Who do you think is the most likely team to end up playing in (or around) Los Angeles? I'm voting for San Diego. Minnesota was a pretty likely candidate, but it seems like they've made pretty good headway toward a new stadium. The Rams moving seems kind of out of the blue. No one cares about the Raiders. They could move back and no one would notice that they even left...in Oakland or LA. Jacksonville would have to be considered a serious candidate. You have to wonder what that would do to the alignment of the divisions, though. Having Indy, Tenn, Houston and Los Angeles doesn't seem to make much sense...but it would be good for the three teams not in LA as they'd get exposure due to the size of the market and likely more national tv time.
But how affected would SD's fan base really be? It's a 2 hour drive and would likely grow their fan base. There's been nothing that appears like they'd get a badly needed new stadium any time in the near future...unless they go out of the county.
Jacksonville and Buffalo. Farmers pays 1 billion for the naming rights if 2 teams move to L.A. instead of the 700 and something million for 1 team. And 2 teams gives fans twice the football and could create a rivalry between two mediocre teams on the rise. Yes, I think the Bills will get better if they move to L.A.
In terms of percentage of the stadium filled at each home games, Oakland ranks dead last at 73.7% Once Davis kicks the bucket, I wouldn't be shocked if they left. (they were last in 2009, and bottom 5 pretty much consistently before that)
You think I don't know that? He wants them out of Oakland, but he won't go back to LA after what happened last time. Davis only went back there to stick it to LA, then he realized the promises made by Oakland were total BS and there was no way they could keep that stadium filled, the PSLs were a disaster, and attendance dive-bombed after 2003. So he sues their asses, boom! Al the master of litigation. The stadium is old, they'll keep pushing for a new one until they don't get it and then they threaten to move the team. Then they'll either get it or relocate.
When you act as if the Raiders have this huge national following... Just saying typically teams that have a large fan base don't have trouble filling their own stadium.
I can't see the Bills move to Toronto, but I understand why. If Toronto was an American city, it would be the fourth largest. Toronto doesn't have a stadium either. I know they have Rogers Centre and all. But it's kinda old, and it would be one of those multipurpose stadiums that everyone hates. Two teams could move to the LA area. One would have a team in the City of Industry, and the other owned by AEG in downtown LA. It would be next to the Staples Center and Convention center. ESPN.com had some picture rendering of it. It would be a retractable roof so they can host basketball. I'm sure the furthest west the NCAA can go is Glendale, Arizona. They used to go to Seattle. In order of most likely to move, I see Jacksonville, St. Louis, Buffalo, Minnesota, Oakland, San Diego. I picked St Louis as the second most likely because I think they want it back on the west coast. Or at west of the Rockies.
They do have a pretty large national following actually. When they go play in Arizona there are usually more Raider fans there than Cardinal fans. They retained a large portion of the LA market despite moving. Before the ****hole years, they were still ranking #1 consistently in merchandising (thank you gangbangers). Oakland is ghetto and the stadium sucks.
Teams mentioned were Oakland, St Louis.. reminds of a song <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OOs6qNJevvE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
SD and Minny, I agree too. I almost think Buffalo might be spared, if Kelly is able to have some say and find someone of his liken to buy the team. They'll improve. Jacksonville is obvious. Oakland is obvious, too. One outside chance is the Atlanta Falcons, fair-weather fans; owner is already looking for a new stadium; talented roster; bigger market open; and etc. I'm surprised no one has made a push for that, because LA would already have a powerhouse/playoff team after one year with franchise QB and pretty structured team. IF I were an LA official, they would at least be on my radar. After the Raiders and Chargers. I bet Atlanta losing the Falcons wouldn't be as tragic nationally or even in this city, as it would be with Minny losing the Vikings; Buffalo losing the Bills (that's sort of the heart as far professional franchises go for that city); or Oakland losing the Raiders again or the Chargers heading up I-5. It's weird that if you look at the games in Georgia Dome, it's common to see a big proportion of fans from the opposing team (Green Bay; Dallas; Chicago; New York teams; Pittsburgh; and few more odd teams). That's saying something.
With Dallas, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Green Bay, you're always going to see a good amount of fans at opposing stadiums. They're teams that have always had a national following. You can't use games they play in a given stadium as a reason why the home team has a poor following. Now, if the Panthers are playing in your stadium and Panther fans outnumber your fans, then you have a problem.
