Top 5 football teams to go to LA

[newdusk]

Which team will take the leap of screwing over their fan base?

1)Buffalo Bills
They are already teasing Toronto and you have a small loyal working class market.. Perfect for gut wrenching heartbreak

2)Jacksonville Jags, They did just build a new stadium I believe so this is probably more of a long shot.

3)Carolina Panthers. When their team is doing bad they have a hard time drawing a crowd.

4)St Louis Rams Bad team looking for new owners

5) Seattle... because owners love screwing fans and their new stadium is not new enough


I think its defiantly Buffalo

[Donoghus]

5) Seattle... because owners love screwing fans and their new stadium is not new enough

This one makes absolutely no sense. Not new enough? Qwest Field opened in '02 and they have currently have a pretty significant sell-out streak going.  They have one of the most rapid fanbases around (consider the fact the organization retired #12 in honor the fans being the 12th man) and the stadium is often considered the loudest in the NFL.

Paul Allen is probably also the richest owner in the NFL.  He's not screwsing over that city.

[newdusk]

5) Seattle... because owners love screwing fans and their new stadium is not new enough

This one makes absolutely no sense. Not new enough? Qwest Field opened in '02 and they have currently have a pretty significant sell-out streak going.  They have one of the most rapid fanbases around (consider the fact the organization retired #12 in honor the fans being the 12th man) and the stadium is often considered the loudest in the NFL.

Paul Allen is probably also the richest owner in the NFL.  He's not screwsing over that city.

I know I couldn't think of a 5th team and I just felt bad about Sonics fans.

[Donoghus]

To me, the most likely contenders, if any would be:

Oakland since their lease in Oakland expires next year and they've been taking a financial hit there.

San Diego if they can't come to an agreement on a new stadium.  The owners have an opt-out clause with their lease.  

Rams.  Another team with an upcoming ability to get out of their lease although Sports Illustrated stated that the NFL wants the Rams to stay there.

[Donoghus]

I'd also throw the Vikings in the mix due to new stadium concerns.

[newdusk]

Doesn't Oakland still have good attendance? I could see them coming back to LA though good call.

[nickagneta]

Has to be either Oakland, Buffalo or St Louis as all three have expiring or opt out deals in their leases, all are amongst the lowest in overall attendance and all are amongst the lowest in percentage of capacity.

Here's the problem though and I think the owners of these teams know this. There is not a rabid professional football base in LA. There is not a new stadium in LA conducive to drawing the profit making corporate boxes or seating that owners so desire. There is no desire of the state of California to pitch in the creation of new stadiums nor is there a desire in the city of Los Angeles to do so either.

The NFL might be looking to put a team in the second largest market in the nation but that market is going to push any team that goes there into a lot of red ink eventually. There's a reason the Rams and Raiders bolted LA. It's a college football town and not a professional football town. It would be like throwing a team in Gainesville or Lincoln or Tuscaloosa. Forget the size of LA, when it comes to football, they care about USC and UCLA and the Rose Bowl. That city could care less about professional football.

[Eja117]

I just don't buy that there won't or can't be a team in LA. There used to be two. It's the 2nd biggest market in the US. Yes they have USC and UCLA, but they play on Saturday and it's kind of a different market. The Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes have always coexisted, and to a lesser extent so has LSU, Tulane, and the Saints.  So did about 35 football teams in Texas ranging from Texas, Texas AM, the Oilers, the Texans, Cowboys, TCU, SMU, Houston, Baylor, Texas Tech etc. 

There are smaller markets like San Fran with two teams, and way smaller markets with one.  I just can't see how there's no LA team. Even the Clippers make money there.