NFL owners decide Rams will return to Los Angeles, leaving St. Louis in the lurch

The City of St. Louis no longer has a professional gridiron franchise following the National Football League’s decision to approve the Rams’ bid to relocate to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. The Rams may be joined in L.A. by the Chargers, who currently play in San Diego but have also filed an application to relocate.

St. Louis is understandably bitter about the NFL’s decision, and the media there have a lot to say about it. Here’s a roundup of the coverage…

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

• Goodbye, St. Louis Rams; owners approve move to Los Angeles
• Hochman: Feckless thugs of NFL leave us with just memories
• Gordo: Kroenke fails St. Louis, flees to LA
• BenFred: We’ll miss the Rams but certainly won’t miss their owner
• Cowboys owner Jerry Jones exults in Rams relocation
• Rams fans react to team’s departure with humor and sadness
• Kroenke speaks – “A bittersweet” day
• Listen to Goodell’s words for St. Louis
• A player’s perspective: St. Louis’ heart is being ripped away

“Roger Goodell, you botch everything. You’re an embarrassment to integrity. Concussions. Ray Rice. Now abandoning a city in your NFL fraternity, the sports equivalent to leaving a soldier behind?”

Fox 2 Now St. Louis

• Rams are LA bound; League owners approve relocation for 2016
• Civil leaders blast NFL over vote to allow Rams move back to LA
• Stadium Task Force leader Dave Peacock reacts to Rams move back to LA
• St. Louis sports fans react to Ram departure
• Rams players take to social media to say good-bye to St. Louis fans

KSDK

• Rams moving back to Los Angeles with Chargers given option to join
• Local leaders react to Rams relocation
• St. Louis can bounce back from Rams move
• Economic impact of losing the Rams
• Sources: Rams deny Kroenke warned owners not to cross him\

KMOV

• NFL owners approve Rams relocation; team will move to L.A.
• Silent Stan speaks on the Rams move
• Rams employees on the move to Los Angeles
• Former and current Rams react to move to Los Angeles
• Local officials react to Rams move
• NFL.com page already shows Los Angeles Rams

Turf Show Times

• Rams Move To LA For 2016, Chargers To Join/Follow
• The NFL Doesn’t Care About You
• Rams Players React To Move From STL To LA
• STL Stadium Task Force Statement On Rams’ Move
• The Specter of Los Angeles
• How St. Louis Lost The Support Of The NFL And The Rams
• VIDEO: Stan Kroenke Celebrates Rams Moving To St. Louis On First Day

Los Angeles may be happy to have the Rams back, but St. Louis sports fans are very upset over losing their team. It’s not likely the city will be awarded a new franchise anytime soon – and perhaps not for decades.