L.A. stadium developer targeting 6-7 teams (3 Viewers)

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Stadium developer to ask six NFL teams to move to L.A.
Daily News Wire Services
Updated: 10/08/2009 09:53:49 AM PDT

The developers who want to bring professional football back to the Los Angeles area said Tuesday that they'll approach the San Diego Chargers and five other teams in February about moving as early as next season.
Majestic Realty Co. Vice President John Semcken III revealed his intentions at a breakfast gathering of the Orange County Business Industry Association in Costa Mesa. . . . He said the state Senate will help clear a last hurdle for an $800 million, 600-acre stadium project in the city of Industry by Oct. 15 -- either via legislation, already passed by the Assembly, to bypass state environmental laws -- or by negotiations Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg arranged last month.

"Come next week, our stadium will be approved," Semcken said. "Then we'll be able to go out and buy a football team." . . . Semcken said new talks would begin after the Super Bowl in February, and may involve the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings, the St. Louis Rams, the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. The San Francisco 49ers could also be pursued if a vote for a new stadium in Santa Clara fails. "There are at least seven teams that are having an issue," Semcken said. "San Francisco, I think they're fine. So the other six teams, one of those six will move to our stadium." Semcken said the NFL could return to the area in 2010 but more likely in 2011 and that a team would play close by before moving to Industry in 2013.

Personally I hope it never happens--just increases the risk of blackouts on DirecTV when they can't sell their tickets.
 
I don't foresee Minnesota getting their demands met on a new stadium, so they're a possible candidate, but Jacksonville really seems to be the no-brainer answer here. That market just can't support a pro-team due to several factors (fan apathy, too much other pro competition in-state, etc.) and, as an experiment in small market expansion, it's mostly been a failure (as the empty stands can attest to).

That said, the team has been viable and competitive since it's inception, so it isn't a total wash. A change of scenery could do wonders.
 
If Jacksonville moved I wonder if the NFL would move them to the AFC West and move the Chiefs to the AFC South. I know in the past (we use to be in the NFC West) geo didn't make much difference but there would have to be re-alignment if that happens today.

The Jags are the most likely to move at this point but just think if the Bills or Vikings moving West....man that would also cause some re-alignment.
 
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I hate any team relocating but the writing seems to be on the wall for the Jags. Shame for them but at the very least it will remove the threat for other teams. What will the threat be then....I'm moving the team to San Antonio unless you build me a new stadium? That'll get them laughed out of the room. And like everyone already pointed out it's incredibly nice not to be the first or second team mentioned in these articles.
 
I would say the only teams that have a shot of moving to LA from that list would be Jacksonville b/c it's a tough market. San Diego because it's basically the same demographic and geo. And lastly, an outside shot of moving the Rams back to LA.
 
i live in cali and i'll tell u what, there are more raider fans in LA and san diego then charger fans. i think the raiders moving to LA would be a good move, they already have a huge fan base
 
It'll be Jacksonville. The situation there is a disaster, and the only remote chance of salvaging it is by infringing on Tampa Bay's market.

I don't think there will be realignment for LA though. Kansas City has too much history with Oakland/Denver/San Diego.
 
It'll be Jacksonville. The situation there is a disaster, and the only remote chance of salvaging it is by infringing on Tampa Bay's market.

I don't think there will be realignment for LA though. Kansas City has too much history with Oakland/Denver/San Diego.

If Indy can qualify as being in the South and Dallas the East, I see no reason why a LA Jags team would force a realignment. It's Southern California, after all. Yeah, it's a reach, but...the only thing Indy is South of is Michigan.
 
I think the Jags, the Raiders, and maybe the San Diego Chargers are the best candidates for relocation to L.A. I leave out Minnesota because their a legendary NFL franchise with far too much history to be allowed to leave that market bare and dry. The NFL will find a way to help the Vikings either get a new stadium or perhaps share on for a while with the Gophers or maybe stay a while in Target Field, the new Twins ballpark opening up next year, in downtown Minneapolis. The Twins may balk at being forced to share their brand new home with the Vikings, but to allow a storied franchise like the Vikings pack up and move off to a market that is ambivalent at best would be a shame and like Art Modell taking the old Browns to Baltimore 13 years ago. At the time, most NFL owners supported Modell's move but they did out of friction and only grudgingly. They would have preferred that Modell sell the team to local interests, and have the situation settled without all of what went down later on, with Browns fans still bitter and hateful towards Modell, as they should be perhaps in a way.


The thing to remember about the old Brown and Oilers cautionary tales is that any possible deal should be done with as much good faith and taking the emotion out of it. For example, I could be really petty and say that loony tune left-wing Democrat Dennis Kucinich played a integral part in the Browns eventually leaving Cleveland when he was the mayor of the city in the late 70's/early 80's. AS good as it might feel for my ego to let that out, I'd probably face a huge blow back from people telling me I have no GD clue what the hell I'm even talking about and that my argument is a slippery-shod **** job. And then guess what any kind of effective negotiations has been severely damaged which leads to egos filled in with opposing politics gets rammed in and a fan base ends up getting screwed.


What I just displayed is a good example of what teams with stadium issues should try to avoid in dealing with new leases, stadium contracts, and certainly getting a new one. I'm thankful that we as Saints fans avoided this fate and we'll have this team we love so intensely for the next 20-25 years. It'd be pathetic and foolish to say we know that this
work out this way all along, because 7-8 years ago, during and for a short time after Katrina, our team's future in New Orleans was at best unknown. Benson feels happy now that he has a new deal and some key economic essentials to keep the team here, but he was more then prepared to dig in his heels to remain in San Antonio and possibly sue the NFL if they tried to force him to come back. We may never know all of the details from the those long, difficult days 4 years ago, and in that respect we owe Arnie Fielkow and maybe a few others a huge debt of gratitude for putting principle ahead of the profit margin.
 

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