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In stark contrast to sentimental ads from the NFL repeating the tagline “NFL is family” that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, viewers in the St. Louis area also saw a harsh criticism of the league from local attorney Terry Crouppen.
Crouppen’s motivation for producing the ad, which called out the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke for their treatment of St. Louis, was simple — he was angry.
“I’m angry about the way we were treated by Mr. Kroenke and the NFL,” he said. “I wanted to fight back a little.”
The ad emphasizes how St. Louis was loyal to the Rams, cheering them on “year after losing year,” and in return, “they trashed us then left us,” Crouppen says in the commercial. He then turns the attention to Kroenke, asking if his $8 billion net worth is enough.
“Here’s some free advice,” Crouppen says to Kroenke in the ad. “Just because it’s legal and you’re rich enough to do it, that doesn’t make it right.”
Brown & Crouppen is the city’s No. 1 advertiser and spent nearly $2 million on advertising between January and September 2015, according to data from Kantar Media Research.
Crouppen declined to say what the ad cost, but said it was “the most expensive ad we’ve ever run, by far.”
Crouppen said the ad was really just for him and gave him a chance to say what was on his mind.
“I loved my team and I felt I’d been wrong,” he said. “It wasn’t fair. We did everything that we could. We kept our part of the bargain and they didn’t.”
The message struck a nerve with many St. Louisans, Crouppen said. The ad, which aired regionally, encouraged people to share their feelings as well, using the hashtag “#SlamStan.” He said “hundreds of thousands” of people have already participated.
Crouppen wants to take that even farther, and said he campaigning to rename the Edward Jones Dome the #SlamStan Dome.
“I think it would be a wonderful tribute to who we are and what a jerk he is,” Crouppen said.
