Quote:
Originally Posted by STLtoSA
I have been wrong before, but if one of those cities you list gets a team it will be an expansion team. The league does not gain much from moving teams unless they are in horrible markets (example Jacksonville).
There is too much money in expansion and those are probably the only 3 cities that could afford a new franchise in today's NFL. Now if one of those cities gets an expansion team I could see another one getting a relocation, but it would happen in that order.
There are 3 teams that are in trouble right now; Jacksonville, San Diego, and Oakland. If at least one of these teams does not move in the next 5 years I would be surprised.
Metro's Over 1.5 million:
Los Angeles - 18.24 million (CSA) No brainer
Portland - 2.99 million (CSA) not an NFL town. Plus two College teams
Orlando - 2.92 million (CSA) Too close to Tampa? Money?
Sacramento - 2.46 million (CSA) Possible. Stadium? Cali is broke!
Salt Lake City - 2.35 (CSA) Too many college teams, not enough Alcohol sales!
Columbus - 2.35 million (CSA) They have OSU. 3 NFL teams in Ohio, nope
Las Vegas - 2.25 million (CSA) the NFL wont be the pioneer
San Antonio - 2.23 million (MSA)
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill - 2.00 (CSA) NC has a team and NCAA is king on tobacco row
Austin - 1.83 million (MSA) Not gonna happen
Virginia Beach - 1.80 (CSA) Metro is too fragmented
Greensboro-Winston Salem - 1.61 (CSA) NC has a team
Providence - 1.60 million (MSA) Never
Outside of Los Angeles, San Antonio is the only city in the US that could and would support an NFL franchise on a high level. I always discredited the notion of San Antonio supporting an NFL franchise, but over the last couple of years my perception has changed. Getting an NFL Franchise would be huge for the city and the area. Of course, only as long as a stadium deal wouldn't handcuff local government.
With all of that said, I like what UTSA has going. If the NFL came to SA it would hurt UTSA's growth (of course if the possibility is there ... too bad UTSA). If the NFL doesn't come I see UTSA growing into a solid football program pretty fast; on the level of a UCF or South Florida within the next 5 years.
If the NFL comes, I am not sure if another stadium could be built downtown, but I would think that would be where you would want a new at least partially publicly funded stadium to be.
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Urbanized area San Antonio is bigger than most on the list, same size as Portland, larger than Columbus,Ohio, Orlando, Salt Lake, Sacramento. I know the Nfl looks at regional population base and san Marcos,Kyle,Austin, are not technically a part of S.A., but it could easily be looked as if they were a CSA. Over 4 million people in 5 adjacent counties along I35. You can't claim a population this size for any of those regions listed.