Baltimore Offers Many Lures : Rams: The Maryland Stadium Authority would let a transplanted NFL team keep most of its stadium revenues.

While the Maryland Stadium Authority continued to emphasize that its priority is an expansion team, officials there confirmed Monday that they have negotiated with existing franchises in the past, and would make a lucrative offer to others considering relocation.

Sources say the Rams will be one of those teams.

Ram owner Georgia Frontiere was married to the late Carroll Rosenbloom before he traded the Colts to Robert Irsay in 1972 for ownership of the Rams. Under Rosenbloom’s direction, the Colts won their only Super Bowl championship, after the 1970 season.

If Frontiere brings a team back, she would be given:

--Use of a $165-million stadium in the Camden Yards area of downtown Baltimore, adjacent to Orioles Park. Construction will begin immediately after the city receives a team. The rent would be $1 per game.

The Rams pay the city of Anaheim a rental fee of 60 cents per admission, not to exceed $400,0000 per year.

--All ticket revenues, including those from luxury boxes and club seats.

The Rams give up 7 1/2% of ticket revenue and 20% of their luxury box revenue to the city. Luxury box revenues are the only admission monies not shared with the visiting team by NFL law.

--All parking and concession revenues. The Rams receive barely more than half of parking revenues from Anaheim under a sliding scale, and half of concessions.

--The old Colt practice facility with $4.5 million in renovations.

Why is Baltimore willing to give up so much?

Partially because, after witnessing the recent success of the Orioles, the state has realized the impact of a professional sports team on the revitalized downtown area. And also because of memories of the original Colts, who moved to Indianapolis after the 1983 season.

“We had a team, we lost a team, we know more than anybody what it feels like not to have one,” said Herb Belgrad, chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority.

Belgrad’s group negotiated with Bill Bidwill for the Cardinals before he moved from St. Louis to Phoenix after the 1987 season. They also negotiated with Victor Kiam, the New England Patriots’ former owner, before he sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992.

“And we have talked with two other teams who approached us about relocating, but they were still negotiating their leases with their landlords, so we didn’t get involved,” Belgrad said.

If Baltimore is not awarded the second expansion franchise on Nov. 30--St. Louis is favored because of its market size and locale--expect the city to chase an existing team with renewed fervor.

“After putting this much time and effort into the expansion thing . . . if something doesn’t work out there, I think we would try to do whatever it takes,” one Maryland official said.

According to Belgrad, his group will not approach a team unless “the owner is irrevocable in his decision to relocate a franchise. In other words, we don’t want to be a wedge for anybody who wants to negotiate a new lease.”

It is unknown whether the Rams are looking for such a wedge.

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Times staff writers T.J. Simers and Matt Lait contributed to this story.