Shahid Khan Set to Purchase a Majority Ownership Stake in St. Louis Rams

by Peter Stenson

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the NFL’s worst team last season, the St. Louis Rams, is in the final stages of changing ownership.

Current majority owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriquez – children of the late Georgia Frontiere) have dumped their 60% of the waning franchise into the lap of Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. The details of the sale have not been made public. Also, the sale of an NFL franchise must be approved by 75% of current NFL owners.

The Rams have fallen to the NFL's cellar since the late Georgia Frontiere owned the team.

Shahid Khan, 55, is the President of Flex-N-Gate Corporation. Who said the American car industry was dead? With Forbes estimating the Rams franchise at 929 million dollars, it appears at least someone is still making money in the automotive field.

Khan, a native Pakistani who has made central Illinois his home for over forty years, says he is committed to keeping the St. Louis Rams where they are. He has been a regular attendant at the Edward Jones Dome. I wonder if he was one of those fans shrouded in a grocery bag over his head during the 1-15 season last year.

Go Rams! Hey, at least they beat the Lions.

The remaining 40% of the Rams belongs to sports-owner crazy Stan Kroenke, who already has the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche in his portfolio. It is still not known what he plans to do with his share of the Rams and was unavailable for comment.

Although this certainly seems like a good move for Rams fans, the changing of the guard from somebody who is passionate compared to the heirs of a former owner, I still advise you all to tread with caution. Along the lines of being captain obvious, let me remind you that not every pronouncement made by a sporting executive is a testament of truth. And although Los Angeles is supposedly targeting the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars first, the lowly Rams are close behind.

Maybe a little fresh air and sunshine is exactly what the doctor ordered.