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In another thread people have been sorta talking about this, which reminded me I was thinking of starting a thread about it.
A few weeks ago I lifted my self-imposed ban on BSPN to watch a film the rapper/actor Ice Cube made about the Raiders' L.A. years titled Straight Outta L.A.. Towards the end, Al Davis says flat out that there was a deal for a stadium in Hollywood Park, but he turned it down and moved back to Oakland solely because the league wanted him to share the stadium with another team and he refused. Instead he moved back to Oakland because they promised him a new stadium... which he still doesn't have 15 years later. I know it's redundant to say so, but Al has got to be the biggest tool in modern pro sports today.
I've heard that there are a lot of executive-types who want the Raiders back in L.A., but aren't willing to even discuss it until Al kicks off because they found him absolutely impossible to work with.
And then there's the whole issue of whether the league should even try to put a team in L.A. because they only seem interested in teams that can win championships, and with the NFL's system of parity it's doubtful the L.A. team will be a consistent winner. (And yet the Clippers have been in said city for decades... )
Who knows?!
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I'm 32 and didn't really get into football until I was 13 (which was when I became a Pats fan, also). I vaguely remember the Raiders in LA, and the only thing that ever comes to mind is the stadium they played in being hardly full and the people that were there always struck me as disinterested. I know LA is a "big market", but the NFL has been just fine without a team there for this long. Why the big push, especially if people are going to treat it like a Lakers game and not show up until the 2nd quarter, only be interested in championship teams, ect.
I'm 32 and didn't really get into football until I was 13 (which was when I became a Pats fan, also). I vaguely remember the Raiders in LA, and the only thing that ever comes to mind is the stadium they played in being hardly full and the people that were there always struck me as disinterested. I know LA is a "big market", but the NFL has been just fine without a team there for this long. Why the big push, especially if people are going to treat it like a Lakers game and not show up until the 2nd quarter, only be interested in championship teams, ect.
The LA fans were good fans. I don't know why people bag on them. There were so many of them that of course the stadium was full.
Al Davis and Georgia Frontiere moved their teams because they were given sweetheart stadium deals with Oakland and St. Louis. when you look at revenues generated, the only extra that comes from being located in a big market is trademark income from selling jerseys and hats. Otherwise, it's the NFL as a whole that profits from the LA big market, and not the individual teams.
Beyond trademark income, the big item for owners is stadium revenue. That's the entire game for them. And this is why LA lost its teams, not because of indifferent fans. Some can argue that fans were indifferent and therefore allowed their politicians to dither in buckling to NFL billionaires, but that argument holds no water for me since I don't want my county or municipality paying for stadiums that make owners rich, and as a fan I'm more than willing to sit in 15 degree windy weather in an old open air stadium. Just fine by me. I don't need other amenities.
For me, the bankrupt culture of professional sports came to a head when Minnesota politicians crossed a bridge on the way to the groundbreaking of a taxpayer funded stadium a few years ago. Fifteen minutes later, that bridge fell and people plunged to their deaths. So, you have money for a stadium, but no money for a bridge, when engineers are telling you it's about to collapse.
A NFL franchise will fold long before the owners allow it to move to LA.
Or, otherwise, the NFL will force the owner to buy into LA. The other owners are not simply going to allow Jacksonville to move to LA for free. Weaver will maybe get $700 million to fold up his franchise, but if he wants to move to LA instead, he better be willing to pay another $700 million minimum.
Al Davis and Georgia Frontiere moved their teams because they were given sweetheart stadium deals with Oakland and St. Louis. when you look at revenues generated, the only extra that comes from being located in a big market is trademark income from selling jerseys and hats. Otherwise, it's the NFL as a whole that profits from the LA big market, and not the individual teams.
Actually in the case of the Raiders, the popularity of the trademark was one of the things that helped do them in. Because the members of the rap group N.W.A. were Raiders fans, they wore Raider hats and gear, which in turn led to Raiders gear being seen as a gang symbol, so a lot of people were afraid to wear it. And in the last few years the Raiders were in L.A., stadium attendance dwindled because there was a perception that the stands were full of gang members.
When I was in high school a friend of mine went to the Mall of America (which is in Minnesota, mind you) wearing a Raiders shirt. He claimed that there were a bunch of gang-banger types who started following him all over the mall until he went into a bathroom and switched his shirt inside-out. After that they went away.
But to point back to your original point, I think you're right about one thing. While it would be good for the league as a whole to have a team in L.A., the owner of that team would have a tough time of it.
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The only reason why there isn't a football team in L.A. is because they still don't have a plan for a new stadium and where to put it. If you remember, this was the sole reason why they didn't receive the expansion franchise in '99. L.A. fans (including myself) and the media really wanted in a team back in '99 but the desire burned out when we realized it wasn't going to happen.
But 11 years later, rumors are starting to float around that an existing franchise may move to L.A.. Like I said in an earlier thread, the best team to move to L.A. would be the Chargers.
Last edited by HEY BRO! WHAT UP?; 06-03-2010 at 10:48 AM..
The only reason why there isn't a football team in L.A. is because they still don't have a plan for a new stadium and where to put it. If you remember, this was the sole reason why they didn't receive the expansion franchise in '99.
You got that right. The league tried giving them more time, just like they did when they were trying to get the expansion team in Jacksonville in the early '90s, even though Baltimore was the far better candidate. This time, however, the delays didn't help.
I'm sure the league would have loved having those guys as owners too, since they probably wouldn't know what they were getting into.
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The only reason why there isn't a football team in L.A. is because they still don't have a plan for a new stadium and where to put it. If you remember, this was the sole reason why they didn't receive the expansion franchise in '99. L.A. fans (including myself) and the media really wanted in a team back in '99 but the desire burned out when we realized it wasn't going to happen.
But 11 years later, rumors are starting to float around that an existing franchise may move to L.A.. Like I said in an earlier thread, the best team to move to L.A. would be the Chargers.
Actually, they do have a plan for a stadium and Gov. Schwartenegger has approved funding if an NFL team commits to moving to Los Angeles. The problem is getting a team to move. With stadium leases on publically built stadiums, it isn't as easy to leave as it has been in the past. That has been the biggest hold up.
Actually in the case of the Raiders, the popularity of the trademark was one of the things that helped do them in. Because the members of the rap group N.W.A. were Raiders fans, they wore Raider hats and gear, which in turn led to Raiders gear being seen as a gang symbol, so a lot of people were afraid to wear it. And in the last few years the Raiders were in L.A., stadium attendance dwindled because there was a perception that the stands were full of gang members.
This could be why I am remembering the stadium being empty douring thier games.
Actually, they do have a plan for a stadium and Gov. Schwartenegger has approved funding if an NFL team commits to moving to Los Angeles. The problem is getting a team to move. With stadium leases on publically built stadiums, it isn't as easy to leave as it has been in the past. That has been the biggest hold up.
OT: The NFL in L.A.
I know it's redundant to say so, but Al has got to be the biggest tool in modern pro sports today.
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