Los Angeles Back in NFL Mix
The City of Angels Preparing for the Return of Pro Football
Billioanire developer Ed Roski proposes new NFL stadium in City of Industry for a Los Angeles team
There is no question about it.
The City of Los Angeles and the surrounding area should have a National Football League franchise.
It’s been 14 years since the City of the Angels had professional football. That was the year that both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Raiders packed their moving vans and traveled points elsewhere.
The NFL has tried to fill the void many times in those 14 years. The league went through two rounds of expansion, only to overlook the LA market because it didn’t have a solid ownership group or stadium plan.
The league essentially gave up on LA in recent years. The league is already too big at 32 teams and has no plans for further expansion.
That all changed on Thursday, April 17, when billionaire developer Ed Roski unveiled a plan for a proposed NFL stadium in the City of Industry in Los Angeles County.
Since Roski already owns the land of the site, this proposal might seem like the real deal. Industry apparently has access to the major freeways and public transportation, so some infrastructure is in place.
It’s inevitable that Los Angeles is going to get a team.
But one has to wonder why the country’s second largest city had been without one for so long.
Los Angeles Rams head to St. Louis.
The Rams were the first major league team of any sport to come to Los Angeles, moving from Cleveland in 1946. They played most of their home games in the Los Angeles Coliseum, which they shared with college football powers USC and UCLA.
Things started to fall apart for the Rams when the city took their time to build luxury boxes in the 90,000 seat Coliseum, forcing owner Carol Rosenbloom to seek a deal elsewhere.
Rosenbloom died in 1979 in a drowning accident in Florida and didn’t live to see the team’s move to nearby Anaheim, home of baseball Los Angeles Angels.
Rosenbloom’s widow, Georgia Frontiere, moved the team to her native St. Louis to play in a new domed stadium with luxury boxes when the Rams lease expired in Anaheim.
Raiders move to LA and back to Oakland
The Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles to play in the Coliseum in 1982, two years after the Rams moved out.
Raider’s owner Al Davis had similar troubles getting luxury boxes built in the Oakland Coliseum in the 1970's. After a bitter court battle with the NFL, the Raiders moved to Los Angeles with the city promising to build luxury boxes at the LA Coliseum.
Los Angeles never delivered and efforts to get a new stadium built failed. After 12 years in LA, the Raiders moved back to Oakland and a refurbished Oakland Coliseum.
What NFL team will move to Los Angeles?
Since the league has no plans to expand and most current teams are playing in new stadiums, the new Los Angeles team is going to have to come from another city.
There are only five possibilities.
1. Oakland Raiders – Davis is unhappy with the way things worked out in Oakland. He sued the NFL after moving back to Oakland claiming they sabotaged his efforts to get a new stadium built in LA. The Raiders lost the case, but can move back when their Oakland deal expires.
2. San Diego Chargers – This team originated in Los Angeles in the old America Football League. The Chargers are lobbying for a new stadium and plans are on the board for one to be built in San Diego County.
3. Buffalo Bills – The Bills are in the smallest market, their stadium needs upgrades and owner Ralph Wilson is 89 years old. But since this is New York State’s only team (The Giants and Jets play in New Jersey), every effort will be made to keep them in place.
4. Minnesota Vikings – This team has a solid fan base and tradition but play in the outdated Metro-Dome. The Vikings usually sell out their games, so moving out of the Twin Cities would be a last resort move.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars – One has to wonder why this market was awarded a team to begin with. The Jaguars are a third wheel in Florida compared to the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The games never sell out and the fan base is too small. This could be the team that heads west.
