NFL Merry-Go-Round: Relocation Roundelay

[CityOfWalrus]

I think if you bring up traffic obstacles to attending games then you should automatically be disqualified from professional sports relocation consideration.

Spoken like a true non-LA native. Traffic is a HUGE concern for this team's location.

One thing about FF if it was in downtown the metro has a station right across the street from Staples. In COI you're stuck with driving and well traffic is a pain to get out there on the weekends. I used to date a girl that lived in Corona/Riverside and I live in Studio City. I know my traffic out in that area quite well, it sucks.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I think if you bring up traffic obstacles to attending games then you should automatically be disqualified from professional sports relocation consideration.

Spoken like a true non-LA native. Traffic is a HUGE concern for this team's location.

One thing about FF if it was in downtown the metro has a station right across the street from Staples. In COI you're stuck with driving and well traffic is a pain to get out there on the weekends. I used to date a girl that lived in Corona/Riverside and I live in Studio City. I know my traffic out in that area quite well, it sucks.

I never claimed to be an LA native. But I do know that one story of failed or failing franchises -- no matter the quality of team -- is that people in those cities won't show up to games because of traffic. You hear it a lot for franchises in St. Petersburg, Glendale, Atlanta and others. What those cities have in common, however, is that their traffic problems seem to more affect their longer-season franchises -- NBA, NHL and MLB. They don't seem to have nearly as much problem getting people to show up for eight NFL games a year.

To hear LA fans complain about traffic before a stadium site is even selected is kind of disheartening.

[bosrs1]

I think if you bring up traffic obstacles to attending games then you should automatically be disqualified from professional sports relocation consideration.

Spoken like a true non-LA native. Traffic is a HUGE concern for this team's location.

One thing about FF if it was in downtown the metro has a station right across the street from Staples. In COI you're stuck with driving and well traffic is a pain to get out there on the weekends. I used to date a girl that lived in Corona/Riverside and I live in Studio City. I know my traffic out in that area quite well, it sucks.

Issue with talking about the Metro, is that I think it's a bad assumption to make that people will be riding the train. Angelenos aren't known for their prolific public transit usage. And car wise downtown is as bad as COI on weekends, if not worse. On MNF it's a parking lot. And it has an added handicap of not being a good place for tailgating.

[Still MIGHTY]

I never claimed to be an LA native. But I do know that one story of failed or failing franchises -- no matter the quality of team -- is that people in those cities won't show up to games because of traffic. You hear it a lot for franchises in St. Petersburg, Glendale, Atlanta and others. What those cities have in common, however, is that their traffic problems seem to more affect their longer-season franchises -- NBA, NHL and MLB. They don't seem to have nearly as much problem getting people to show up for eight NFL games a year.

To hear LA fans complain about traffic before a stadium site is even selected is kind of disheartening.

And how well have those cities played out, longer season or not? I've even heard from some Cardinal fans out here in Arizona complain that UoP is out of the way, but they do qualify that by saying that it is only one game every week or two.

People in LA will still show up to the games. It's just going to be a bitch getting there. Downtown is more easily accessible by many different means than the Industry site would be. Speaking of...

Issue with talking about the Metro, is that I think it's a bad assumption to make that people will be riding the train. Angelenos aren't known for their prolific public transit usage. And car wise downtown is as bad as COI on weekends, if not worse. On MNF it's a parking lot. And it has an added handicap of not being a good place for tailgating.

Yeah, LA Metro blows, but if people use Amtrak to get to Union Station, there is a shuttle from Union Station to LA Live/Staples. It's almost the same thing as I've done in San Diego. I've taken Amtrak from OC to Old Town and taken the trolley from Old Town to Qualcomm. You won't just be getting people from LA proper, but the surrounding counties as well that way.

There are many more ways to get to Downtown. To get out to Industry, unless some other sort of shuttle/transportation service is made, the only way out there is via freeway. And it's not the big freeways either. The 60 and 57 will be their own parking lots for Grand Crossing. Plus downtown is closer to LAX and all the hotels and such.

[CityOfWalrus]

I think if you bring up traffic obstacles to attending games then you should automatically be disqualified from professional sports relocation consideration.

Spoken like a true non-LA native. Traffic is a HUGE concern for this team's location.

One thing about FF if it was in downtown the metro has a station right across the street from Staples. In COI you're stuck with driving and well traffic is a pain to get out there on the weekends. I used to date a girl that lived in Corona/Riverside and I live in Studio City. I know my traffic out in that area quite well, it sucks.

Issue with talking about the Metro, is that I think it's a bad assumption to make that people will be riding the train. Angelenos aren't known for their prolific public transit usage. And car wise downtown is as bad as COI on weekends, if not worse. On MNF it's a parking lot. And it has an added handicap of not being a good place for tailgating.

I've taken the metro enough to Kings games to know that a lot of people will take the metro to save on parking costs, traffic costs, and gas costs. Now I'm not saying they need to rely on people taking the Metro I'm just saying with a stadium downtown that's a good option to have.

@DG we complain about traffic for everything, not just a football team. But traffic is a big concern for the placement of the team.

[Rockstar Matt]

I think if you bring up traffic obstacles to attending games then you should automatically be disqualified from professional sports relocation consideration.

You clearly haven't experienced Los Angeles traffic When I drive out to college, it's a 15-mile drive, it usually takes me about 1 and a half hours. An hour and a half to go 15 miles? It's ridiculous. There have been times where it takes about 2 hours to go 10 miles in some parts of the city. Traffic here is horrendous.

[CityOfWalrus]

I think if you bring up traffic obstacles to attending games then you should automatically be disqualified from professional sports relocation consideration.

Taking Laurel Canyon blvd from Magnolia blvd to Hollywood Blvd at 5:30pm which is like a 5-6 mile stretch used to take me 45 mins. I just said hell with it, it's not worth trying. Taking city streets is sometimes worse than the highway.

When I worked in Reseda from Studio City, I'd have to leave at 3:10 for a 4pm shift just to get there by 3:55 on the 101. It's awful.

You clearly haven't experienced Los Angeles traffic When I drive out to college, it's a 15-mile drive, it usually takes me about 1 and a half hours. An hour and a half to go 15 miles? It's ridiculous. There have been times where it takes about 2 hours to go 10 miles in some parts of the city. Traffic here is horrendous.

[Gothamite]

The NFL is now using Los Angeles to amp up the pressure on Minnesota:

"We're worried about a stalemate, and a stalemate means there's no lease, or the lease is about to expire," said (executive vice president of NFL Ventures and business operations Eric) Grubman. "There's no plan for a stadium, and there's an alternative plan in another city."

[CubsFanBudMan]

If Minnesota is the team that goes, I think it saves the Rams. Maybe it would be too little, too late, but putting them in that historic division with Green Bay, Chicago and Detroit -- they wouldn't dare pull an NFC East with the Central, would they? -- with fans that travel will be the Brewers to the NL Central all over again, in my opinion. The owner would have to see the benefit in that and see that the value would only be going up in time, you'd think.

Or, they could just become the first option for Minnesota...

[Gothamite]

I think your second thought is more likely. If the Vikings move, the Rams start to look at a very appealing market up north.

[rams80]

I think your second thought is more likely. If the Vikings move, the Rams start to look at a very appealing market up north.

I only hope that in this scenario that the Vikings nickname goes with them. I refuse to cheer for a team that isn't the Rams.

[SeaTac]

If the Vikings do bolt from Minnesota would the politicians be eager to build a new stadium to attract another team?

[OnWis97]

The NFL is now using Los Angeles to amp up the pressure on Minnesota:

"We're worried about a stalemate, and a stalemate means there's no lease, or the lease is about to expire," said (executive vice president of NFL Ventures and business operations Eric) Grubman. "There's no plan for a stadium, and there's an alternative plan in another city."

Hopefully we just let 'em go.

[FiddySicks]

Oh man, the Vikings moving out of Minnesota would be a huge blow historically for the NFL IMO. I mean, they're the Vikings! They can't move!

But if they do move, would they take the name with them, or do a Cleveland deal?

[SeaTac]

Oh man, the Vikings moving out of Minnesota would be a huge blow historically for the NFL IMO. I mean, they're the Vikings! They can't move!

But if they do move, would they take the name with them, or do a Cleveland deal?

Los Angeles Vikings just doesn't right. I would hope they would leave the name, colors, etc. behind. Hopefully it won't come to that and they end up staying with a new stadium somewhere in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

[The_Admiral]

I think the state legislated Cleveland deals for all its pro teams around the time of the Target Field bill.

[bosrs1]

I think the state legislated Cleveland deals for all its pro teams around the time of the Target Field bill.

I specifically remember that as well. But I don't know if it was for the Twins only or all the teams. It did cover the Twins for sure however, of course they're the least likely to move for a half century or so.

[CityOfWalrus]

As a former Minnesota native and now a LA native I'd be sad to see the Vikings come here. LA just keeps poaching those purple and gold teams.

[CubsFanBudMan]

In the scenario of the Vikings first moving to L.A., then the Rams moving to Minnesota later, a Cleveland deal would likely cost the NFL at least one historic name. It just doesn't make sense to me to move a team with the history of the Rams north and start calling it the Vikings and throw the Rams' 3-city history away while the real Vikings play in L.A. it could potentially be "righted" like the Tennessee Oilers (R.I.P. to that great identity) after a few years, but it all gets so messy when you don't move the name with the team. IMO, of course.

[rams80]

In the scenario of the Vikings first moving to L.A., then the Rams moving to Minnesota later, a Cleveland deal would likely cost the NFL at least one historic name. It just doesn't make sense to me to move a team with the history of the Rams north and start calling it the Vikings and throw the Rams' 3-city history away while the real Vikings play in L.A. it could potentially be "righted" like the Tennessee Oilers (R.I.P. to that great identity) after a few years, but it all gets so messy when you don't move the name with the team. IMO, of course.

Agreed. On a related note, in the event of a Cleveland scenario, does the team that moves in HAVE to adopt the old abandoned identity.