Gov. Bankrupt want to steal a team away from someone.

[ratso]

Developer Majestic Realty Co. (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Majestic_Realty_Co!.html) has said the San Diego Chargers (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-San_Diego_Chargers.html), Oakland Raiders (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Oakland_Raiders.html) and San Francisco 49ers (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-San_Francisco_49ers.html) are on its list of seven teams it will approach about a move to the Los Angeles area.


I wonder who the other four are.

[OpIv37]

Developer Majestic Realty Co. (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Majestic_Realty_Co!.html) has said the San Diego Chargers (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-San_Diego_Chargers.html), Oakland Raiders (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Oakland_Raiders.html) and San Francisco 49ers (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-San_Francisco_49ers.html) are on its list of seven teams it will approach about a move to the Los Angeles area.


I wonder who the other four are.

I bet I can guess three: Buffalo, Jacksonville, St. Louis.

[TacklingDummy]

Jacksonville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo.

[Thurmal]

Minnesota is the fourth. Their lease runs out in two years.

[Dude]

Buffalo, Jacksonville, St. Louis, Minnesota are the other 4. It's no big mystery - there was an article about it in SI this week.

Cincinnati ain't moving. They have one of the best leases in the league.

[Jan Reimers]

I still don't understand why we're a candidate, as long as Ralph's alive. He has vowed not to move the team while he'still living, we have a sweetheart lease deal, no debt, a full stadium every Sunday, and are in the top half of the league in net revenue.

[OpIv37]

I still don't understand why we're a candidate, as long as Ralph's alive. He has vowed not to move the team while he'still living, we have a sweetheart lease deal, no debt, a full stadium every Sunday, and are in the top half of the league in net revenue.

revenue sharing.

The other owners would rather move the team to a city that makes money so they don't have to pony up as much in the revenue sharing agreement.

Ralph most likely will not move the team while he's alive, but a stadium is at least two years from being ready. There's a good chance he won't be around any more by that time, and even if he is, Buffalo's stadium lease expires. Every man has his price....

[Tiburon1724]

I thought the Governator made it contingent on a team being taken from outside California? And I was told a new stadium is being built in MN? Jacksonville needs to go, no question. But will Weaver sell or move his hometown team?

[DMBcrew36]

old news

[Michael82]

Hopefully the Rams can stay in limbo for a couple years and then go back to LA where they belong...

[mikemac2001]

give them the patriots

[Dude]

I still don't understand why we're a candidate, as long as Ralph's alive. He has vowed not to move the team while he'still living, we have a sweetheart lease deal, no debt, a full stadium every Sunday, and are in the top half of the league in net revenue.SI pretty much said that Buffalo was not a prime candidate for the same reasons. I wish I hadn't pitched the mag but IIRC they eliminated Jacksonville (lease) and 49ers (new stadium on the horizon) from the list as realistic possibilities as well.

Minnesota is vulnerable because of their stadium situation.
Ditto for San Diego.
Oakland is vulnerable because Al Davis needs the money.
St. Louis is currently for sale.

[Ed]

revenue sharing.

The other owners would rather move the team to a city that makes money so they don't have to pony up as much in the revenue sharing agreement.

Ralph most likely will not move the team while he's alive, but a stadium is at least two years from being ready. There's a good chance he won't be around any more by that time, and even if he is, Buffalo's stadium lease expires. Every man has his price....
Well according to the article on espn.com, it says that Majestic is prepared to break ground on a new stadium as soon as a team is locked in and they'll approach the seven mentioned teams after this season. So it sounds like they can't begin building the stadium until a team is committed to moving. As long as Ralph is still around by the end of the season, I don't see the Bills being an option. There's no way he agrees to move the team across country at this point in his life.

The article also makes it sound like there would be a lot of financial obstacles to overcome.


Majestic has targeted seven teams it plans to approach after the Super Bowl in February about move to the Los Angeles area: the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.

The firm has said the teams are in stadiums that are either too small or can't be updated with luxury box seats or other revenue sources an NFL club needs to thrive.

Roski said he's prepared to break ground as soon as a team is locked in and that he's confident that he can raise the $800 million needed for the stadium despite tight credit markets.

"We don't feel at this time that it's going to be a challenge," he said.

Mark Ganis, president of Chicago-based consultancy SportsCorp, said it will be a struggle for a new team in the region to earn enough revenue to pay the high interest banks are demanding for construction loans.

The firm would also likely have to take on debt to buy and move a team to the region, said Ganis, whose firm helped develop the new Yankee Stadium and other sports venues.

"In order to privately finance and operate a new stadium, it would have to generate more in-stadium revenue than virtually any team currently existing in the NFL," Ganis said. "That is a monumental task."

Without guarantees that the team could bring in that revenue, the NFL would be unlikely to approve a move, Ganis said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4585508

I really don't think people should fear the Bills moving to L.A. There are better candidates out there and it would screw things up regionally. However, a move to Toronto does seem like a real threat. It would not only benefit the NFL financially, but would work well regionally also.

[Ed]

SI pretty much said that Buffalo was not a prime candidate for the same reasons. I wish I hadn't pitched the mag but IIRC they eliminated Jacksonville (lease) and 49ers (new stadium on the horizon) from the list as realistic possibilities as well.

Minnesota is vulnerable because of their stadium situation.
Ditto for San Diego.
Oakland is vulnerable because Al Davis needs the money.
St. Louis is currently for sale.
Yeah, considering the Raiders and Rams both used to play in L.A. and both teams are struggling on the field and with ticket sales, it would make the most sense to move one of them back.