New York. Houston. Chicago. Phoenix. When you think of the largest metropolitan areas in the US, chances are that those cities have an NFL team (New York, or technically New Jersey, even has two). One city that doesn't have an NFL team, however, just so happens to be the second largest city in America: Los Angeles, California. Recently, a set of plans have been put in place to try and get an NFL team to move to LA, which has been lacking a team since the Rams and Raiders both moved out in 1994. Today we'll look at a brief history of the NFL in Los Angeles, followed by a list of possible teams that could relocate to the city of Angels.
The first NFL team in Los Angeles was the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926. Well, technically they didn't ever play in Los Angeles. The Buccaneers were perpetually a road team for their short lived tenure. The first team to actually play in Los Angeles were the Los Angeles Bulldogs, which existed from 1934 to 1948. The Bulldogs were never part of the NFL because of their location, which would have made them the only NFL team west of Chicago at the time. In 1946, the NFL Cleveland Rams franchise moved to Los Angeles due to impending pressure from the upstart Cleveland Browns of the All America Football Conference. In 1979, the Los Angeles Rams reached the Super Bowl for the first time, but even that could not mask the inferiority of the Los Angeles Coliseum, their home stadium. Various issues included size, parking, multiple tenants (USC and UCLA shared the stadium too), and even the fact that it was in a dangerous neighborhood. The team moved to Anaheim Stadium in 1980, and played there until 1994. In 1994, with attendance dwindling and Anaheim unable to finance a new stadium, owner Georgia Frontiere decided to move to team to St. Louis, which made the team a lucrative offer including a new stadium, the Trans World Dome. The Rams moved to St. Louis and currently reside there today.
In 1982, with the Coliseum looking for a new team to showcase, the Oakland Raiders moved into town. Raiders owner Al Davis relocated to Los Angeles in order to benefit from the larger TV market and thus a wider audience. The Los Angeles Raiders enjoyed some success in their new home, winning Super Bowl XVIII and even "winning over" the fans (Los Angeles' colors of silver and black quickly became associated with LAs street gangs). Ultimately, the Coliseum did not prove useful to the Raiders' needs, and the franchise moved back to Oakland in 1994.
And so began Los Angeles' NFL blackout. An NFL team hasn't graced the city since that 1994 season, but recently, several businessman have been trying to lure an NFL team back to the city. A new stadium is supposedly in the works, with the mantra "if you build it, they will come". Here's a list of potential movers to LA:
JACKSONVILLE: The Jaguars don't make it easy to declare them undeniable candidates for the move to LA. Right when it seems like there's no hope, their stadium starts filling seats and the Jags start winning games. Then the opposite happens soon after, and the talk erupts once again. The Jags will have to show whether they can compete in the AFC South or whether they're more suited for the subpar teams in the Western divisions.
BUFFALO: A move to LA seems unlikely, but it's not out of the question. Buffalo has been miserable for the last decade, ever since the "Music City Miracle" stabbed the playoff hopes of Bills fans everywhere. The Bills have been receiving interest from Toronto (their other home), and it seems that if any move is imminent it would probably be to Toronto so as not to displace the "large" population of Bills fans in the area.
SAN DIEGO: Rumors have been spreading that the Chargers could be the ones to move to Los Angeles. The Chargers are the geographically closest NFL team to the city, and they also played briefly in Los Angeles during their tenure in the American Football League. The Chargers have a solid fan base, but the potential of a Los Angeles market revenue could mean big bucks for the team. It all remains to be seen if the Chargers are willing to gamble.
MINNESOTA: The Vikings Metrodome came crumbling down to finish the 2010 season (well, actually, the roof just tore). However, engineers are saying that the roof will require a new stadium altogether instead, which means that the Vikings could be on the way out. If Minnesota doesn't want to furnish the Vikings a new stadium, a move a la the Lakers could be in progress. Good thing at least the colors will be consistent.
LOS ANGELES: Let's not forget about the possibility (albeit incredibly small) of a new team being fielded. Perhaps from the remains of the UFL teams or even some other entity, a new Los Angeles team could fill a potential void if the new stadium is built. Of course, that would result in the NFL having, among other things, trouble with evenly split conferences (33 teams). A viable solution would be to create the potential London franchise at the same time (talk about long distance expansion teams). Of course, an even more costly solution could be to field two LA teams, like in MLB. One team could be in a new stadium, the other could call the Coliseum it's home. Or create one stadium like in New York (New Jersey). Whatever be the case, the NFL will undoubtedly return to Los Angeles, the only question is when....
