[bresilhac]

There is no legitimate reason why San Antonio should not have its own NFL team. While Los Angeles is showing a rather disinterested level of enthusiasm toward getting an NFL team, San Antonio and its leaders are doing everything possible to get a franchise to come to town. Mayor Hardberger and others will meet with Commissioner Goodell in a couple of months to discuss San Antonio getting a team sometime in the near future. San Antonio is now big enough and rich enough to have its own team. Of that there is no question. In fact it is puzzling to me how places like Nashville, Jacksonville and Charlotte get to enjoy teams of their own but not San Antonio. All of those places are smaller than San Antonio yet have teams. Also, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Buffalo are all significantly smaller than SA in terms of population yet have their own teams. So that isn’t it. I propose that it has been the fact that the league considers South Central Texas to be apart of the massive Dallas Cowboy TV network. And as such shouldn’t be awarded a team of its own. This may have been true back in 1979 but it shouldn’t preclude the city from having its own team now.

Then there are the Saints. Tom Benson after all was said and done last year was personally convinced that the best thing to do after the disaster in New Orleans would be to relocate the Saints to San Antonio. This deal was very close to going down. And in all business sense should have. But the then commissioner Tagliabue thought it would have been a public relations nightmare to allow the team to move, then. But how about now or next year? New Orleans is hemorrhaging people and jobs, having lost over 200,000 residents who have relocated elsewhere around the country. The area’s economy is a shambles and doesn’t look to improve anytime soon. The team was already considering a move before the storm hit and only stuck around because of a sweet subsidy deal from the state. The point to all this is that San Antonio would be a much better place to have the team in the long run when considered practically. It doesn’t matter if the Saints relocate to San Antonio or not though. I still believe that SA will get its own NFL team within five years by some method.

[EmpireWF]

I dont know the location details but Texas just got a new franchise four years ago. Another one?

[azrael492]

I think if they are going to add another team(s) theyy should go where there are no other franchises. What about going to Alabama or Nebraska. Look at what they do for their college sports. they would never fail to sell out a game.

[EmpireWF]

azrael, you gotta take into account that college factor. Sometimes college athletics do much better in certain towns than pro sports.

[ThePundit]

I think LA needs to get a franchise before anyone else. They're the second largest media market in the country.

[azrael492]

Originally Posted by ThePundit

I think LA needs to get a franchise before anyone else. They're the second largest media market in the country.

They may be the second largest market, but they have already proven twice that they will not support a pro football team. Otherwise, they would not be without one now. They should find an area that is starving for a pro team and give it to them. I am not saying that San Antonio does not deserve one, but does Texas need another team? They should try and find a new market that will support a team.

[bresilhac]

Originally Posted by azrael492

They may be the second largest market, but they have already proven twice that they will not support a pro football team. Otherwise, they would not be without one now. They should find an area that is starving for a pro team and give it to them. I am not saying that San Antonio does not deserve one, but does Texas need another team? They should try and find a new market that will support a team.

California has three teams and so does Florida. So why not Texas? Texas has a larger population than Florida so a third team would work. And as far as being hungry for a team, I guarantee you there is no region hungrier for its own team than San Antonio/South Texas.

[simple simon]

Omaha. The city and its suburbs formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2000, with a population of 807,305 (2005 [1]) residing in eight counties or about 1.2 million within a 50-mile (80 km) radius.
Omaha, Nebraska - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 2005 the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City had a population of 19.23 million
Mexico City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greater Birmingham with 1,170,012 inhabitants constituting roughly one quarter of the state of Alabama's entire population.
Birmingham, Alabama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2005 population of the entire 13-county Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area was 1,422,544
Nashville, Tennessee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

San Antonio is the second-most populous city in the state of Texas after Houston and seventh-most populated in the United States. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a population of over 1.2 million. Its eight-county metropolitan area has a population of over 1.8 million
San Antonio, Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

i didnt bother adding info for LA as they already blew it with 2 NFL teams and dont deserve another shot

i added Nashville just for reference and comparison as i consider them one of the smaller existing NFL markets

i still think Mexico City is a great place for relocation......the one downside may be poverty........cant charge as much for tickets to get a sell-out.......although you may be able to make up for that as i believe you could fill a 120,000 seat stadium in Mexico City.......and probably 90% or more of the population would watch the games on TV....so the commercial rights to the games would be huge......even if it was a rebroadcast

but after checking the population #'s of these cities i agree any of them would be decent candidates for a relocating team.........i would probably give San Antonio the nod right behind Mexico City........because of the love for football at all levels in Texas.....which i believe is greater then in the other states

SA is the 2nd largest city in Texas (after Houston), and SA is the 7th largest city in the nation. So, why not San Antonio?

California's population is 34 million, Florida's population is 16 million, and those states each have 3 NFL teams -- and Texas' population is 24 million, with only 2 NFL teams. So, why not San Antonio?

SA wants the NFL more than the NFL wants SA, and the NFL wants LA more than LA wants the NFL. So, why not San Antonio?

Many people in San Antonio and Austin are sick & tired of the Dallas Cowboys. So, why not San Antonio?

After Hurricane Katrina, when the New Orleans Saints relocated in 2005 to the Alamodome in SA to play the Buffalo Bills, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Detroit Lions -- all three games filled the Alamodome with eager NFL fans. So, why not San Antonio?

With 50+ home games in the NBA, San Antonio has never had a problem filling the Hemishere Arena, the AT&T Center, or the Alamodome for the NBA. And there are only 8 home games in the NFL. So, why not San Antonio?

The nearest college team to SA is UT Austin, which is 80 miles away. And the nearest NFL team to SA is the Houston Texans, which is 200 miles away. That's why SA goes bananas for high school ball and the Dallas Cowboys (and both are about the same). So, why not San Antonio?

[bresilhac]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

SA is the 2nd largest city in Texas (after Houston), and SA is the 7th largest city in the nation. So, why not San Antonio?

California's population is 34 million, Florida's population is 16 million, and those states each have 3 NFL teams -- and Texas' population is 24 million, with only 2 NFL teams. So, why not San Antonio?

SA wants the NFL more than the NFL wants SA, and the NFL wants LA more than LA wants the NFL. So, why not San Antonio?

Many people in San Antonio and Austin are sick & tired of the Dallas Cowboys. So, why not San Antonio?

After Hurricane Katrina, when the New Orleans Saints relocated in 2005 to the Alamodome in SA to play the Buffalo Bills, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Detroit Lions -- all three games filled the Alamodome with eager NFL fans. So, why not San Antonio?

With 50+ home games in the NBA, San Antonio has never had a problem filling the Hemishere Arena, the AT&T Center, or the Alamodome for the NBA. And there are only 8 home games in the NFL. So, why not San Antonio?

The nearest college team to SA is UT Austin, which is 80 miles away. And the nearest NFL team to SA is the Houston Texans, which is 200 miles away. That's why SA goes bananas for high school ball and the Dallas Cowboys (and both are about the same). So, why not San Antonio?

San Antonio should get an NFL team soon for the aforementioned reasons and then some. San Antonio is a one of the great untapped football markets in the United States. I don't mention MC or Toronto because these untapped US markets should be filled before any foreign countries get a team. In these tough economic times the league should make an effort to move into new markets so as to increase revenue for itself and coming to San Antonio would do just that. All of the reasons you cite are good examples as to why SA should be in the league.

But the main reason the NFL places franchises in certain cities is to make money. And San Antonio would be a certain money-maker for the league. From a strictly monetary standpoint a franchise is South Texas would be a smash. When you take into consideration all of the revenue that would be brought in by such a popular new team, a San Antonio franchise seems to be a no-brainer. But the league has already taken notice of San Antonio. The commissioner himself was in San Antonio last October talking about how SA would be a great spot for team. To me its only a matter of time before San Antonians will be able to go to live NFL games in their city.

[gripitnripit713]

Birmingham is relatively close to Atlanta, close enough to where I think it would make a negative impact over time.

Nashville isn't the sports town that would support a second Tennessee-ian NFL team.

Mexico City is definitely intriguing. They tried it in NASCAR and the races went well (as fas as attendance goes), it just cost too much to transport 43 cars over the border for a 4 hour race.

I'm biased I'm sure, but I still think Richmond or Norfolk, Virginia could harbor a sports team. It is a melting pot of military and epi-center of all sorts of huge-market jobs (i.e. shipyards). I'm not basing this off numbers, and I'm too lazy to look them up, but I still think it to be a good idea (as far as untapped markets go).

[bresilhac]

uote=gripitnripit713;363112]Birmingham is relatively close to Atlanta, close enough to where I think it would make a negative impact over time.

Nashville isn't the sports town that would support a second Tennessee-ian NFL team.

Mexico City is definitely intriguing. They tried it in NASCAR and the races went well (as fas as attendance goes), it just cost too much to transport 43 cars over the border for a 4 hour race.

I'm biased I'm sure, but I still think Richmond or Norfolk, Virginia could harbor a sports team. It is a melting pot of military and epi-center of all sorts of huge-market jobs (i.e. shipyards). I'm not basing this off numbers, and I'm too lazy to look them up, but I still think it to be a good idea (as far as untapped markets go).[/quote]

I don't think either Birmingham or Norfolk City are big enough to be able to support a team. Their metro areas aren't even as big as Jacksonville's. And Jacksonville has been having problems filling their stadium. I think for this next go around San Antonio and Los Angeles are the favorites to land teams. Los Angeles because of its sheer size. And San Antonio because of its size and football enthusiasm of the South Texas region.

[Artisan219]

Originally Posted by bresilhac

I don't think either Birmingham or Norfolk City are big enough to be able to support a team. Their metro areas aren't even as big as Jacksonville's.

Actually, Norfolk combines with Virginia Beach and Chesapeake to form a metro about 2 hrs drive from Richmond. But the Virginia Beach-Norfolk metro alone is still more than half a million people larger than Jacksonville.

And Birmingham had an XFL team. They admittedly had the worst record at 2-8, but the fact that the league only went one season makes it hard to gage. I'd look at the stadium sales for those XFL games.