Football (North America: NFL, CFL, Arena Football, minor leagues)

[jakeroot]

There are three reasons no team will ever be in Austin or San Antonio.  These are spelled C O W B O Y S, T E X A N S, and L O N G H O R N S.

NFL can't move into Austin because of a college football team? Isn't there dozens of markets with both?

If there was a state that could do both, we all know it's Texas.

[NWI_Irish96]

There are three reasons no team will ever be in Austin or San Antonio.  These are spelled C O W B O Y S, T E X A N S, and L O N G H O R N S.

NFL can't move into Austin because of a college football team? Isn't there dozens of markets with both?

If there was a state that could do both, we all know it's Texas.

Lot of markets with pro and college teams, but the Cowboys have a lot of fans and Jerry Jones is a powerful owner so I doubt Austin ever gets a team.

I don't know if San Diego has changed its mind about being willing to build a stadium, but that would be an option. St. Louis probably isn't getting a third shot at a team. Toronto would be a strong candidate, and while I think a second team in Chicago is a bad idea, I wouldn't rule out that happening.

[Roadgeekteen]

Doesn't Goodell not like Jerry Jones anymore?

[NWI_Irish96]

Doesn't Goodell not like Jerry Jones anymore?

Commish works for the owners, not the other way around.

Here are some metro areas that might be able to support teams, but would likely get pushback from an existing franchise:

San Francisco - San Jose/Santa Clara is technically a separate metro area but the 49ers are never going to let a team move to SF. NFL should have forced them to give up a claim to SF when they moved to Santa Clara.
Orlando - Too close to Tampa
San Antonio & Austin - Cowboys would object
Portland - Seahawks might object
Columbus - both Ohio teams would object

Have lost teams due to lack of support which isn't likely to change:

San Diego
Saint Louis

I don't know if OKC could support an NFL team. Also an area the Cowboys might claim but they'd rather give that up than Austin or San Antonio.

[Roadgeekteen]

NFL should expand to Canada. The Commish does not work for the CFL.

[1995hoo]

Toronto's biggest problem is the lack of a stadium. The Argonauts moved to the soccer stadium, which was expanded to accommodate them but still has way too few seats for an NFL team, and when they made that move, their old home's seats were permanently locked into the baseball configuration and various other changes were made that would make the football conversion extremely difficult. Plus even that stadium would have been the smallest capacity in the NFL, which was why tickets cost so much when the Bills played there.

That's assuming Parliament even allows an NFL team.

[Roadgeekteen]

Toronto's biggest problem is the lack of a stadium. The Argonauts moved to the soccer stadium, which was expanded to accommodate them but still has way too few seats for an NFL team, and when they made that move, their old home's seats were permanently locked into the baseball configuration and various other changes were made that would make the football conversion extremely difficult. Plus even that stadium would have been the smallest capacity in the NFL, which was why tickets cost so much when the Bills played there.

That's assuming Parliament even allows an NFL team.

Many other expansion cities would also require a new stadium.

[SP Cook]

The NFL will never have a team in Canada as long as Canadian OTA TV is as it is now.   The other leagues, which are much more dependent on RSNs, can monetize Canada in a way the OTA dependent NFL cannot. 

Also the comments about the Skydome are correct.  It has been modified for baseball only use now, and, at 32 years old, it is probably looking for a replacement in the next decade, which will almost certainly be a baseball only park.

[Roadgeekteen]

UMass football is literally the worst. I turned off the game at halftime.

[Scott5114]

I don't know if OKC could support an NFL team. Also an area the Cowboys might claim but they'd rather give that up than Austin or San Antonio.

It would print money. Yeah, yeah, people love them some Sooners, but people still won't shut up about football here just because it's Sunday. People would just be excited they had two games to go to instead of one. As for the Cowboys, nobody really gives too much of a shit about them around here. People are just as likely to be fans of any of the other teams in the league, or just watch football to watch football, as they are to support the Cowboys.

[Stephane Dumas]

If the NFL football don't expand in Canada. I wonder if indoor american football aka arena football could step in the Great White North?

[snowc]

NFL should expand to Canada. The Commish does not work for the CFL.

NFL and CFL have different rules. Like the setback for a touchdown.

[Roadgeekteen]

UMass football down terrible yikes I went to the game nothing but failure

[thspfc]

I've made it apparent that I don't think any new franchises will be added to the NFL anytime soon, however, there is one team that I think could be in the relocation market within the next decade: the Saints. The Superdome isn't getting younger; it's now the fifth oldest stadium in the league. I doubt that the city of New Orleans will be excited to pay for a new stadium, as they already have their hands full with trying to keep the city above water. So that combined with the fact that the Saints are in jeopardy every year of losing revenue from multiple home games as a result of hurricanes moving them to other cities is not good.

[AlexandriaVA]

Jacksonville also seems like a natural relocation candidate.

[Roadgeekteen]

Nobody should relocate, I favor expansion to bring more teams to new markets.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I've made it apparent that I don't think any new franchises will be added to the NFL anytime soon, however, there is one team that I think could be in the relocation market within the next decade: the Saints. The Superdome isn't getting younger; it's now the fifth oldest stadium in the league. I doubt that the city of New Orleans will be excited to pay for a new stadium, as they already have their hands full with trying to keep the city above water. So that combined with the fact that the Saints are in jeopardy every year of losing revenue from multiple home games as a result of hurricanes moving them to other cities is not good.

They're as important to the people of that region as the Packers are to Wisconsin. No chance.

[snowc]

Nobody should relocate, I favor expansion to bring more teams to new markets.

Carolina was an expansion team, just like Jacksonville.
Houston was added in 2002, affecting NFC/AFC Central
Adding or removing teams can bring detrimental effects.

[oscar]

Nobody should relocate, I favor expansion to bring more teams to new markets.

Carolina was an expansion team, just like Jacksonville.
Houston was added in 2002, affecting NFC/AFC Central
Adding or removing teams can bring detrimental effects.

Cleveland was an expansion team too, to make up for the loss of the original team to Baltimore (now the Ravens). Unlike the midnight relocation of the original Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis, the NFL insisted team name, records, etc. from the pre-relocation Browns stay in Cleveland, to be picked up by the new Browns.

The existing Houston franchise was also an expansion team, to make up for the departure of the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans).

No such luck for St. Louis (former home of the Rams, after it had been swiped from Los Angeles, and the football Cardinals which left for hot but less humid Arizona), or San Diego (former home of the Chargers).

Adding franchises beyond the current 32 (mathematically beautiful power of 2, divided into two conferences, each divided into four 4-team divisions) would also dilute the available talent pool.

[CoreySamson]

In the world of college football, it's been a crazy year thus far, as some perennial good teams like Clemson and Wisconsin are 2-2 and "bad" teams like Arkansas and Wake Forest are 4-0. But the real interesting thing is that most of the top teams other than Alabama and Georgia have really struggled or have looked relatively shoddy. I don't think the current rankings give that as much justice, so here's my take on the top 25 through Week 4:

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oregon
4. Penn State
5. Cincinnati
6. Florida
7. Iowa
8. Ole Miss
9. Oklahoma
10. Notre Dame
11. Ohio State
12. BYU
13. Arkansas
14. Michigan
15. Baylor
16. UCLA
17. NC State
18. Wake Forest
19. Coastal Carolina
20. Texas
21. Michigan State
22. Fresno State
23. Texas A&M
24. SMU
25. Kentucky

On the bubble:
Oklahoma State
Auburn
Maryland
San Diego State
Boston College
UTSA

[NWI_Irish96]

Penn State beats Wisconsin by 6 and you have them #4
Notre Dame beats Wisconsin by 28 and you have them #11

That's one way to ignore results I suppose.

[CoreySamson]

Penn State also beat Auburn. Notre Dame's best win other than Wisconsin is ... Purdue? Not to mention they barely beat a winless Florida State team and a MAC team that got blown out by a team that lost to Vanderbilt and an FCS team. Also, the score of that Wisconsin-Notre Dame game is inflated by two garbage-time pick-sixes. Wisconsin had a lead briefly in the fourth quarter in that Notre Dame game. I stand by my ranking. 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I've made it apparent that I don't think any new franchises will be added to the NFL anytime soon, however, there is one team that I think could be in the relocation market within the next decade: the Saints. The Superdome isn't getting younger; it's now the fifth oldest stadium in the league. I doubt that the city of New Orleans will be excited to pay for a new stadium, as they already have their hands full with trying to keep the city above water. So that combined with the fact that the Saints are in jeopardy every year of losing revenue from multiple home games as a result of hurricanes moving them to other cities is not good.

Actually, seeing the Saints leave New Orleans is plausible. Prior to Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans, Tom Benson was actually threatening to move the Saints to San Antonio. Benson even had one foot out the door after Katrina hit (Saints had one or two "home" games in San Antonio during the 2005 season). I don't know who helped Tagliabue, but Benson was paid to stay in New Orleans, and Tom became all lovey-dovey towards NOLA before 2005 ended. The following offseason Sean Payton & Drew Brees showed up and the rest is history.
But yes, the state of Louisiana & city of New Orleans both know they have to do something to keep the Saints long into the future. 

[Roadgeekteen]

I've made it apparent that I don't think any new franchises will be added to the NFL anytime soon, however, there is one team that I think could be in the relocation market within the next decade: the Saints. The Superdome isn't getting younger; it's now the fifth oldest stadium in the league. I doubt that the city of New Orleans will be excited to pay for a new stadium, as they already have their hands full with trying to keep the city above water. So that combined with the fact that the Saints are in jeopardy every year of losing revenue from multiple home games as a result of hurricanes moving them to other cities is not good.

Actually, seeing the Saints leave New Orleans is plausible. Prior to Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans, Tom Benson was actually threatening to move the Saints to San Antonio. Benson even had one foot out the door after Katrina hit (Saints had one or two "home" games in San Antonio during the 2005 season). I don't know who helped Tagliabue, but Benson was paid to stay in New Orleans, and Tom became all lovey-dovey towards NOLA before 2005 ended. The following offseason Sean Payton & Drew Brees showed up and the rest is history.
But yes, the state of Louisiana & city of New Orleans both know they have to do something to keep the Saints long into the future.

If NOLA sinks due to hurricanes or climate change the Saints should move to Tiger Stadium and become the Louisiana Saints.

[Henry]

Speaking of teams moving, it looks like da Bears will be leaving downtown Chicago for the suburbs in a few years:

https://www.chicagobears.com/news/statement-released-regarding-arlington-park