Warning: A sports guy is about to veer from his lane a little bit.
No, we鈥檙e not talking about the presidential election. Relax. But depending on your viewpoint, this topic can get folks hollering just as fast.
No hollering here.
Just a subtle suggestion that seems needed from time to time, this time as discussion and debate continue about how the 狐狸视频 region should best activate its earnings from the settlement of the 狐狸视频 Rams relocation lawsuit.
There are many good and deserving places the city and county can and should target with the funds, and perhaps even better the interest those funds can produce if managed well. You don鈥檛 have to be ashamed to believe some of those good and deserving places are sports-related. Promise.
There鈥檚 no need to whisper it. No need to apologize for believing it. No need to feel like a face-paint wearing, foam-finger waving sports fan in a room full of politicians and policy makers if you share this opinion, because those of us who believe it know better.
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Daily, we see how a game in 狐狸视频 pulls a fractured region together. We hear from friends about how they plan their trips here around sporting events. If you encounter a visiting family downtown these days, there鈥檚 a pretty good chance they are here for a youth sports tournament of some kind.
We shouldn鈥檛 be ashamed of these realities. We should celebrate the social and economic benefits they provide. We should aim to keep a strength a strength.
狐狸视频 remains a great sports city, and its belief in that defining trait even after the NFL ran roughshod over its own relocation rules in the Rams鈥 departure was, in large part, what helped motivate the lawsuit that scored the settlement money windfall that ultimately resulted in nearly $170 million for the county and $250 million for the city. Remember, some in the anti-sports crowd were opponents of the lawsuit 鈥 until it worked.
I鈥檓 not suggesting the Rams relocation cash pays for Busch Stadium upgrades, or something like that. What I鈥檓 suggesting is that the cynicism sometimes applied for things that can help benefit the STL sports scene even in a tangential way 鈥 like improving downtown鈥檚 safety 鈥 can be a bit much. Believe it or not, not every person who believes in improving our area through sports is navigated by Stan Kroenke鈥檚 broken moral compass. Most actually understand the concept of teamwork quite well, often better than politicians.
Something happened quietly last month that didn鈥檛 get nearly as much attention as the ongoing maneuvering to claim Rams relocation settlement dough. The 狐狸视频 Development Corporation struck an agreement with the 狐狸视频 Sports Commission for access to $500,000 in funding that can be used to backstop the nonprofit sports organization as it continues to fight the good fight of trying to recruit sports events to STL. It was a commendable and needed boost to an effort that has faced increased challenges not because of a lack of effort, but because other areas 鈥 Charlotte, Louisville, Kansas City 鈥 increasingly have more cash in their coffers.
狐狸视频 can still punch above its weight class in this department, thanks in part to its established reputation of supporting any sport that plants its flag here, but the fight only gets harder. Regions that used to be in lower weight classes are playing up. Money talks.
狐狸视频 can鈥檛 count on some outside rescuer in this department. Unlike Kansas City, it should not expect Missouri to swoop in with something like $50 million in state funds for World Cup preparation. Gov. Mike Parson seems to have made it his personal mission to keep the Chiefs and Royals from potentially relocating to Kansas after showing little if any interest in the Rams relocation lawsuit saga.
Point is, answers must come from within, or events like the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Team Trials that played out in front of a record-setting crowd here in 2021 are going to become more scarce moving forward. If you went to that event, you probably didn鈥檛 feel much sports cynicism. You probably felt proud of 狐狸视频, or thrilled to be visiting it.
Remember that whenever conversation about how to invest in the region veers toward anti-sports rhetoric.
If nothing else, it would be encouraging if the city and county both committed to using a portion of their Rams relocation settlement allotment to follow the 狐狸视频 Development Corporation鈥檚 lead.