The St. Louis Sports Authority lodged a suit last Friday to prevent the Los Angeles Rams from purchasing their former training center for a mere dollar, a strategic move by the franchise that departed the city years prior. This legal development follows the Rams' request, sent on October 15, for a quit claim deed transfer of the Rams Park, located at 1 Athletic Drive in Earth City, per court documents cited by St. Louis Business Journal. The Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, which represents the state, the city of St. Louis, and St. Louis County, is the plaintiff opposing the deal set in place nearly three decades ago.
The contentious deal stems from a 1995 agreement, which allowed the Rams the right to purchase the facility on the 29th anniversary of their original lease agreement. According to documents from a FOX 2 Now report, the facility, now appraised at $24.4 million, was up for grabs at a price that seems rather nominal, if not symbolic. However, the Sports Authority, backed by St. Louis City, County, and Missouri taxpayers, refuses to let the facility go without a fight. Despite mounting legal fees that previously hit $300,000 in the initial litigation, officials seem steadfast in their resolve.
This ongoing legal battle has roots that reach back to when the Rams relocated back to Los Angeles in 2016, inciting frustration among local supporters. The prior agreement allowed the Rams to lease the training facility for $25,000 yearly. The site remained unused for about a year following the team's departure, later becoming a practice field for Lou Fusz Athletic, a youth soccer league, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The disagreement centers on how to interpret the lease's ending terms. The Rams argue that even though they returned to Los Angeles and the lease ended, they still have the option to buy the facility for $1, based on a 2019 arbitration ruling. In contrast, the Sports Authority believes that since the lease expired rather than being terminated, the buyout option shouldn't apply, as per attorney Bob Blitz's arguments detailed by the Post-Dispatch. St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page expressed staunch support for the lawsuit, stating, "We cannot allow a $25 million facility to be turned over for $1 to a guy who has shown time and again he has no interest in the St. Louis region," referencing Rams owner Stan Kroenke in a news release acquired by FOX 2 Now.
Amidst the complexities of this legal confrontation, local figures like businessman Dave Peacock, once part of the task force exploring stadium options to retain the Rams, have refrained from taking a firm public stance but underscored the commitment of the sports complex agency to the community. "I hope the Rams both understand this and also think about what's right for them and a community that supported them for more than 20 years," Peacock conveyed in a text message to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
