’re not going to keep. We set all of these high hefty goals that we will let go down the drain probably in about a month or so.
My plan is to lose 15 pounds. That was going to start on January 1st. Guess what. Haven’t worked out a bit so far. My next goal is to start on Jan. 7. That probably didn’t happen then, either. I don’t know why we put ourselves through this agony of lying to ourselves.
2015 will be a big year that will decide if St. Louis keeps our football team. It is so back and forth with all of the news that has been coming out over the past few days, including the news of Stan Kroenke building a new stadium in southern California.
What would St. Louis do without a professional football team? I consider St. Louis to be a major market in the U.S. Not having a football team would hurt that rating. Why can’t football be supported here?
It’s not a numbers game, because if you look at other teams around the NFL that have the same record as the Rams, their attendance numbers and revenue are the same or even lower. The sum of that statement means that no matter where you are, a winning team breeds financial success. We saw this in the late ‘90s and early 2000s with the Rams when you couldn’t even get a ticket to a game. All it would take is for this franchise to have a couple of winning seasons and everybody would be back on board again. But attendance was pretty good at the Dome for a sub .500 team.
If you look at the TV ratings over this past year, they weren’t bad at all. If you pose the question to many people, they will say, “ Who really cares about the Rams?” Honestly, I think a lot of people do.
I am hoping that in 2015, many more avenues will be explored. including getting the Rams to stay, bringing an MLS soccer team to the area, and maybe an NBA team, as well. Are the dollars there to support all of these sports? I’m not sure, but other cities are able to do it.
The one thing that we do not have to worry about is those St. Louis Cardinals. This team could lose almost every game and it would still be a packed house at the stadium . Those are the kind of fans we need pushing all of our sports here in St. Louis.
As for our soccer fans in the community, get out and support the St. Louis Ambush indoor soccer team. They have been getting some great crowds in the 5,000 to 6,000 range. It’ s a lot of fun. The franchise is putting a lot of effort into making the games enjoyable and affordable for the family and the product on the field is pretty impressive also. The organization is trying to setup a halftime game with local media involved, which involves yours truly.
I am hoping it all pans out. I would love to strap the boots up one more time and give it a whirl. I will keep you up to date on the Ambush’s progress. Lastly, no matter if you keep your resolutions or not, be true to yourself, there is only one you. Be accountable to yourself for everything you do this year. It will make you a stronger person. Happy New Year.
