Rams ending popular St. Louis fan events, promotions

INDIANAPOLIS -- The St. Louis Rams are canceling a series of events for fans and season ticket holders, including the popular Fan Fest held in August and the Cheer for a Cure breast cancer awareness fundraiser held in October, sources confirmed Thursday.

Rams staffers were recently notified that the activities were canceled via internal memo on Feb. 12. The team is not expected to officially announce that the events are canceled, opting instead to move forward with a reduced promotional schedule.

The Rams have not responded to SB Nation's request for comment.

Fan engagement has been an important part of the team's marketing efforts in recent years, with an increasing number of events added to the calendar. One of the more popular events, Fan Fest, began in 2012. Free and open to the public, it's centered on the team's intrasquad training camp scrimmage that includes an autograph session with players afterward and other activities. Last year's Fan Fest drew more than 15,000 fans.

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Yoga Blitz, the Voice of the Fan Luncheon, and a breakfast event for personal seat license holders were also on the list of canceled events.

Brian Killingsworth, the Rams vice president for marketing and brand strategy, resigned last month after three seasons with the team. During his time in that role, the Rams ramped up their efforts to connect directly with the team's fans. He took a similar role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The news comes with the Rams facing the potential of a lame duck season in St. Louis. In January, it was revealed that owner Stan Kroenke is planning to build an NFL stadium along with the Stockbridge Capital Group in the Los Angeles market, on 300 acres of land in Inglewood owned by the two partners. Efforts are also underway to build a new NFL stadium in St. Louis, but the project still has a number of hurdles to clear, including details about how the project would be financed.