Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s argument that LA should not have a team .
I agree with Sports Geek that I really am ready for football season to get here. Baseball is great, and it appears we are going to have some excellent pennant races. But to answer Hank Williams Jr.’s question… yes I am ready for some football!
Sports Geek has asked me and Bleacher Fan to debate the merits of bringing a football back to the City of Angels. Quite honestly, it’s a slam dunk that the NFL should seriously look at bringing the NFL back to Los Angeles. Possibly Ed Roski can make it happen! Los Angeles County residents sure hope so!
Let’s break this down, look at the facts, and then you can try and tell me if you see a valid reason why LA should NOT have a professional football team.
As Sports Geek stated in his intro, Los Angeles is the number two television market in the country. Basically, there are lots of eyes and ears out there. The city of Los Angeles, according to the latest census figures, has 3.8 million people. The Greater Los Angeles Area, which includes LA, Santa Ana, Long Beach, and others, has a population of nearly 13 million people.
What Roski is proposing is a fascinating idea. The proposed new stadium will seat approximately 75,000 people. The kicker, though, is that the stadium will have luxury boxes and suites – something that the Coliseum did not have when the LA Raiders left for Oakland way back in 1994. Suites, luxury boxes, and other amenities bring in extra cash and provide a big boost to the bottom line.
Also, having only one team in the LA/Anaheim area, instead of two, would be a tremendous help. For years the area had both the Raiders and the Rams. With just one team for the media to cover and for the fans to support, it is MUCH easier to draw a crowd and create a buzz throughout southern California.
I also think that the football landscape has changed in southern California since the Rams and Raiders left in 1994. Pete Carroll has brought college football back into the limelight this decade. In the past seven years, the USC Trojans have gone an eye-popping 82-9, winning at least 11 games every year. Football fever is back in the area thanks to the success of the Trojans. Southern California is now one of the nation’s hot spots again for all high school football players across the country. This can only help any potential franchise that comes to the area!
Major League Baseball has two teams in the area with the Dodgers and the Angels. The NBA has two teams with the world champion Lakers and the “non-world champion” Clippers. It makes NO sense whatsoever to not have a professional football team in Los Angeles.
