It's certainly a possibility. Granted, LA's already chock full of pro teams. The Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angels, and Kings all play there, but LA-LA Land is a huge market (see cha-ching) that could surely accommodate an NFL presence. It's always seemed strange that LA hasn't had an NFL team since the Rams moved to St. Louis a couple decades ago.
Three current NFL teams are often mentioned as possibilities to LA. The Rams could go back, as could the now Oakland Raiders, and even the San Diego Chargers have made a little noise about moving north.
A lot of this has to do with the ownership of these franchises wanting shiny new palatial stadiums built for their teams, but the pesky local taxpayers and the politicians that depend on them for re-election have balked at footing the bill. This is totally understandable. Hey, if a billionaire owner wants a new stadium, then why shouldn't he pay for it out of his own pocket and leave the poor beleaguered taxpayers alone? After all, the owner's going to reap in the future profits, not the working stiffs that live in the area. What with parking, exorbitant ticket prices, $10 watered down draft beers, $8 nasty hot dogs, etc., they'll be the ones that have to skip a house payment to attend a game with their spouse and kids. And that's the people who's homes didn't get demolished to make room for the new uber-structure in the first place. There's something very wrong with this picture.
But such owners always pull out the "move" card. "If you won't pay for and build my new stadium, I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll take my team somewhere else", they threaten. Given the fanatical nature of the loyalty NFL fans typically have for their "home" team, many times this gambit works. "Oh please, don't move my team. Take my eldest child, bulldoze my house, and I'll gladly find a second job to pay for the extra taxes. But I beg of you sirs, don't take my football away. Anything but that". And so it goes.
It's also been suggested that a couple of the above-mentioned owners of said franchises might even be collaborating on a new facility in the LA area. They could share it. When one team is home, the other would be on the road. It's been done before. Consider the NY Jets and NY Giants, though while both call themselves New York but played in New Jersey was a fair question.
True to form, Roger Goodell is trying to take control of the situation. The Commish has said the league would consider allowing a team, perhaps even two, to relocate to LA if things worked out just so, and all the other owners approved.
But you know what? Goodell is blowing hot air if he thinks the league or the other owners can prevent such a move if they disapprove.
Look at it this way. If an owner or two goes to all the trouble, regardless of how the finances come together, to build a new stadium in a different city, you can bet your farm that SOME NFL team is going to move and play there as soon as it's ready. Typically, billionaires don't get to be such if they're stupid. They wouldn't jump through all the hoops to get a shiny new palace built somewhere else only to let it sit vacant, whether the Commish and their league partners like it or not. If the structure starts going up -- somebody's moving.
And what, really, is to stop them? Precedents have already been set. Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders moved his team to LA, and eventually back again. Art Modell of the Cleveland Browns caused outrage when he moved them to Baltimore. Robert Irsey created much the same furor when he moved the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis. So the Browns became the Ravens, the Colts stayed the Colts but in a different city, and Cleveland got a new Browns team. This all happened on the whims of billionaires not being satisfied with their situations at the time. Screw the life-long fans, the fat-cats saw a greener pasture and went for it.
The league offices could huff and puff then, like they are now pretending to be in control, but if an owner wants to relocate his team, there's not a damn thing they can do to stop it.
Once a team has moved into a new facility, lock, stock, players, coaches, helmets, pads and cups, it's a done deal. What can the league do? Refuse to acknowledge them and tell other clubs not to play against them? So one owner would get a forfeited win every week, but lose out on countless millions of revenue in the process? Good luck with that. Never happen.
Whether or not an NFL team or two moves to LA in the near future is an open question. It depends on several factors. But Roger the Dodger and all the owners' meetings in the world are helpless to stop a maverick that smells a better deal and decides to go for it. Each owner will do what he damn well feels like doing. To think otherwise is naive.
And you just know how it will play out. Instead of a boycott, the league will reward the owner(s) of the new team(s) in the new stadium a Super Bowl just as soon as they can.
Huff and puff now. Roll over to the inevitable later like it was their plan all along.
Right.
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