Could St. Louis’ loss be Mizzou’s gain?

Dave Matter, the Mizzou beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has a new article that takes a look at how the Missouri athletics department is trying to fill the void left by the Rams.

MU staffers are careful not to label the Rams’ departure as beneficial to the Tigers, but it does present an opportunity for Mizzou.

Rams fans who miss having football in town might be able to help with the Tigers’ football attendance problem, Matter references a recent statement by athletics director Mack Rhoades that ticket renewals are around 75 percent, down from last year.

According to Matter, Mizzou will target St. Louis football fans to help fill seats at Faurot Field:

Boosting ticket sales has been a major emphasis for Rhoades, though plans to restructure the ticket office staff were delayed by last fall’s football boycott and subsequent search for a new football coach. Rhoades plans to hire a commission-based ticket sales team. He’s also filling a new associate AD position for revenue generation and fan experience.

“Building relationships and being visible in the St. Louis community is very important for us,” senior associate AD Ryan Bradley said in an email. “We’re also working on some special promotions and ticket offers for St. Louis to roll out later in the summer. We believe there is a huge opportunity for growth and we’re anxious to see how the (St. Louis) market responds.”

Barry Odom certainly hopes to see mores Rams fans making the trip to Columbia, something he’s talked about this spring.

“An hour-and-a-half down the road, and you’re in downtown St. Louis,” Odom said in a teleconference earlier this month. “And for us to be able to attract some who are missing out with the Rams would obviously be important for us and the relationships that we’ve got within that city. We’ve got to continue to develop those, and obviously I want the University of Missouri to be a team that the entire state follows.

“Without question, St. Louis and Mizzou need to be a team together.”