It was pretty big news the last couple of days around LA. Still couldn't get the sense that anyone outside of the people reporting it gave a crap. I think LA should have a team. It still seems strange that the 2nd larges metro area in the country doesn't have a team in the most popular league. Though, that does speak to the popularity of the NFL. They don't need LA, but it would be better with a team there.
It's mind-boggling that LA doesn't have a team, and it's almost equally ridiculous when people claim that LA didn't care about their team and still don't deserve one. Using that logic, you could've said the same thing about us after the Oilers left! The fact is, their owner (some gold digger from St. Louis) was, if it's even possible, worse than Bud Adams:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Battle for Los Angeles: Rams, Raiders jockey for return to SoCal <a href="http://t.co/8sAuYIUWGy">http://t.co/8sAuYIUWGy</a></p>— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/statuses/447040608470065152">March 21, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Rams were in LA for 50 years and the Raiders did well there. Not sure what you are basing that on.
http://fansided.com/2012/08/20/when-los-angeles-gets-an-nfl-team-someone-will-lose/#!APO5f http://losangelesrams.org/about/statistics/attendance.html http://www.statista.com/statistics/...e-attendance-of-the-st-louis-rams-since-2006/ Though, let's be honest attendance numbers... are somewhat irrelevant to the real selling point, which is the TV deal. Realistically, a team could move to LA, it may never rank in the top 10 for attendance...it wouldn't necessarily mean its a failure for the franchise or league. http://nesn.com/2013/11/report-nfl-...les-will-decide-which-team-can-move-and-when/
They were a bad team in those last few years. The numbers aren't a surprise. That was before the NFL was the most popular sport and teams could sell out no matter what.
1. As far as pro teams go, you are right...it always been a city where the Lakers and Dodgers are a hotter ticket in town. 2. USC is always going to be the most important "football" team in SO-Cal, by far. Maybe, the most important team in general of that area. 3. The NFL wants to mandate who will be allowed to go there, which means it will likely be an expansion team or a team that is fairly competitive and intriguing. Jacksonville actually has good attendance considering the success (lack of) of the team. Raiders and Rams have already shown they aren't really compelling teams. The Chargers actually make the most sense.
Cardinals are the oldest and a bottom 5 all-time franchise in the NFL. They're a Bidwill family asset, nobody misses them and they might actually switch cities again in the next 30 years.
The financial landscape for the NFL has changed significantly since the teams left LA. Before, teams were largely dependent on stadium revenue... thus all the owners moving to smaller markets willing to build new stadiums (or renovate existing ones) like Nashville, St. Louis, Oakland... and owners approving expansion teams to Jacksonville and Charlotte. Now, the TV money is the biggest component... and that money would go up significantly by having a team in LA. That's really all that needs to be said on this issue. A team can "survive" there in today's landscape, much more-so than Jacksonville (who closes a quarter of the upper deck to make it it easier to sell-out), and Nashville. Especially if they build a new stadium in downtown LA. The coliseum was a dump in a bad neighborhood, and Anaheim wasn't the most convenient stadium for most of the city to get to.
Any city/area that can strongly support TWO teams has to be considered a great market for said sport.
I cannot prove it, but I strongly suspect that within a decade of an NFL team being in LA, it would be on par or above the Lakers and Dodgers. The NFL is just insanely popular.
Most definitely. If Houston (as fair-weather a city as there is) can continue to support a team with far more disappointments than successes (the Texans are as popular as ever down here)... LA will have no problem getting behind a team.
WHAT! There will never be contraction in the NFL. San Antonio would likely build a stadium if they can get past Jerry Jones. There is also London which will get a team in the next 5 years.
Out of the gate the San Antonio franchise would be the fifth popular team in that city, even barring that the radio revenue would be atrocious. And if trans-Atlantic sports leagues were possible soccer would have done it already. Diplomatic, logistical, bureaucratic and financing nightmare, especially considering most other nations' county governments usually can't secure nine-figure bonds for non-soccer stadiums that they'll re-gift to foreign companies interest-free; on some of the most expensive real estate in the world, no less.
