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On Tuesday, July 10, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora outlined the issues that the NFL faces in returning to Los Angeles. The one thing he made clear was that the league is going back to Southern California. It’s only a question of when it will happen and what team or teams will make the move.
As a die-hard fan of the St. Louis Rams, I’ve been following this situation closely. The team is in arbitration with the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission over the renovations needed to make the Edward Jones Dome a first-tier NFL facility.
Given the monetary discrepancy between the plans that were proposed by each side, I tend to believe that the arbitrators are going to either pick the Rams’ estimated $700 million plan or create their own plan that will cost the city $450-$500 million. Since I don’t see the CVC accepting either proposal, I agree with La Canfora’s assessment that the Rams are the most logical team to move to Los Angeles.
However, La Canfora mentions other candidates as well. The San Diego Chargers have been mentioned as a possibility for relocation, but both the team and the city are working towards a solution. Furthermore, I think Chargers owner Dean Spanos would rather stay in San Diego than deal with winning over the residual Raiders’ fan base that still resides in Los Angeles.
Speaking of the Oakland Raiders, I think La Canfora is wrong in his belief that the NFL would block a move by the team to Los Angeles. History has shown that the league been unable to stop teams from moving. If the NFL couldn’t prevent the original Cleveland Browns from packing up and heading to Baltimore, then there’s no way it could stop the Raiders from moving. That said, I hope the Raiders stay in the Bay Area. The thought of the team relocating back to Los Angeles brings back horrible memories of their first tenure there.
Finally, there are the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’ve seen far too many people name the Jaguars as a logical choice to relocate. The problem is that most experts are ignoring the team’s lease with the city, which runs through 2030. Jaguars owner Sahid Khan would have to pay the city close to $100 million to get out of the current agreement.
Khan has stated from the beginning that he wants to try to make things work in Jacksonville. I don’t see him giving up on the market that quickly. Furthermore, since Khan has roots in the St. Louis region, it wouldn’t surprise me if he waited to see if the Rams move to Los Angeles before making a decision. I can see him taking the team to the Gateway City instead of moving to Los Angeles.
Overall, I agree with La Canfora’s assessment. I believe that the Rams are likely going to be the first team to move to Los Angeles. The Chargers and Jaguars are working with their current cities, and the Raiders will face some opposition before being allowed to relocate. Another franchise might become a candidate later, but as of now, it looks like the blue and gold of the Los Angeles Rams might be returning to Southern California sooner than you think.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter@dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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On Tuesday, July 10, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora outlined the issues that the NFL faces in returning to Los Angeles. The one thing he made clear was that the league is going back to Southern California. It’s only a question of when it will happen and what team or teams will make the move.
As a die-hard fan of the St. Louis Rams, I’ve been following this situation closely. The team is in arbitration with the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission over the renovations needed to make the Edward Jones Dome a first-tier NFL facility.
Given the monetary discrepancy between the plans that were proposed by each side, I tend to believe that the arbitrators are going to either pick the Rams’ estimated $700 million plan or create their own plan that will cost the city $450-$500 million. Since I don’t see the CVC accepting either proposal, I agree with La Canfora’s assessment that the Rams are the most logical team to move to Los Angeles.
However, La Canfora mentions other candidates as well. The San Diego Chargers have been mentioned as a possibility for relocation, but both the team and the city are working towards a solution. Furthermore, I think Chargers owner Dean Spanos would rather stay in San Diego than deal with winning over the residual Raiders’ fan base that still resides in Los Angeles.
Speaking of the Oakland Raiders, I think La Canfora is wrong in his belief that the NFL would block a move by the team to Los Angeles. History has shown that the league been unable to stop teams from moving. If the NFL couldn’t prevent the original Cleveland Browns from packing up and heading to Baltimore, then there’s no way it could stop the Raiders from moving. That said, I hope the Raiders stay in the Bay Area. The thought of the team relocating back to Los Angeles brings back horrible memories of their first tenure there.
Finally, there are the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’ve seen far too many people name the Jaguars as a logical choice to relocate. The problem is that most experts are ignoring the team’s lease with the city, which runs through 2030. Jaguars owner Sahid Khan would have to pay the city close to $100 million to get out of the current agreement.
Khan has stated from the beginning that he wants to try to make things work in Jacksonville. I don’t see him giving up on the market that quickly. Furthermore, since Khan has roots in the St. Louis region, it wouldn’t surprise me if he waited to see if the Rams move to Los Angeles before making a decision. I can see him taking the team to the Gateway City instead of moving to Los Angeles.
Overall, I agree with La Canfora’s assessment. I believe that the Rams are likely going to be the first team to move to Los Angeles. The Chargers and Jaguars are working with their current cities, and the Raiders will face some opposition before being allowed to relocate. Another franchise might become a candidate later, but as of now, it looks like the blue and gold of the Los Angeles Rams might be returning to Southern California sooner than you think.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter@dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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