In 1999, the St. Louis Rams had a magical season that culminated in a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. The Rams finished with a 13-3 regular season record, complimented by the best offense in the league.
But now, the Rams have left for Los Angeles and fans of the National Football League in St. Louis are once again left without a team. Plenty are angry, sad and bitter at the NFL, which is easy to understand. For those, though, who want to look elsewhere to throw their support to an NFL team, one doesn't have to travel too far west on I-70 to see the Kansas City Chiefs.
There's been speculation about just how much the Chiefs plan to market and advertise in the St. Louis region in the absence of an NFL organization. After the Rams bolted for Los Angeles, Chiefs president Mark Donovan knew that he had an opportunity. "We're going to take a strategic approach to that," Donovan said at the time. "We're going to be respectful. They've been through a really tough process."
"We're going to continue to do what we do, and we think with the success we're having on the field and the success we're having off the field, it creates a great opportunity for us."
In mid-June, Donovan announced that the Chiefs will broadcast the team's preseason games, along with other team-oriented shows (such as Chiefs Rewind and coach shows), in the St. Louis market. He sees this as another opportunity to gain a foothold in the market.
"We have fans there and we're going to get in front of them now and develop that relationship," Donovan said. "We knew that was coming and we have been working on this for the past few months."
"I think what you're going to see over the next for or five years is a real resurgence of the Chiefs brand in St. Louis. We do have some advantages over the other NFL franchises, not only in geography, but because it's in the state of Missouri, we're the only team that can actually market our corporate partnership as well as our brand in St. Louis, so that's a big advantage."
For the last 12 or so years, St. Louis football fans have had little to cheer about. Sure, the Chiefs have had their ups and downs as well, but they are coming off a season in which they finished 11-5 and won their first playoff game since 1993.
The Chiefs are hot right now, and if you're in the mood for the a new team to cheer for, the Chiefs may be the right choice for you. Some even say they are a serious Super Bowl contender in 2016.
Many fans say that they want absolutely nothing to do with the NFL now. Others say they'll remain tuned in, purely for fantasy football.
Some Rams fans, on the other hand, have taken a more humorous approach to the idea of rooting for Kansas City.
"K.C. Wolf is definitely cooler than Rampage, so the idea may appear enticing," said Rend Schindler, 20, a St. Louis native but a current Kansas City resident while in school. "However, every St. Louisan is born with a deep animosity toward their neighbors to the West. Thus, I am choosing to remain netural toward all NFL teams this year, including the Chiefs."
There has been no official announcement made by KMOV, the local CBS affiliate in St. Louis, and station manager Mike Murphy indicating if the Chiefs will be heavily aired in the market this season, but when asked about the match up between the Chiefs and Rams in the preseason on August 20 in Los Angeles, Murphy had a simple answer.
"Should be interesting," he said.
2016 will no doubt be an "interesting" one for football fans in St. Louis.
