The St. Louis Rams laid waste to their current hometown in a proposal to relocate to Los Angeles this week, describing St. Louis as a "struggling" city that "lags, and will continue to lag, far behind in the economic drivers that are necessary for sustained success of an NFL franchise."
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay naturally took issue with that characterization, and on Wednesday, he sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to correct the "multiple inaccuracies and misrepresentations" of his city.
Listen to Huffington Post sports reporter Travis Waldron and NFL veteran Dontè Stallworth discuss the Rams' relocation efforts with Vice Sports reporter Aaron Gordon on this week's episode of "The Second Half" podcast. (The interview with Gordon begins at 22:00.)
Slay started with Rams owner Stan Kroenke's suggestion that he and the franchise have made significant efforts to reach an agreement for a new stadium in St. Louis.
"I -- to this day -- cannot remember meeting Stan Kroenke, much less engaging with him in any conversations about the future of NFL football in St. Louis," Slay wrote in the letter, adding that he has "strong" relationships with the owners of the city's other two professional franchises, MLB's Cardinals and the NHL's Blues.
Kroenke's most noteworthy claims in the proposal, though, were about the city's economy, which he said "ranks 490 out of 515 U.S. cities and 61st among the 64 largest U.S. cities in economic growth in recent years," according to one study.
That drew Slay's strongest rebuke.
“Far from being ‘struggling’ compared to other US cities, St. Louis is experiencing an entrepreneurial renaissance, ranking first in the world for growth in tech venture capital investment between 2013 and 2014 and being named #1 out of 14 Best Startup Cities in America by Popular Mechanics in 2015," Slay wrote.
"In important demographic categories, St. Louis compares favorably to Denver, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Tampa Bay -- all cities that support three professional teams," Slay continued, taking exception to Kroenke's claim that the city is not a large enough market to host three pro sports teams.
Kroenke is still hoping to persuade NFL owners that his team -- not the San Diego Chargers or Oakland Raiders, who have also filed relocation proposals -- should win the Los Angeles sweepstakes.
Slay's letter, meanwhile, comes a day after those owners met in New York to discuss the dueling relocation attempts.
"While I remain extremely unhappy at the portrayal of St. Louis in the Rams' relocation submission, I am hopeful -- if not confident -- that the NFL will do the right thing," Slay concludes.
Nothing is final yet, but that lack of confidence seems warranted given that Kroenke and Goodell have so far scoffed at the city and state's proposal to put more than $450 million in public tax money toward a new stadium on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Read the full letter: