The Blame Game
St Louis Rams:
The St. Louis Rams is a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL). Recently, the NFL voted for the St. Louis Rams to relocate their football organization back to Los Angeles. Why the move? They simply have not had a winning record in over a decade. A decade. Maybe a change of scenery and location would help this franchise be good again.
OKC Thunder:
The Oklahoma City Thunder is a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before they were the “Thunder” they were located in Seattle and were called the “Supersonics.” Why the leave? The former owner, Howard Schultz (now owner of Starbucks) sold the team because taxpayers did not want to pay for another stadium after paying for the city's football and baseball team’s arenas. Wise move? OKC is now more elite, dominant, and recognizable team since the move.
Dallas Stars:
The Dallas Stars is a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before they were in Dallas, they were called the “Minnesota North Stars.” Why Dallas? Many factors were the reason. The owner initially wanted to move the team to LA but Disney was already planning a franchise team there called the “Mighty Ducks.” Therefore, the owner chose Dallas because of the poor attendance during a course of their losing season, was not able to reach deals in other potential urban areas, and oh yeah, a sexual harassment claim his wife was going to follow through if he did not move the team.
Expo Montreal:
The Expo Montreal is a professional baseball team in Major League Baseball (MLB). After being denied a contraction, they were beginning to relocate their organization into a different city. Why the move? A lack of baseball fans and a terrible organization. What sparked the move was the strike in 1994. Canada was willing to put up with a team that perceived, despite their lack on wins but was not willing to put up with a team that did not try. Therefore, when they announced the team was leaving the country to Washington, no one was upset.
