The Rams return to Los Angeles?

[bing101]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-0105-nfl-la-stadium-20150105-story.html#page=1


This is crazy after 21 years and 2 super bowl appearances  the Rams group want to have a stadium in the Los Angeles  basin.

[nexus73]

At least the article reads like Someone With Real Money will be doing it on his own dime.  Can't argue with that!

Rick

[OCGuy81]

I'm not so sure the NFL owners want a team in LA.  Why?  It's a constant bartering chip for them in their respective cities.

"Build me a new stadium or I'll move (insert team here) to the 2nd largest media market!"

But if it happens, the Rams would be a good choice.  Already in the NFC West, so you wouldn't have to re-align the divisions.

[KEVIN_224]

what the article didn't mention is if transit to the area is adequate. I've heard about the lack of it for the Cowboys' stadium in Arlington, TX.

[nexus73]

what the article didn't mention is if transit to the area is adequate. I've heard about the lack of it for the Cowboys' stadium in Arlington, TX.

Here is what a friend of mine had to say:

I read something about the possible new Ram's stadium on the Hollywood Park property in another paper. I have trouble with the LA Times as I run out of allowable articles all too quickly. The Slimes covered it well. I know that property pretty well though never went to the races at Hollywood Park. I went to many events at the Forum which is on an adjoining property and often to the airport which is just down the road. I can see that as a great stadium site working in conjunction with the Forum, the new Crenshaw to LAX rapid transit line with two stops in Inglewood, the airport and the fact Inglewood is coming back from its bad years.

Rick

[texaskdog]

I'm not so sure the NFL owners want a team in LA.  Why?  It's a constant bartering chip for them in their respective cities.

"Build me a new stadium or I'll move (insert team here) to the 2nd largest media market!"

But if it happens, the Rams would be a good choice.  Already in the NFC West, so you wouldn't have to re-align the divisions.

Since when does the NFL geographically realign?  Atlanta was in that division for years.

[exit322]

I'm not so sure the NFL owners want a team in LA.  Why?  It's a constant bartering chip for them in their respective cities.

"Build me a new stadium or I'll move (insert team here) to the 2nd largest media market!"

But if it happens, the Rams would be a good choice.  Already in the NFC West, so you wouldn't have to re-align the divisions.

Since when does the NFL geographically realign?  Atlanta was in that division for years.

When they went to 4x8, they "mostly" geographically realigned.

[OCGuy81]

When they went to 4x8, they "mostly" geographically realigned.

True.  Still not sure why Dallas is in the NFC EAST.  It'd make more sense to have them in the south, and maybe put Carolina in the East, but I guess I'm nitpicking.

[DTComposer]

what the article didn't mention is if transit to the area is adequate. I've heard about the lack of it for the Cowboys' stadium in Arlington, TX.

Here is what a friend of mine had to say:

I read something about the possible new Ram's stadium on the Hollywood Park property in another paper. I have trouble with the LA Times as I run out of allowable articles all too quickly. The Slimes covered it well. I know that property pretty well though never went to the races at Hollywood Park. I went to many events at the Forum which is on an adjoining property and often to the airport which is just down the road. I can see that as a great stadium site working in conjunction with the Forum, the new Crenshaw to LAX rapid transit line with two stops in Inglewood, the airport and the fact Inglewood is coming back from its bad years.

Rick

The Crenshaw line as planned won't have any stations within a mile of the site. It's just like the stations near LAX - close enough for them to say they'll be serving the facility, but not actually close enough to make it a truly viable alternative to driving.

Moreover, that section of I-405 as already chronically congested even with the recent widening projects, so access from the Valley, Long Beach, South Orange County, etc. will be iffy at best.

Access from Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Fairfax will all be long slogs on surface streets. Access from Downtown (and beyond, like Pasadena, Glendale) is not much better.

[Pete from Boston]

When they went to 4x8, they "mostly" geographically realigned.

True.  Still not sure why Dallas is in the NFC EAST.  It'd make more sense to have them in the south, and maybe put Carolina in the East, but I guess I'm nitpicking.

Marketable rivalries and all that. 

[texaskdog]

Dallas vs Houston, Denver, and Arizona is not marketable?

[Pete from Boston]

Dallas vs Houston, Denver, and Arizona is not marketable?

I don't know, maybe it's because the Cowboys are really hated by the fans of every other team in the division, all of whom play in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, making all their divisional games a big sell.  Sure, they could try rebuilding that excitement in another division, but just to make the map nicer or save on airfare? 

[bing101]

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/local-columnists/article5457963.html


http://www.ksdk.com/story/sports/2015/01/05/stan-kroenke-build-la-stadium-piper/21277111/


The Fight ain't over yet Saint Louis is attempting to put a stadium deal in the area.


http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-st-louis-rams-trademark-los-angeles-20150105-story.html






The investor Group of the Rams in Saint Louis still owns the LA Rams Brand.

[swbrotha100]

Funny that Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans were all in the NFC West before the 2002 realignment. Other than Arizona, I don't think too many NFL owners had much of an issue keeping Dallas in the NFC East to preserve old rivalries with Philadelphia, Washington and the New York Giants.

Eventually the NFL will have one, and possibly two teams (an AFC team and NFC team) back in the LA market.

[jp the roadgeek]

Dallas vs Houston, Denver, and Arizona is not marketable?

I don't know, maybe it's because the Cowboys are really hated by the fans of every other team in the division, all of whom play in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, making all their divisional games a big sell.  Sure, they could try rebuilding that excitement in another division, but just to make the map nicer or save on airfare?

This would mean throwing out the AFC and NFC and realigning geographically.

[texaskdog]

Dallas vs Houston, Denver, and Arizona is not marketable?

I don't know, maybe it's because the Cowboys are really hated by the fans of every other team in the division, all of whom play in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, making all their divisional games a big sell.  Sure, they could try rebuilding that excitement in another division, but just to make the map nicer or save on airfare?

This would mean throwing out the AFC and NFC and realigning geographically.

We can only hope!

Why not just have one team in LA that everyone can rally around?  Last time they had two then they had none for 20 years.

[texaskdog]

Dallas vs Houston, Denver, and Arizona is not marketable?

I don't know, maybe it's because the Cowboys are really hated by the fans of every other team in the division, all of whom play in some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, making all their divisional games a big sell.  Sure, they could try rebuilding that excitement in another division, but just to make the map nicer or save on airfare? 

I'm sure everyone else can hate them too.  This is a league so cheap they put up nets to save money on footballs.

[Alex]

Why not just have one team in LA that everyone can rally around?  Last time they had two then they had none for 20 years.

I also don't get while Los Angeles has to go from zero to two teams. One should be sufficient enough. Further more, I dislike team relocations and would rather see them awarded an expansion franchise.

[1995hoo]

Why not just have one team in LA that everyone can rally around?  Last time they had two then they had none for 20 years.

I also don't get while Los Angeles has to go from zero to two teams. One should be sufficient enough. Further more, I dislike team relocations and would rather see them awarded an expansion franchise.

It also bears noting that both times Los Angeles has had two teams, it hasn't ended well. The AFL put the Chargers in Los Angeles for the first season and the city couldn't support two teams, so the Chargers moved south to San Diego. The saga of the Raiders and Rams ended with both franchises leaving. Even recognizing the area has probably grown over the past 20 years, the area was already huge in 1994 (the final year of the Rams/Raiders era), so I don't see how it makes sense to put two teams there right from the start now. Put one team in Los Angeles and let it built up a fanbase and get established, and then if the demand is there consider allowing another team into the area.

[Zeffy]

Why not just have one team in LA that everyone can rally around?  Last time they had two then they had none for 20 years.

I also don't get while Los Angeles has to go from zero to two teams. One should be sufficient enough. Further more, I dislike team relocations and would rather see them awarded an expansion franchise.

If LA gets a team, that would put the total to 4 California teams - "Rams", Raiders, 49ers and the Chargers.

[Pete from Boston]

Why not just have one team in LA that everyone can rally around?  Last time they had two then they had none for 20 years.

I also don't get while Los Angeles has to go from zero to two teams. One should be sufficient enough. Further more, I dislike team relocations and would rather see them awarded an expansion franchise.

If LA gets a team, that would put the total to 4 California teams - "Rams", Raiders, 49ers and the Chargers.

California also has five baseball teams, four basketball teams, at least three hockey teams... what's your point? 

[texaskdog]

FUnny thing is the whole Raider fan base appears to be in LA from a graph I saw.  Then they won't have any base.  I don't think the fanbases really overlap/travel much etc.  I think 2 teams in the bay is 1 two many, LA COULD support two but why? 

Also on the rivalries, I think in 100 years the NFL will play each divisional opponent once.  Sounds crazy but college rivalries are just as heated with one game per year but the teams (generally) are closer together and I think the game becomes much bigger because of it.

[spooky]

Also on the rivalries, I think in 100 years the NFL will play each divisional opponent once.  Sounds crazy but college rivalries are just as heated with one game per year but the teams (generally) are closer together and I think the game becomes much bigger because of it.

I can't see this happening. Think about the boost that the have-nots get when the top team in their division comes to town. If you're the Bills, do you want to host the Patriots only every other year so you can play home games against teams that you don't have any real rivalry with?

[texaskdog]

Also on the rivalries, I think in 100 years the NFL will play each divisional opponent once.  Sounds crazy but college rivalries are just as heated with one game per year but the teams (generally) are closer together and I think the game becomes much bigger because of it.

I can't see this happening. Think about the boost that the have-nots get when the top team in their division comes to town. If you're the Bills, do you want to host the Patriots only every other year so you can play home games against teams that you don't have any real rivalry with?

They could go the other route and split back into two conferences that don't play each other.  With two conferences of 18 you can play your divisional opponents twice and then the other division alternate years, otherwise they'd have to play each other division every 5 years

[Henry]

IIRC, these are the longest waits in the other three sports leagues within the last 50 years:

MLB: Washington, DC, 34 years (Senators left in 1971, Nationals arrived in 2005)
NBA: Minneapolis, 29 years (Lakers left in 1960, Timberwolves arrived in 1989)
NHL: Atlanta, 19 years (Flames left in 1980, Thrashers arrived in 1999)

And of these three cities, only Atlanta lost its second team (which is now known as the second Winnipeg Jets).