San Antonio ranks 29th in personal income... will that be enough to bring the NFL to town? (tax, zip code)

[Zuul]

Originally Posted by wellguy

Although this will sound mean I don't mean it that way but.... I wonder how many of the Folks who attend the Dallas Cowboy's Practice Sessions would be able to afford a Game Ticket???? This may be as good as it gets for many San Antonioans.

That's quite a relevant question. How quickly we want a wealthy Texas plutocrat to deliver an NFL team, yet quicker still will people talk about how "a working family can't afford to go to games anymore".......

There is a bit of a reinforcing cycle at work here. From an investment standpoint, the only saving grace of a potentially $2 billion dollar investment in an NFL team in San Antonio (team cost + stadium + cost of transitioning) is access to the NFL's revenue sharing model. San Antonio does not have the wealth, population, corporate presence or rabid interest to generate adequate stadium revenue to make it a worthwhile $2B investment. Sorry, it doesn't. Nor does Jacksonville, and Buffalo is on that bubble as well. It is an income thing in that regard - too little of it to push into a franchise and deliver quality returns.

Which leads to the other part of the circle - why would other NFL owners want to dillute their earnings pool by having to share revenues with a franchise that doesn't contribute? What kind of ratings do you think a San Antonio team will pull in Texas or nationwide? Do you honestly think that fans in Austin will jump on a medicore transplant, or will they focus their Nielsen attention on the Cowboys and Longhorns? Do you think that a San Antonio franchise would sell lots of licensed merchandise and help the NFL brand? Will a San Antonio franchise so outperform a Jacksonville or Buffalo franchise that it brings a significant increase in cash to the league?

Jerry Jones' backyard aside, the larger NFL sees an opportunity to move a small market tram into a large market - LA. Shifting teams among small markets is disruptive and stupid, and shifting from a large to a small market is dillutive to earnings (and insane). I imagine more than one NFL owner would have qualms about that. The ONLY way you could potentially land an NFL franchise is to provide a first rate stadium and a huge cash payment - basically tossing a free $1+ Billion to an owner. That is something that San Antonio could never afford (especially in this death spiral economy marked by government debt). This happened a bit in the 1990s, and San Antonio missed both the relocation and expansion train by miles.

So oddly enough, your article is conclusive - San Antonio does not have the income base to have an NFL team. I'm afraid the NFL table was set a decade ago, and San Antonio will remain a relatively poorer metro area and the Cowboys #3 TV market. Stomping your feet and declaring it unfair does not change reality.

[amexicano]

Moderator cut: orphaned

Someone mentioned that San Antonio is nothing like Dallas and Houston. Well, it's not that big, for sure, but in terms of mentality and culture, I don't find them so different. Both have massive numbers of uneducated, poor population. Same with New York, same with Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, etc. All cities in this country, and pretty much all countries in the planet have issues with poverty and education.

On the other hand, San Antonio has a lot of things to offer. Hey, if I lived in Austin (which some people here make it sound like Utopia) I would be very jelous about Fiesta Texas or Sea World, or the River Walk, or the water parks so close. I'm sure many people in Dallas would kill for our Hill Country or just our more interesting hilly landscape, or our easy access to the beach (yes, even to Corpus). We may not have a lot of big corporations based here, but there are many more opportunities for smaller, local businesses to flourish. I had never seen in Texas so many organic farms as in Central Texas.

So, bottom line, we may not be the largest, richest, slimmest or most educated city in the country, but we are not too bad, and at least moving in the right direction (unlike many other).

/end of rant
// 2 years in San Antonio and loving it

[johnts71]

Originally Posted by Quattro72

And many locals consider that a “good living.” I guess that is good living in a 3rd world country.

Me and the wife both make in that range and are living comfy

[johnts71]

Originally Posted by MattTx

SA is not a 3rd world country.

While that is not a lot of money, it is easier to get by on that amount in SA because the COL is much lower and there is nothing wrong with that.

Would you be happier if this was like California where we would have to make insane amount of money just to afford a small shack?

Get over yourself and move to a city that has an IKEA so you would be happier.

lmao

IKEA is coming here

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by SweethomeSanAntonio

Whoever says SA cant support NFL needs a good slap in the face, and I will gladly administer it.

Maybe so but are SA taxpayers willing to finance a stadium, especially after all of the state cuts this year?

[mcferguson]

which city/fan base do you suggest we victimize to bring a team to san antonio?

[bresilhac]

Originally Posted by mcferguson

which city/fan base do you suggest we victimize to bring a team to san antonio?

At this point the Vikings and Chargers seem like likely candidates to be relocated somewhere. I'm especially watching the Minnesota situation. They may or may not be having another special session in their legislature in the Fall. This special session, if there is one, will finally determine if the Vikings will remain in Minnesota and get a new stadium. If the measure for funding fails for whatever reason the Vikings are as good as gone to Los Angeles or, maybe here.

Ditto with the Chargers. As of now the franchise has no new stadium plan to consider and there probably will not be one for awhile. Because of this San Diego could lose their NFL team. They may in fact move to Los Angeles or, they could move here. The same can be said for about three or four other franchises around the league.

[Mom2Feebs]

Originally Posted by amexicano

Moderator cut: orphaned

Someone mentioned that San Antonio is nothing like Dallas and Houston. Well, it's not that big, for sure, but in terms of mentality and culture, I don't find them so different.

Dallas and Houston are far more cosmopolitan with a "big-city" feel.

[JNA]

Originally Posted by Mom2Feebs

Dallas and Houston are far more cosmopolitan with a "big-city" feel.

Yeah I don't like those cities either!

[HillCountryHotRodMan]

Why do we need an NFL team in San Antonio?