“To cover costs, the city paid about $6 million for annual debt service and maintenance for the stadium but collected only about $4.2 million in direct revenues from Rams games, according to the Mayor’s office.”
And if that were the math, then what the city would be complaining about was that ticket prices weren’t 50% higher...and always sold out.
Sellouts weren’t an issue. The city of St Louis guaranteed sellouts even the Rams moved out if LA. They were obligated to buy any unsold tickets.