Meanwhile, politicians in St. Louis lamented the imminent loss of the city’s team.

"The NFL ignored the facts, the loyalty of St. Louis fans, who supported the team through far more downs than ups, and the NFL ignored a strong market and viable plan for a new stadium," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said in a statement. "I am proud of our effort and what St. Louis was able to accomplish in an extraordinarily short period of time.”

The NFL allowed the Rams to move even though the St. Louis's Stadium Task Force, created by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, tried keeping the team with a package of more than $470 million in state and local funds for construction of a new stadium in the city.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the decision was painful for all involved.

"Relocation is a painful process. It's painful for the fans, communities, the teams, the league in general," Goodell said in a press conference held during President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. "We realized this was our opportunity."

The Rams have a long history in LA. The team settled there in 1946 from Cleveland. They moved to nearby Anaheim in 1980, though continued calling themselves the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams began playing in St. Louis in 1995.