Is Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke more interested in NFL?
Billionaire businessman says 'it's no fun if you don't win' as his LA Rams return to Los Angeles after 22 years away
Four months after telling fans he had not brought Arsenal to "win championships", Stan Kroenke was singing from a rather different hymn sheet as he spoke about his NFL franchise, the Los Angeles Rams.
"I've always loved sports and you have to make it make sense financially. But you learn over the years that it’s no fun if you don’t win,” he told Variety, in a rare interview as the Rams prepare to return to LA after a 22-year exile in St Louis.
His comments might not go down well with Gunners fans, who are already grumbling about the lack of new arrivals during the transfer window.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Kroenke has vowed to turn his Los Angeles Rams NFL team into a winning franchise despite his ten years at Arsenal having brought little in the way of trophy success," says the London Evening Standard, while Metro stirs the pot by suggesting Kroenke could switch focus from the Premier League to the NFL now the Rams are going home.
"With Kroenke potentially spending to make sure his new franchise becomes a success, this could mean he won’t be putting any money in to Arsenal," says the paper. "With the north Londoners in need of reinforcements in several areas of the pitch, this development is sure to annoy supporters if Arsene Wenger continues his thrifty approach to the transfer market."
Another bugbear of Arsenal fans is the cost of watching their team, together with a perception that the club is losing its identity. Those fears will not have been assuaged by Kroenke, who gushed about the importance of having an NFL team based in LA while at the same referring to Arsenal as a global brand.
Of the Rams, he said: "We want to establish the team to be successful in the long term. Our focus is to bring the same fans now and in ten years. Our challenge is to convert our generation into die-hard Rams fans."
But he also spoke about how Arsenal would be touring the US this pre-season, while the Rams will play in London in the autumn.
"The upshot is that sports is so global and within the last few years. And that's where I think people are focusing for growth. Los Angeles is so important to NFL – some people call it gateway to South America and Asia," he said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 22, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - frozen assets, blazing fires, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How much of a blow is ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question Action by Hague court damages Israel's narrative that Gaza conflict is a war between 'good and evil'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
After Tua injury, can NFL make progress on concussions?
Today's Big Question Dolphins QB faces calls to retire
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Cop benched after NFL star handcuffed in traffic stop
Speed Read A Miami-Dade police officer detained Dolphins star Tyreek Hill before the game
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The economics of taxpayer-subsidized stadiums
In Depth Shiny new stadiums can end up costing taxpayers billions
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How the NFL's new kickoff rules could change football
Under the Radar The play will resemble the kickoff structure seen in the much-smaller XFL
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Drunken hooligans': America's cricket fears
Why Everyone's Talking About South Asian community 'energised' by sport's growing popularity in US but some locals oppose new stadiums
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
The NFL's concussion settlement has seemingly failed its players
Under the Radar The league promised to pay players who had suffered brain trauma. Allegedly, it has not happened.
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Swift-Kelce effect: a 'dream pairing' for the NFL
Why everyone's talking about Taylor Swift's appearance at the Chiefs vs. Bears game to see Travis Kelce added millions of TV viewers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published