NFL in San Antonio..... now even more unlikely (Houston, Dallas: buyer, luxury)

[ktulu7]

How about this then... a new American League baseball team to play in the Rangers' division, since MLB is talking about moving the Astros into that slot. I'd love having MLB here, but I'm an Astros fan, so I'd stay an Astros fan. I think that's probably what would happen here, and I think MLB would be the most difficult thing to support, but maybe I'm wrong. What do you guys and gals think?

Even if you think none of the major sports leagues have a chance, which do you think is the MOST likely, if any, in San Antonio, other than NBA obviously?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by ktulu7

How about this then... a new American League baseball team to play in the Rangers' division, since MLB is talking about moving the Astros into that slot. I'd love having MLB here, but I'm an Astros fan, so I'd stay an Astros fan. I think that's probably what would happen here, and I think MLB would be the most difficult thing to support, but maybe I'm wrong. What do you guys and gals think?

I like baseball, too, but the attendance at Missions games tells me that San Antonio is not a baseball town.

Even if you think none of the major sports leagues have a chance, which do you think is the MOST likely, if any, in San Antonio, other than NBA obviously?

I think NFL games would sell out fan seats in SA, but that's not the main yardstick for success. The league requires a team to play in a half-billion dollar stadium, which SA can't afford. To be competitive, an NFL team must sell a large number of corporate luxury box rentals, for which there aren't enough buyers in SA.

If the NFL could work here, Red McCombs would have put a team here.

Pro soccer is probably the best bet for SA, and there are two competing plans in the works for minor league soccer.

[The Black Irish]

Originally Posted by ktulu7

How about this then... a new American League baseball team to play in the Rangers' division, since MLB is talking about moving the Astros into that slot. I'd love having MLB here, but I'm an Astros fan, so I'd stay an Astros fan. I think that's probably what would happen here, and I think MLB would be the most difficult thing to support, but maybe I'm wrong. What do you guys and gals think?

Even if you think none of the major sports leagues have a chance, which do you think is the MOST likely, if any, in San Antonio, other than NBA obviously?

As long as Jerry Jones is alive there won't be an NFL team here. Yeah it obviously comes down to money and quite a bit of money at that. He has had a stranglehold on this area since he took over ownership of the Cowboys years ago. Needless to say when he fired Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, and others he was/is hated in SA. The odds of football coming are slim to none. If Red McCombs cannot make it happen it isn't gonna happen. To answer your question I would love MLB here. We were really close to getting the Marlins franchise at one point and that was really exciting, but fell through. And the Astros? Sorry to hear that. This must be a tough season for you. I am a Rangers fan, but would love to see a hometown baseball team. They'd get my money for sure.

[BenjaminNicholas]

These threads are worse than IKEA or Disney speculation.

If this city wanted a team badly enough, they would have accepted higher taxation to get the Dome up to snuff when it was proposed some years back. SA isn't ready for that or the NFL. We can just barely support what we've got (and current attendance at Missions, Silver Stars and hockey games is thin at best).

Instead of uselessly spending (like on changing street names and non-existent NFL teams), why can't we put money into something that will in the immediate, help fix this city? Roads are still an issue. Traffic is only getting worse. A lightrail is being talked about, but until they break ground I remain skeptical. All of these things would help our city in the long run much more than an NFL team.



BN

[ktulu7]

Originally Posted by The Black Irish

As long as Jerry Jones is alive there won't be an NFL team here. Yeah it obviously comes down to money and quite a bit of money at that. He has had a stranglehold on this area since he took over ownership of the Cowboys years ago. Needless to say when he fired Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, and others he was/is hated in SA. The odds of football coming are slim to none. If Red McCombs cannot make it happen it isn't gonna happen. To answer your question I would love MLB here. We were really close to getting the Marlins franchise at one point and that was really exciting, but fell through. And the Astros? Sorry to hear that. This must be a tough season for you. I am a Rangers fan, but would love to see a hometown baseball team. They'd get my money for sure.

Yeahhhh watching Pence and Bourn get traded this week was just turning the knife in my heart, especially the crappy Bourn deal. This is a very very bad year to be an Astros fan. I'm used to it though, since I'm from New Orleans and am have been a Saints fan my whole life. haha

[The Black Irish]

I do like Hunter Pence though as a player. He is pretty solid. I just got back from New Orleans. Stayed down in the French Quarter. The Saints were bad for so many seasons. Were you one the fans with the brown bag over your head? I believe the fans there called them The Aints for a long time as well. As in they aint ever gonna win That city seems to have a bit more energy for sports though compared to SA. Honestly, basketball will probably be number one here for a really long time. Which is okay b/c I love Spurs games. But it would be nice to have an option when it is not basketball season. Missions....ehhh.

[ktulu7]

I didn't have a paper bag on my head, but the Saints were pretty terrible. I shed a couple of man-tears when we won the NFC Championship last time... There's NOTHING like being in the Superdome for a Saints game. It's a party the whole time, loud as hell, and the whole place goes nuts and then starts dancin' to some good music after the team scores. I'm lookin' forward to goin' to the game against the Dirty Birds this year! Rivalry!!!!!!

Maybe if SA's economy can continue to grow, we can eventually have something other than the Spurs here... Until then, it's Saints, Hornets, and Astros for me. Also, I'm a Louisiana Tech Bulldogs fan, so though we're not overjoyed at the implosion of our sorry conference, I selfishly look forward to playing UTSA and Texas State down here, so I don't have to drive to North Louisiana those weekends to see my Dawgs (assuming we don't leave the WAC by then). Good luck to UTSA football, and maybe San Antonio can boost them up and support them, of course except when LaTech's taking them out back behind the woodshed.

[Howest2008]

Originally Posted by Zuul

Not sure if anyone caught the article today in the EN - basically, the city government paid $50K for some consultants to tell us to stop wasting time trying to poach an NFL team and instead build a "sports landscape". The primary obstacles are the lack of corporate sponsors along with San Antonio's small metro size and distinctly poorer population - along with the Alamodome not being fit for NFL standards.

In a bad US economy that continues to spiral down, I have to ask - why would any investor pony up $1 billion to bring football to America's 37th largest (and one of the poorest) media markets? How canthe city commit $700 million+ to build a fitting stadium? My hunch is that this should cool the football drive here, at least politically, for a good 20 years. Perhaps things will look differently then, but for now, enjoy the Cowboys.......


S.A. a great place to practice, but tough sell as NFL home - San Antonio Express-News



S.A. a great place to practice, but tough sell as NFL home

Study says arena football, lower-level soccer, Triple-A baseball more realistic here.

By Richard Oliver / roliver@express-news.net

Published 01:08 a.m., Friday, July 29, 2011



San Antonio is ready to tackle the Arena Football League, lower-division soccer and perhaps even Triple-A baseball.



But city sports fans will have little to cheer about regarding the National Football League or Major League Baseball, at least for the foreseeable future.
Moderator cut: remainder of copyrighted article

San Antonio could very well be a weak "small market" in the NFL , but the league isn't looking forward to adding another Nashville , New Orleans , Kansas City , Jacksonville , Cincinnati , Charlotte to the mix. The larger Metro Area are already paying for those teams to stay afloat , what the logic of adding another small market team.

[spursfan]

I wonder how a stadium built in San Marcos or somewhere closer to Austin would do? I know it's been proposed, but it isn't that big of a deal to drive an hour or so 8 times a year.

[bresilhac]

Originally Posted by spursfan

I wonder how a stadium built in San Marcos or somewhere closer to Austin would do? I know it's been proposed, but it isn't that big of a deal to drive an hour or so 8 times a year.

San Antonio would be a terrific spot for an NFL team despite some of the rhetoric you'll read on this board. And despite this negatively slanted report that appeared a few days ago. Still though it seems to me that a stadium built out on I35 would have a better chance of attracting Austinites than the Alamodome on any given Sunday.

Not that San Antonio couldn't support a franchise itself, it could. But if the future aim of the league is to encompass Austin into a regional NFL market, placing another stadium along the I35 corridor would help to accomplish that. How a multi-million dollar Dome renovation or new stadium would be financed is another issue.

All of this could take place of course. It's simply a matter of convincing a current owner to move his team to San Antonio sometime soon. And given the stadium situations currently facing numerous owners, a relocation to San Antonio is not out of the realm of possibility.