After 21 years away, the NFL is coming back to Los Angeles. The winner after months of waiting and a busy day of voting and discussion among the NFL team owners in Houston was St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the Rams, who received 30 votes in favor of their relocation to LA for the 2016 season, the LA Times reports. (Only 24 were needed.) The exciting twist is that the San Diego Chargers have the option to join the Rams in their huge, shiny stadium—which is poised to be the NFL's biggest and most expensive venue, with a price tag well over $2 billion. (It'd be the priciest sports venue in the nation's history, too.)
Today was a busy one for the NFL owners. Earlier in the day, the six-owner Los Angeles committee recommended to all the other team owners that they choose a plan that would bring the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders to their own dual stadium in Carson. But it wasn't clear how the committee's support for Carson would affect the big 32-owner vote. It turns out, it didn't affect them at all.
First round of votes was 20-12 in favor of Rans/TBD in Inglewood – short of the required 24. LA committee now meeting with Spanos and Davis.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) January 12, 2016
Though the LA committee liked Carson, there had been a movement building among the other owners in favor of a bringing the Rams and the Chargers to Inglewood. It's an idea that was officially suggested over the weekend by the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. it was that proposal that came out on top after the first vote of all the owners, with 20 votes in favor of the Rams and someone in Inglewood. But, again, any plan needed to get 24 votes, so the owners promptly headed back in for another round of negotiations and voting.
In the end, owners were pretty firmly in favor of the Rams coming back:
It's DONE. 30 yes, 2 no.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) January 13, 2016
BREAKING: NFL owners approve the Rams moving to Inglewood, according to a person who witnessed the vote. Chargers have option to join them.
— Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) January 13, 2016
At this point, it remains to be seen whether or not the Chargers will take the opportunity to come to Los Angeles or not.
· Rams moving to L.A.; Chargers have option to join them in Inglewood [Curbed LA]
· NFL LA committee backs Carson plan for Chargers, Raiders instead of Rams' Inglewood stadium [LADN]
· Proposal Emerges For Chargers and Rams to Share New NFL Stadium in Inglewood [Curbed LA]