Who wins with the Rams’ return to Los Angeles?

This early in the game there is only one sure bet: Stan Kroenke, the multibillionaire owner of the team, who’s seen the team’s value increase with the move to the second-biggest media market in the country.

It’s also fair to expect fans to see some benefit, especially this time around, because the league has suspended the longstanding rule blacking out home games that have not sold out. At least we’ll be able to watch on TV. Beyond that, upside for the fans will largely depend on how the team fares on the field.

And then there’s Inglewood. The city gets a nearly $2 billion stadium and all the taxes, employment, and traffic that will generate. And because Kroenke has what amounts to unlimited resources, the city didn’t have to come out of pocket in any significant way in order to make the deal happen. But neither is it all roses for the City of Champions. The flood of development that can be expected to accompany a massive complex such as the Rams’ stadium is generally a good thing, especially for a city that teetered on the brink of bankruptcy not that long ago. Rising land values will benefit property owners, but the roughly 64 percent of Inglewood residents who rent are likely to get priced out of their homes in short order.

We must also shed a tear for many of the Rams personnel, who are moving to a state with an income tax of 13.3 percent for those earning $1 million a year or more from Missouri and its 6 percent income tax. Taken together, taxes and a higher cost of living here means team employees who made the move (and not all did, according to our story on page 1) would need a raise of more than 50 percent to maintain the standard of living they enjoyed in St. Louis.

That’s an oft-told tale here, and it is an undeniable burden. And yet Los Angeles remains a compelling place to be in business. Just ask Stan Kroenke.