Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I STILL say that if L.A. gets a team before San Antonio does, it won't last that long....
It will last because the market for professional sports is larger in Los Angeles than San Antonio. All the teams sell out or come close and the Dodgers have the most successful profit margin of all baseball teams. LA will not build a new stadium for football but rather expect the business people to raise funds instead.
It will last because the market for professional sports is larger in Los Angeles than San Antonio. All the teams sell out or come close and the Dodgers have the most successful profit margin of all baseball teams. LA will not build a new stadium for football but rather expect the business people to raise funds instead.
L.A. had 3 opprotunities, failed on all. I'm stickin' by that.
Besides, there are several smaller markets that have kept their teams for more than 4 decades.
Phoenix has some good teams [Suns\ Diamondbacks] but there records are mixed esp against LA. The largest tv audience in the nation is in Los Angeles and fans want a local NFL team. If Buffalo or Jacksonville support their teams enough maybe the NFL will develop a team for LA which would be more fun anyway.
LA's "lack of support" of NFL is overratted. Yes the rams were badly supported during the 90s, but thats because the Rams were well BAD. That is going to happen when you field continously lackluster product. Look at New Orleans or Seattle.
If LA has a team that becomes sucessful, it will do well. Southern California is a goldmine of a media market.
I came across this thread and just had to put my two cents in. No offense, but come of the comments here do sound very misinformed and naive.
First off, to say that the LA area cannot keep an NFL team is a bit misleading. First off, the Chargers left Los Angeles in the the EARLY 60s!!!! So the people claiming that LA had 3 chances to keep an NFL team are being somewhat misleading. As for the Rams and Raiders, both teams failed for different reasons. One of the big reasons why the Rams moved was, well... they were horrible. I believe they only had about 25,000 fans attend their last game in 1994. Add to the fact that they played in Anaheim, which is fairly far from much of the metro area. As for the Raiders, they actually had good attendance for much of their history. The problems was that they played in the MASSIVE LA Coliseum, so selling out became a problem since that venue's capacity hovers around just under 100,000. I think Wikipedia said they still had over 70,000 fans attend their last game (the game was still blacked out because it was still not a sell out).
Now, another point to make is that the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area has a population of about 15-18 million, depending on your definition. To say that an area that big cannot support an NFL team if the team would be marketable and smartly managed is laughable. You get enough wins and smart PR, a team in the NFL will be successful.
Currently, the Chargers, 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Vikings, and Jaguars are possible teams that could move to LA. Here are why I think that the first 5 teams are not likely to leave their respective areas:
1) Chargers - San Diego is unique in that its lease on its stadium is year-by-year, not longterm like most teams. However, considering that they still have repeated sellouts and San Diego County seems to be doing a lot to make a possible stadium in one of San Diego's suburbs (Chula Vista being the most talked about).
2) 49ers - Word going around is that the team is trying to get a stadium built in near by Alameda County (where the Raiders play). This seems possible and discussions have come up that the Raiders and 49ers could share a stadium (like the Giants and Jets do) since they are both part of the same metropolitan area.
3) Raiders - Look at 49ers. Oh, and Al Davis is nuts and will not likely want to move back to LA.
4) Bills - Personally, it would be very upsetting if the Bills left Buffalo. Despite being in a shrinking metro area and one of the nation's most economically depressed, the Bills still manage to sell out most of their games, which is miracle due to the fact their stadium is WAY too big. I know the NFL wants the team to move to Toronto, but politicians both in that city and the country are STRONGLY opposed to that. Many in Toronto say that there is no chance in hell that a new stadium would be built for the team or any renovations to expand Rogers Centre's seating capacity. I can see the Bills leaving Buffalo, but it won't certainly be Toronto. Hopefully, they can stay given their dedicated fan base.
5) Vikings - Talks of relocation seem more and more unlikely as plans to build a new stadium in downtown Minneapolis are still open as well as other options in the suburbs. The team's strong attendance makes this unlikely as well.
This all leads me to one final team... the Jaguars. As someone who is a Tennessee Titans fan (who are in the same division as Jacksonville), I am well aware of the team's financial problems. Everytime Tennessee goes to Jacksonville, you see huge parts of the stadium tapered off. Even when the team is winning, selling out is difficult. The area is not growing very fast, and when the team recently covered up sections of the stadium to try and get a sellout, it didn't work. I don't see how this team lasts in Jacksonville that much longer. Also to note, is that when the Super Bowl was held there in 2005, there were numerous complains that the stadium was not in good condition and that bathrooms were clogged up. This hurts the city's chances to host another Super Bowl in the future considering that a new stadium in J'Ville is highly unlikely in the future.
I STILL say that if L.A. gets a team before San Antonio does, it won't last that long....
I haven't posted on this thread so I would like to comment on a few posts, and there are some good ones here.
JJG and others make a strong argument for San Antonio. The main thing they have going for them is a good economy. The NFL wants to take a look at that area closely as the rest of the country is in a depression, er, recession. How is the economy NOW? What does the economy look like A FEW YEARS FROM NOW? All things considered, San Antonio is doing a darn sight better than most areas of the country, economy wise.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
NFL is coming to the NFL.
