Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The potential for an ownership change involving the Rams was a recurring theme even before longtime owner Georgia Frontiere died in January. The estate-tax implications of skyrocketing franchise values can precipitate a sale in such cases, as the St. Louis Business Journal explained in this 2003 story about the Rams. The story quoted tax expert Bob Jackson this way:
"It's not like owning $500 million worth of publicly traded stock in which the children could simply sell half the stock to pay the estate tax. There might be an option for the children to borrow money for the taxes and secure the loans against the franchise, but I think the greater likelihood would be for them to sell the team."
Chip Rosenbloom, who inherited Frontiere's ownership stake, downplayed the prospects for a sale in a statement issued today.
The St. Louis Business Journal pointed to the Dolphins as precedent for a potential Rams sale: "When Joe Robbie, founder and one-time owner of the Miami Dolphins, died in 1990, his family was forced to sell the franchise to avoid paying the estate taxes estimated at $47 million."
Rosenbloom's statement did not address that specific issue other than to say, in part, "While we deal with her estate, I can assure you we have every intention of keeping the Rams in St. Louis."
