Steinberg: Hey L.A., here come the Rams and Chargers

The 20-year absence of the NFL in Los Angeles is about to come to an end. Three teams filed papers with the league on Monday asking for permission to relocate their franchises to Los Angeles. The Rams, Chargers and Raiders have formally stated their intention to move.

The Rams are intending to build a new stadium on an Inglewood site, the Chargers and Raiders as co-tenants in a stadium in Carson. The owners will vote later this month to approve a plan for Los Angeles football. I think that the Rams and Chargers as joint tenants in Inglewood is the most likely scenario.

None of these moves has the loyal fans of the teams as a primary focus. Los Angeles is the second-largest market in the United States, with 15 million people within driving distance of a stadium on a Sunday afternoon, and major corporations to buy luxury boxes and sponsorships. These moves are about doubling franchise value and the construction of state-of-the art stadia with multiple ancillary revenue streams. The loyalty of fans is being disregarded, which is not a long-term positive for any league.

Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams, has made it clear he is moving his team out of St. Louis notwithstanding their eventual relocation site. He is the wealthiest of all team owners and has the backing of the most powerful owners in the league.

I was chairman of “Save The Rams” which fought to keep them here back in 1994. They have a large fan base remaining from their many years of heritage of winning teams and high-profile stars in Southern California. The Inglewood site is centrally located. Look for them to move this year.

The Chargers may prefer their own site in Carson, but I believe the league will push them to become the second tenant in the Inglewood stadium. Their fan base extends into Orange County and the Inland Empire. They have loyal fans in San Diego who have followed them through thick and thin, but the relationship between ownership and the city is nonfunctional.

The Raiders were popular in Los Angeles, but the environment inside the Coliseum was often toxic. There were more fights perpetually breaking out in the stands than on the field. They have a passionate following in the Bay Area but a substandard stadium that neither works for baseball nor football. They need the mayor of Oakland to be a leader, put a coalition together, dedicate land currently available, and let the stadium be built privately. I helped Mayor Elihu Harris keep the Oakland A’s in town; he was an active leader and a coalition was built with business leaders. Oakland lives in the shadow of San Francisco and keeping the Raiders should be a priority.

The NFL has always wanted football in Los Angeles. A franchise was granted to the city in 2000. Los Angeles could not deliver a viable stadium plan and Houston was awarded the franchise. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue worked hard at the end of his tenure to have the NFL construct a site around the shell of the Coliseum and the lack of cooperation from the LA political structure doomed that effort. The AEG Downtown Stadium plan looked promising, but disintegrated over Phil Anschutz’s desire to get ownership in return for building the stadium.

This process will continue to go through twists and turns, but I believe the eventual outcome will be the Rams and Chargers on the Inglewood site.

LEIGH STEINBERG is a renowned sports agent, author, advocate, speaker and humanitarian. Follow Leigh on Twitter: @steinbergsports.