Is the NFL finally going to return to the country's second-largest media market?
Some owners say it's only a matter of time until the NFL has at least one franchise back in Los Angeles. Others owners aren't as optimistic.
"It hasn't gone backwards, but it hasn't gone forwards," New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said Wednesday after the owners meetings. "There seemed to be one or two references to potential new locations, a couple of locations in Carson, but certainly no breaking news."
The NFL has not had an L.A. franchise for 20 years. But the effort to return to the area has picked up momentum in recent months as the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders are all now operating on year-to-year stadium leases. The Rams and Chargers previously represented the NFL in L.A. before leaving in 1994. The Chargers played there in 1960. All three teams are reportedly unhappy with their current venues.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke only added fuel to the fire when he purchases roughly 60 acres of potential stadium land next to the Forum.
Pro Football Talk reported that the NFL is "12-24 months away from a return to L.A." PFT's Mike Florio wrote that the NFL "will send one or two teams back to Los Angeles" within that timeframe.
Should a team announce their intention to move within the next couple off seasons, the most likely interim hosts would be the Rose Bowl or L.A. Coliseum, pending the construction of a new stadium. Possible sites for a new stadium include "the AEG project at L.A. Live in downtown, the land purchased recently by Rams owner Stan Kroenke at Hollywood Park, Chavez Ravine, and a couple locations that have not yet been publicly disclosed," Florio wrote.
Having a team in Los Angeles is good for the NFL. A bigger market means more revenue. With the emergence of the L.A. Clippers to pair with the Lakers, it's clear that Los Angeles is more than capable of supporting multiple franchises.
