[Lefty Noob]

Once again, the NFL seems hell-bent on putting a football team in L.A.

Orlando, Fla. // NFL owners, attending their annual meeting, continue to study placing a franchise in the Los Angeles area and yesterday doubled the size of their L.A. stadium working group to 11 members, plus commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Los Angeles, which has not had an NFL team since the Rams left for St. Louis after the 1994 season, first needs to come up with a suitable stadium.

Efforts center on renovating the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum or new construction in Anaheim, Calif. In both cases, costs reportedly are projected in the $700 million to $800 million range.

"I think it shows the seriousness of the league in trying to bring this thing to some kind of decision," Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said of the larger study group. "I think the league would like to be in Los Angeles and it's trying to figure out a way to do it."

Still unclear is when a new team could be in Los Angeles and whether it would come from relocation or expansion. Tagliabue said this week that he expected groups representing the two stadium proposals to give presentations in the next month or so.

Source: Bill Ordine, Baltimore Sun

Personally, I think this is a terrible idea. How many chances is L.A. going to get? How many times do they have to fail to support a team before the NFL learns to stay the hell away from the apathetic football market?

[Wizard of Os]

Move the Cardinals!

Ease the suffering of Phoenix fans, give them a new team and let Tinseltown have a pigskin version of the Clippers (oops, they're in the playoffs this year, aren't they...?).

And everybody's happy...

Cheers.

[Lefty Noob]

Then where do you move the Cards too in 5 years, when the franchise is bleeding money due to horrid attendance and lack of merchandise sales in the gridiron graveyard that is Los Angeles? Please, NFL, keep the game out of L.A.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Total side note on this Orlando meetings...had a freind run into Tony Dungy out by a Disney Hotel.

He also said that during football season Lou Holtz eats Diner at the Friday's by Orlando International Airport with his wife (on fridays) before hoping a flight for his gig at ESPN...

That's my cleberity watch for today...

[desertrat]

Originally Posted by Wizard of Os

Move the Cardinals!

Ease the suffering of Phoenix fans, give them a new team and let Tinseltown have a pigskin version of the Clippers (oops, they're in the playoffs this year, aren't they...?).

And everybody's happy...

Cheers.

Cards aren't going anywhere. They are completing a new state of the art sdtadium that they begin play in this season. This is why they made the big signing to get Edge to come here. They want to fill that new stadium.

it would be great to put a team in la again

[TarSaint76]

Didn't the Rams move because LA couldn't give a large, supporting fan base?

[bresilhac]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Once again, the NFL seems hell-bent on putting a football team in L.A.



Source: Bill Ordine, Baltimore Sun

Personally, I think this is a terrible idea. How many chances is L.A. going to get? How many times do they have to fail to support a team before the NFL learns to stay the hell away from the apathetic football market?

I agree. The last thing the NFL should be doing is focusing on putting yet another team in a market that clearly has demonstrated that it will not support a team. If it weren't for the fact that in excess of 12 million souls live in Los Angeles the league wouldn't even be giving that town a second thought. A better alternative would be to place a team in San Antonio. Long known for its great support of the Spurs, San Antonio is also a terrific football town. Only in the last few years however has the city grown to the size where it can comfortably support an NFL team. But make no mistake, that time has arrived. At nearly two million people San Antonio would have no problems filling a stadium 8 or 10 times a year for a football team. Add to that the booming city of Austin only 70 miles to the northeast and you have a prime NFL market. In fact if you combined the cities they would rank as the seventh largest TV market in the country.

I believe the city has done enough to demonstrate that it has what it takes to support an NFL team. And now that Tagliabue is gone we can hope that the new commissioner has a fresh prospective on the city and South Texas as a viable NFL region.

One of these scenarios will take place within 5 years imo. One, the Saints will relocate to San Antonio as almost happened last year. Two, the Chargers will move here because of stadium issues in San Diego. Three another as yet to be determined team will move to San Antonio. Or four, the league will award an expansion team to South Texas. One thing's for sure, the market for teams is dynamic and the teams will go where they are wanted. Luckily we have a mayor and county commissioner who are being aggressive in making the dream of NFL in San Antonio a reality sooner rather than later.

[EmpireWF]

Without thinking about LA specifically or anything of that market...there is no way the NFL should even be thinking about expansion. 30 teams is probably too much as it is. There's a reason why the play in the league is pretty poor compared to years ago...too many jobs available. So you have teams signing guys who otherwise would still be playing independently or in Canada or just not playing football.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

Without thinking about LA specifically or anything of that market...there is no way the NFL should even be thinking about expansion. 30 teams is probably too much as it is. There's a reason why the play in the league is pretty poor compared to years ago...too many jobs available. So you have teams signing guys who otherwise would still be playing independently or in Canada or just not playing football.

i agree

but, if there had to ba another team or a team was to move.....i think Mexico City would be a great location

they always have like 100,000 fans for games and thats usually only preseason

[kenman923]

They already have the teams even at 32. To keep that same evenness, they will have to add seven other teams besides L.A. Who else will they add? I could think of some cities as possibilities:

Portland, OR
San Antonio, TX
Santa Fe, NM
Orlando, FL
Oklahoma City, OK
Boise, ID
Cheyenne, WY
Memphis, TN
Birmingham, AL

[MJHMarc]

ESPN.com - MLB/HOTSTOVE06 - Rogers: Portland could be a prized relocation spot

Portland is for the MLB.

Send the Rams back to LA!

[shambala14]

Santa Fe doesn't have enough people living there to fill a stadium, much less afford tickets. The stadium would be by far the largest building there. No NFL interest in Boise. No people in Wyoming, period. Orlando already has to fairly nearby teams to cheer for.

[JYRN]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have an NFL Team in Toronto right?

[bresilhac]

Originally Posted by shambala14

Santa Fe doesn't have enough people living there to fill a stadium, much less afford tickets. The stadium would be by far the largest building there. No NFL interest in Boise. No people in Wyoming, period. Orlando already has to fairly nearby teams to cheer for.

I think that poster was being sarcastic to suggest that Boise, ID or Santa Fe, NM could have an NFL team. Putting NFL teams in those places other than San Antonio or Portland would be absurd. Kind of like thinking that the streets of DC would be safer if the Bullets were renamed the Wizards. Oh yeah, and Manassas is pretty dumpy too. I used to live in nearby Reston.