Breaking down how the NFL completely mishandled Los Angeles relocation by sending the Rams to Inglewood instead of the Raiders.

On Tuesday, the NFL owners voted to relocate the Rams franchise to Los Angeles, returning the team to the city it had called home from 1946 until after the 1994 season. In doing so, the league’s owners handed a major financial windfall to owner Stan Kroenke, who outright owns the stadium site in Inglewood that will be the Rams’ home as soon as 2019.

The other two teams in the NFL’s chase to LA – the Raiders and Chargers – were essentially sent back to their markets with an “option” to try LA relocation later in a sharing or tenancy arrangement with Stan Kroenke. The Chargers were gifted the first option, meaning that they will likely also relocate to Los Angeles, perhaps as early as this year. The Raiders were given the second option, meaning that they could still relocate if the Chargers for some reason decide to stay put in San Diego. The Raiders were also given a so-called “golden parachute” in the form of a $100M loan guarantee for new stadium development.

While my fellow Raider fans up north were likely encouraged by the NFL’s decision, as an Angeleno I am incredibly disappointed. Not only do I not get my favorite team back in my city, but I also think the NFL fans of Greater Los Angeles were force-fed a bag of feces by NFL owners, chiefly Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Here’s why I think the NFL and their owners dropped the ball.