Commissioner Roger Goodell threw out the idea of the league expanding.
The NFL currently has 32 teams in 31 cities. One city that is
surprisingly not on the list is Los Angeles,California. Los Angeles is
the second largest media market in America and has been without a football team
since 1994 when The Raiders and Rams both left. The city of Los Angeles
is hoping to break ground soon on a stadium as both the city and The NFL
would love to see Super Bowl 50 in L.A. which was the original city
that the game was played in. Goodell knows the importance of placing a
team back in L.A., but he doesn’t want to have an unbalanced schedule.
teams. Because there were 31 teams, at least one team had to be off
every week. Once The Houston Texans began play in 2002 this changed
giving The NFL an even amount of teams. For The NFL to bring a team to
Los Angeles they would need a dance partner to enter the league at the
same time. Here are some cities that The NFL could look to expand to.
In 2005, The New Orleans Saints had to relocate to San Antonio while the
city of New Orleans was trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina. The
Saints played three games at The Alamodome and averaged close to 62,000
fans for those three contests. The state of Texas already has two NFL
teams in The Dallas Cowboys and The Texans. Texas is a large enough
state to house three NFL teams. The city of San Antonio has the seventh
largest population in The United States and a fan base can be developed
here.
The San Antonio Spurs of The National Basketball Association have called
this Southwestern city home since 1967 so professional teams can exist
there. The Alamodome can seat up to 72,000 people for a football game
and it is equipped with 52 luxury suites which is something that The NFL
and its owners covet. The Alamodome is the home to the annual Alamo
Bowl in college football which gives the local economy a boost as the
game easily brings 50,000 people to San Antonio.
Geographically it would be very easy to see up rivalries with The Cowboys, Texans, Saints and Arizona Cardinals.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The state capitol of Oklahoma only has a population of 579,999, but they
have shown the ability to support a major professional franchise. The
NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder relocated from Seattle in 2008 and fans
consistently flock to The Chesapeake Energy Arena to see them play.
Since 2009, The Thunder have been one of the top drawing teams in The
NBA as they are one of the hottest tickets in town.
football’s Oklahoma State Cowboys and the national powerhouse Oklahoma
Sooners. Fans of both teams consistently come out to support their
teams. As opposed to the other cities that are mentioned, Oklahoma City
does not have a stadium for a professional football team. The Sooners
play in Norman while The Cowboys play in Stillwater. Both places are
college towns and it would be tough for The NFL to crack that collegiate
formula that has worked for so long.
The NFL placing a team there. It would take millions in taxpayer money
from Oklahoma as well as The NFL kicking in money for a team to placed
in the city.
Toronto, Canada
Commissioner Goodell loves the idea of international games. This is
evident in the way that he forces two teams to travel across The
Atlantic Ocean to play a game in London every year. Goodell also doesn’t
have a problem with The Buffalo Bills playing one game a year in
Toronto, Ontario. Since 2008, The Bills have played one regular season
each year north of the border. Bills owner Ralph Wilson has quietly
flirted with the idea of moving his team to Canada, but The State of New
York does not want to lose the team.
The people of Toronto would definitely come out and support The NFL.
Toronto has a population of 2.5 million. The city is home to numerous
sports franchises. Toronto is home to The Maple Leafs of The National
Hockey League, The Raptors of The NBA, Major League Baseball’s Blue
Jays, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, and The Argonauts of The
Canadian Football League.
The Rogers Centre which would be the home field has a seating capacity
of 54,000 for football. The Rogers Centre also features 161 luxury
boxes. Since playing in Toronto, The Bills have seen an increase in the
amount of fans that come out to watch the game whether they are local
fans or those traveling with the opposing teams.
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