2012-2016- The Fisher Era

St. Louis Rams’ proposal to improve Edward Jones Dome rejected

In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone, the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC) rejected the St. Louis Rams‘ proposal for renovations to the Edward Jones Dome on Friday, June 1.

The CVC and the Rams will have two weeks to reach an agreement over improvements for the dome before heading into arbitration on June 15. The current lease between the CVC and the team requires that the stadium be ranked in the top quarter of all NFL venues.

While I believe that the two clubs are going to arbitration, there’s a good chance we’re going to find out how far each side is willing to go to get what it wants. If the CVC is serious about keeping the Rams in St. Louis, then it needs to come up with a better deal than the $124 million proposal that it offered earlier this year. If the Rams really want to stay in the Gateway City, they will need to make some concessions, including taking on some of the expenses for the project. But, if neither side makes a move towards the other during the next two weeks, then I have to believe that both the Rams and the CVC are simply going to rely on arbitration for a solution.

The Rams’ recent proposal didn’t note how the renovations would be paid for, which I believe implies that the team isn’t planning on contributing anything financially to the project. I know that some fans probably aren’t happy with that, but the Rams aren’t responsible for maintaining the Edward Jones Dome. The CVC is. I believe the team’s proposal is a good one both for the team and the downtown area, but I don’t think there’s any way that St. Louis taxpayers will fit the bill for the stadium.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens over the next couple of weeks. Will the Rams budge on some of their renovation plans? Will the city of St. Louis entertain some of the ideas expressed in the team’s plan? Can there be a compromise worked out before the two sides go to arbitration? I have my doubts, but I’m looking forward to seeing if either side makes a move towards getting a deal done.

Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)

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