Too High a Price to Keep (L.A.) Rams
So, Leigh Steinberg (“Letting Team Go Would Be Irreversible Financial, Cultural Loss,” Aug. 21) and some of his business friends want the citizens of Anaheim to spend millions of dollars to keep the L.A. Rams football team in their city.
Hasn’t anyone informed him that the L.A. Rams never left Los Angeles? All he needs do is check out their name and address in any telephone directory. He’ll find them listed as the “Los Angeles Rams Football Club, Main Ofc 10271 W Pico Bl LA” and “Ticket Ofc 10271 W Pico Bl LA”
In all the years the Rams have played in Anaheim, the management has never moved its main office to the city nor made the appropriate name change.
The Oakland Raiders became the Los Angeles Raiders when they moved to L.A. Even the old semipro Rhinos called themselves the Orange County Rhinos. Not until the Ram owner demonstrates good faith by moving her main office to Anaheim and changing the team name to the Anaheim Rams should the City Council of Anaheim give any consideration to spending millions of its residents’ hard-earned money.
ALEXANDER L. BRITTON
Los Alamitos
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Steinberg is correct in suggesting that we should not allow “businessmen, columnists and politicians to fulfill their own prophecies” and create a vicious circle that ultimately drives the Rams away.
How ironic it is, however, that it is the new breed of agents, lawyers and lawyer-agents, of which Steinberg is the dean, that in no small way are the etiology of the current woes, chaos, confusion and anger that characterize pro sports.
The nonstop negotiating, absurdly high salaries, lack of player, team and owner loyalty created by Steinberg-like agents has made Orange County fans appropriately apathetic. Now do you got bonded to a team to which you know that next year many or most of your favorite players, assistant coaches or head coach will leave for greener pastures? Who cares who wins given this scenario?
The priest of agents now asks the fans to save the Rams. It is as if he wants the fans to pay to protect the agents from themselves.
Perhaps we could make a legal deal with the legal men. We will go to the games it they stay out of the negotiations.
MICHAEL A. GLUECK
Newport Beach
