Thread: Los Angeles Mayor claims NFL's return to the city is 'highly likely' next year

The city recently granted AEG — owners of both the Los Angeles Kings and the Staples Center, where the L.A. Lakers and Clippers play their home games — an extension through April to lure a team to the city before potentially breaking ground on a new downtown stadium. The Examiner listed the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams as the NFL's three most likely candidates to relocate.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-sh...153628380.html

Raiders make the most sense to me, 2 teams in the Bay Area doesn't make sense when you consider how many large markets don't have a team. Based on 2010 stats, San Francisco/Oakland metro area has a combined population of 4 million. Excluding LA, there are 5 other teams with a population of at least 2 million.

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 4,115,871
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 2,207,462
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA: 2,109,832
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 2,054,574
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 2,031,445

http://www.iweblists.com/us/populati...alAreaPop.html

There are 3 other cities in the top 32 in population without an NFL team.

Las Vegas-Paradise, NV: 1,865,746
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 1,819,198
Columbus, OH: 1,773,120

So with a total of 9 major metro areas without an NFL team, why does the Bay Area have 2? Therefore, I think the NFL should just move the Raiders back to LA & be done with it once & for all.

Cali doesnt deserve 5 NFL teams. Nor do i believe that they would actually support 5.

49er fans have already abandoned the team this season.

Fickle as they come.

If a team does go to LA, i think Raiders would be the most obvious choice, because they literally have shit floating around in their stadium.

The San Franciscio area doesn't have 4 million. It has 8.5.

Santa Clara already has an NFL team. You should look into it.

Move Oakland to Los Angeles and move Jacksonville to London and suddenly the rest of the league has nowhere to threaten to move teams to if they don't get public money for their new stadium.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

The San Franciscio area doesn't have 4 million. It has 8.5.

The stats I provide are from the 2010, its quite probable that your using more up to date stats. The chart I provide was the most recent one that ranks the cities in order of population. There's also more recent charts from 2013, but those cities are listed alphabetically. Expecting members of this board to sift through that entire list to find the specific cities of note in order to verify my point would be asking way too much.

Originally Posted by FanInAZ

The stats I provide are from the 2010, its quite probable that your using more up to date stats. The chart I provide was the most recent one that ranks the cities in order of population. There's also more recent charts from 2013, but those cities are listed alphabetically. Expecting members of this board to sift through that entire list to find the specific cities of note in order to verify my point would be asking way too much.

You have to use the entire area. The 49ers play in Santa Clara, which is closer to San Jose than San Francisco. Your number didn't include San Jose.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

You have to use the entire area. The 49ers play in Santa Clara, which is closer to San Jose than San Francisco. Your number didn't include San Jose.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is considered a separate Metro area on this list. Nevertheless, your point seems valid to me, but still doesn't justify to me the area having 2 NFL teams.

Originally Posted by FanInAZ

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is considered a separate Metro area on this list. Nevertheless, your point seems valid to me, but still doesn't justify to me the area having 2 NFL teams.

I know the census bureau sets it apart, but it's not geographically separate.

It's three times the population of Denver, so I disagree.

Originally Posted by FanInAZ

but still doesn't justify to me the area having 2 NFL teams.

Oakland was the only city willing to accept Weird Al, that's why. L.A. tried it for a time but even they couldn't stomach him.

Lol @ 4 mill in the bay area stat. I live here....thats not correct at all.

Originally Posted by DenBronx

Lol @ 4 mill in the bay area stat. I live here....thats not correct at all.

MO's stats include the inland metro area of San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara because he says that they are one continuous metro area with Oakland-San Francisco.

Bronx would know better than I, but yes, it's all one giant metro area. Within 30 miles of there there's something like 20 million.

It's also highly likely that said team will be moved again because of a lack of support within a decade.

Originally Posted by Jaded

It's also highly likely that said team will be moved again because of a lack of support within a decade.

And large portions of the country neglected lol. Yeah there are millions more there than rural areas of the country, but rural fans make the best fans. Ask Minnesota

Originally Posted by Jaded

It's also highly likely that said team will be moved again because of a lack of support within a decade.

If the Rams want to gain more fan support, they should try winning more games. Its a well established fact that more wins = more fans in the seats. When perennial losers leave town for more fertile soil, they end up ruining that soil as well.