San Antonio Raiders?

[Moranis]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/oakland-raiders-owner-talks-to-san-antonio-about-move-232336327.html

Raiders lease is up at the end of the year and their current stadium is a dump. 

[D.o.s.]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

[knuckleballer]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

[D.o.s.]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

Mostly because efforts to relocate a team, any team, haven't gone very well (and the league loves using the threat of L.A. to get public subsidies on stadium renovations), which is why the league is considering footing the bill to build a new stadium there:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-nfl-la-qa-farmer-20140720-story.html

[Donoghus]

I have a sneaking suspicion that San Antonio is simply gonna be used as leverage.

They do have the Alamodome and were fine as a temp home for the Saints, though. 

Oakland Coliseum is probably the worst stadium in the NFL.

[Moranis]

I have a sneaking suspicion that San Antonio is simply gonna be used as leverage.

They do have the Alamodome and were fine as a temp home for the Saints, though. 

Oakland Coliseum is probably the worst stadium in the NFL.

The Raiders have been trying for years for a new stadium with no luck.  I think they will leave if they don't have a new stadium under construction by the end of the year (this is what happened in Cleveland when they went to Baltimore).  Not sure they go to San Antonio, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.  The Alamodome would be fine for a temporary spot, but no way any team goes to San An without a new stadium being built.

[D.o.s.]

I have a sneaking suspicion that San Antonio is simply gonna be used as leverage.

They do have the Alamodome and were fine as a temp home for the Saints, though. 

Oakland Coliseum is probably the worst stadium in the NFL.

Yup -- that's why the Raiders want to tear it down and rebuild it as a football only stadium. Complicated by the fact that the A's just signed a ten year lease there.

The whole situation is fascinating.

[Donoghus]

I have a sneaking suspicion that San Antonio is simply gonna be used as leverage.

They do have the Alamodome and were fine as a temp home for the Saints, though. 

Oakland Coliseum is probably the worst stadium in the NFL.

Yup -- that's why the Raiders want to tear it down and rebuild it as a football only stadium. Complicated by the fact that the A's just signed a ten year lease there.

The whole situation is fascinating.

Yeah, I'm just not sure what the end game will be here.  You know the Raiders & NFL will hang things over the city of Oakland and try and squeeze them for public funding under the threat of moving. 

However, LA is almost better not to have a team and simply as a city that the NFL uses as a threat to other cities to build new stadiums "or else". 

I know the idea was broached about OAK splitting Levi's Stadium with the 49ers until they figure things out. 

[D.o.s.]

That's been roundly 86'd by the owner of the Raiders, though -- remember, Al Davis bailed on L.A. because the Raiders were going to have to share a team if they stayed, and Mark Davis isn't any more excited about the prospect than his father was.

The A's want to move to San Jose, and haven't seriously tried to build their own baseball stadium in Oakland, which is one of the beefs the city has with the MLB team. Also: I don't think the NFL wants to move the Raiders, specifically: they just happen to be the team that's in the midst of a Mexican standoff over a stadium.

And, of course, there's the history of the L.A. Raiders. And you've got to figure that the increased revenue would be attractive to the Davis family.

[BballTim]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

  Relatively apathetic fan base. Plus, if the games don't sell out you have that onerous blackout rule.

[Donoghus]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

  Relatively apathetic fan base. Plus, if the games don't sell out you have that onerous blackout rule.

Well, my guess is this time around the Raiders wouldn't be playing in the oversized LA Coliseum which made the blackouts commonplace and play in a more limited capacity stadium.

[Celtics4ever]

LA fans only care when winning for the most part.   The Raiders have not won in a long time.

[Mr October]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

  Relatively apathetic fan base. Plus, if the games don't sell out you have that onerous blackout rule.

The order of sports interests here in LA are:

Lakers
Dodgers
USC vs UCLA football
International soccer
Pro football - specifically a local team

What other city in America would rate pro football 4th or 5th in the list of sports draws?

Part of that is many football diehards in LA are transplants who are loyal to the cities they are from. I barely hear a peep about the rams raiders or chargers. SF people love their Niners. The Pats, Cowboys, Steelers, Giants also have big fan bases in any of the work places.

Plus in LA, you have so many choices for entertainment. There are stacks of concert venues, a big college rivalry, 2 pro bball teams, 2 pro baseball teams, comedy and improv clubs, the weather, the beach, hollywood parties, clubs and way too many award shows.

[BballTim]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

  Relatively apathetic fan base. Plus, if the games don't sell out you have that onerous blackout rule.

The order of sports interests here in LA are:

Lakers
Dodgers
USC vs UCLA football
International soccer
Pro football - specifically a local team

What other city in America would rate pro football 4th or 5th in the list of sports draws?

Part of that is many football diehards in LA are transplants who are loyal to the cities they are from. I barely hear a peep about the rams raiders or chargers. SF people love their Niners. The Pats, Cowboys, Steelers, Giants also have big fan bases in any of the work places.

Plus in LA, you have so many choices for entertainment. There are stacks of concert venues, a big college rivalry, 2 pro bball teams, 2 pro baseball teams, comedy and improv clubs, the weather, the beach, hollywood parties, clubs and way too many award shows.

  Beyond that, for the Raiders, they draw enough relatively scary fans to games to keep a lot of people away.

[Mr October]

If they go anywhere it's going to be L.A.

I'm still confused why L.A. doesn't have a football team.

  Relatively apathetic fan base. Plus, if the games don't sell out you have that onerous blackout rule.

The order of sports interests here in LA are:

Lakers
Dodgers
USC vs UCLA football
International soccer
Pro football - specifically a local team

What other city in America would rate pro football 4th or 5th in the list of sports draws?

Part of that is many football diehards in LA are transplants who are loyal to the cities they are from. I barely hear a peep about the rams raiders or chargers. SF people love their Niners. The Pats, Cowboys, Steelers, Giants also have big fan bases in any of the work places.

Plus in LA, you have so many choices for entertainment. There are stacks of concert venues, a big college rivalry, 2 pro bball teams, 2 pro baseball teams, comedy and improv clubs, the weather, the beach, hollywood parties, clubs and way too many award shows.

  Beyond that, for the Raiders, they draw enough relatively scary fans to games to keep a lot of people away.

Yeah, a lot of people don't want them here. I agree that there is no need for that nonsense. In the end we are all watching grown men play a game. And the average person who plays these games in everyday life are children.

I haven't heard anything about where the new arena would be built. Location could be key. The Lakers, Clippers, Kings play right in the center of downtown. There is so much action around Staples now that you can have a night of it even when the team is bad. When they were wallowing in lottery land, even the Clippers were selling out or at least near capacity every night at Staples Center.