I believe that the NFL is the fastest growing pro-sport in America (although someone will say Nascar)

Being this, where do you think the NFL will expand to next? Give me your top 3 locations.

My top 3 are as follows (and my reasoning):

Los Angeles, CA (almost a given, lots of powers that be want to see the NFL return there)

Lincoln, NE (Huge football fan base, and nice facilities already in place)

Portland, OR (Big city, good football fan base for the state)

Honorable Mention goes to the following cities (for said reasons)

Oklahoma City, OK (Suprised many when they supported the Hornets this year. Having a team to call their own might evoke an even bigger response)

Las Vegas, NV (Plenty of people with lots of interest in sports, the threat of gambling issues makes it improbable)

Mexico City, Mexico (PLENTY of people, some of which will become fans)

Toronto, Canada (American pro sports seem to like branching out into Canada)

I'm sure some people (who haven't had a few) will disagree, but spend more time on your top 3 than hating on me.

7/2/2006 1:11:20 AM

Quote :

"Lincoln, NE (Huge football fan base, and nice facilities already in place)"

haha, wtf? South Bend has a huge football fan base, but they aren't getting a pro team.

1. LA
2. Las Vegas
3. San Antonio

7/2/2006 1:17:27 AM

I think 32 teams are enough. NO MORE EXPANSION

7/2/2006 1:18:31 AM

I say it makes it to Syria where the footballs have bombs in them

7/2/2006 1:20:21 AM

Because of negative connotations associated with the city, I personally dont see LV getting a team, but you follow money, so it could happen.


I could see an exploit of a market somewhere central to a big college conference. That being said, I have no idea what my top 3 would be, possibly somewhere a couple hundred away from the great lakes (general, I know) or florida or texas

[Edited on July 2, 2006 at 1:24 AM. Reason : punctuation makes things easier to read]

7/2/2006 1:23:59 AM

why would the NFL expand?

[Edited on July 2, 2006 at 1:27 AM. Reason : no one ever seems to be able to leave well-enough alone.]

7/2/2006 1:27:08 AM

^ $texas

7/2/2006 1:31:53 AM

Quote :

"mexico city"

ahahahaha lets put one in bejing while we're at it. millions of poor povershed people love some football.

1.virginia beach/norfolk a top 30 us metro area (this is a no brainer. there is no pro team in the 12th most populous state) and a would gain alot of support from eastern nc as well
2.birmingham. the state has nothing. not just no sports teams THEY HAVE NOTHING. miss has nothing. these people love thier football and have no problem traveling far distance to it
3.portland or- reasons listed
4.honolulu- they have the stadium. they have alot of residents and alot of tourists are there all the time.
5.san juan- ton of people. better than mexico or toronto because its still a us city in a decent climate and close.

7/2/2006 1:41:31 AM

Des Moines
Bismarck (sp)
Montana

7/2/2006 1:42:47 AM

Quote :

"why would the NFL expand?"

I firmly believe that the NFL will continue to expand.

I hadn't considered South Bend, but I think NE likes football enough to support a team there named for the state.

7/2/2006 1:43:30 AM

this thread is dumb

if the nfl is going to expand anywhere its going to be LA

anyone who knows anything about anything knows that

7/2/2006 1:44:59 AM

virginia beach will never get a major professional sports team ever

the desire might be there but the market isn't

hawaii will never get a team because of the travel

no one cares about mississippi

[Edited on July 2, 2006 at 1:47 AM. Reason : adf]

7/2/2006 1:46:37 AM

don't the vicks hail from virgina beach

THE CRADLE OF FUCKING CIVILIZATION

7/2/2006 1:50:00 AM

money-wise the market isn't there

and the vicks are from newport news

7/2/2006 1:53:12 AM

Quote :

"if the nfl is going to expand anywhere its going to be LA"

That's why they were my first choice and dubbed 'almost a given'. How about I upgrade that to 'a given'.

7/2/2006 2:11:48 AM

LA for sure. I actually could see an NFL team in Lincoln, NE.

7/2/2006 2:30:17 AM

Quote :

"Mexico City"

Quote :

"ahahahaha lets put one in bejing while we're at it. millions of poor povershed people love some football."

If there'd been a sold-out game played in a stadium in Beijing, maybe I would have mentioned it.

In case you didn't notice or forgot, last year the SF 49er's played the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City in a sold out stadium.

I'd say Tokyo almost deserves honorable mention considering the opening game of the pre-season for the past few years has been played there and has had a sold out and extremely enthusiastic crowd attend.

This Beijing shit is weak though. Go sit in the corner and think about what it takes to make a good post.

[Edited on July 2, 2006 at 3:39 AM. Reason : ]

7/2/2006 3:32:06 AM

It will expand into Canada or Mexico before going to Tokyo Im sure.
Id say LA and Mexico City....one team in LA is a given (Arnold apparently has demanded 2), and Ive heard people talk like Mexico City was almost a given (sorry, I dont recall who those "people" were).

Expansion is going to happen, but I hate that it will ruin the current alignment, which is pretty much perfect right now. I know before the Texans were added it was an uneven league so its nothing new, but still...I like the way you can currently easily recall any teams schedule just by knowing their division and where they finished last year.

7/2/2006 3:43:32 AM

Fayetteville

7/2/2006 3:57:41 AM

show me some demographics if your gonna go say there is no market in a 2 million + person area with no pro teams in one of the richest states virginia. your statement just doesn't add up. not even counting all the people in richmond western va and nc who would go.

mexico sold out one game that doesnt mean they would do well. they'd probobly sell out a whole season then all the money would be gone and 10k people would show up. and nobody from another team is going to want to go to Mexico to watch a game. but its mexico, never been done so you never know. its a risk

about 1 million people live in honolulu. that is plenty to sustain a team by itself. then add some of the over 1 million different people who visit each year and you've got a lot. (because people are more likely to go to a game once than anything. THEY HAVE ALOHA STADIUM.

an expansion team in la might not work. one thing is proven. la sports fans are spoiled.

i know birmingham is weak but its boston compared to fucking nebraska. put the whole state in a can and birmingham would probobly still have more people.

7/2/2006 4:31:24 AM

^ you're way off on this mexico shit.

Mexico has been selling out preseason games for over a decade now.

There's plenty of money for it in Mexico. They'd have an entire fucking country cheering for one team so merchandise sells would be high as hell.

The average Mexican might be poor, but there are rich people in mexico too. NFL tickets arent expensive anyway, theres only 8 games a season.

If you go to sportsbooks in mexico they are full of Mexicans betting on crazy shit like the Edmonton Oilers - Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game. So if Mexicans are watching/betting on the NHL then it's just idiotic to believe they wouldnt watch a real sport like the NFL.

7/2/2006 4:45:07 AM

we dont want our football stars being kidnapped.

7/2/2006 5:49:13 AM

Quote :

"THEY HAVE ALOHA STADIUM."

This can be answered earlier in the thread:

Quote :

"hawaii will never get a team because of the travel"

7/2/2006 7:26:32 AM

leave it at 32, the playoffs are fine, the league is even, if you want a team in a new area, relocate it from a current area

7/2/2006 9:32:03 AM

They do not need to expand they need to relocate Buffalo, Arizona, Oakland, and Jacksonville...that is sad when you can not fill an NFL stadium over 90% capacity

7/2/2006 10:41:47 AM

a pro football team would be of no interest to LA or LV, simply because there is already enough stuff to do there. Take the great sports towns...philly, detroit, and so on, dont have a lot of attractions and things to go do on the weekends, so they are excellent football towns.

7/2/2006 11:17:35 AM

^^Arizona just built a new stadium. I seriously doubt they move any time soon.

Plus they are starting to win now with Fitzgerald, Boldin, Edge James.

7/2/2006 11:42:37 AM

Quote :

"show me some demographics if your gonna go say there is no market in a 2 million + person area with no pro teams in one of the richest states virginia. your statement just doesn't add up. not even counting all the people in richmond western va and nc who would go. "

SE Virginia isn't as economically viable as Northern Virginia

there are no BIG businesses around the area

and military personnel aren't going to (be able to) fork out the money for tickets

7/2/2006 11:51:00 AM

^ not to mention that people in that area (and in northeastern NC) are pretty much redskins fans (or panthers fans at the outside)...

why would they give up their team?

7/2/2006 12:31:27 PM

because maryland is a 4 hour drive maybe?

going to hawaii wouldnt be an issue. they have all week to get down there, all week to get back and im sure this would be everyones favorite road game.

[Edited on July 2, 2006 at 1:18 PM. Reason : and charlotte is probobly a 6 hour drive. there is no pro team within 4 hours of that area.]

7/2/2006 1:17:21 PM

seriously, the NFL don't need to expand, just move the Saints or the Jaguars to LA. The quality of play is already bad enough. Again, look at how the new expansion teams been doing lately, the Browns and the Texans are bottom dwellers.

7/2/2006 1:48:38 PM

this thread reinforces why girls shouldn't make threads in sports talk

[Edited on July 2, 2006 at 1:56 PM. Reason : sorry prufrock ]

7/2/2006 1:50:18 PM

PrufrockNCSU is a girl?

7/2/2006 1:51:29 PM

a guy made this thread

7/2/2006 1:52:09 PM

well cxmai took over like it was her thread...

7/2/2006 1:55:32 PM

I really don't see the need to expand any further. 32 teams is enough and I don't think adding another city will do much for the NFL or the game. Maybe somewhere in the heartland (Oklahoma City, Omaha, etc) would be more interesting but the only realistic market the NFL big-wigs will go to next is Mexico.

7/2/2006 4:34:59 PM

You have to figure that the next time the NFL expands they'll add two teams, making sure that both conferences have the same number of teams.

That being said, I bet both expansion teams will be in LA.

7/2/2006 9:37:07 PM

lets get 128 teams!!!

7/2/2006 9:40:12 PM

32 teams is definitely plenty. Equal number of teams in each conference/division.

7/2/2006 9:41:31 PM

the league will not exoand any further. I do however believe that there may be a relocation or two that might surprise people.

7/2/2006 9:59:38 PM

Well everyone knows Tagliabue wants to get a team in LA, so that can't be the surprise. Who is it you think will be relocated in LA?

7/2/2006 10:02:29 PM

either Jaguars or Saints. Both have bad owners.

7/2/2006 10:22:22 PM

As a Raiders fan, I can't help but believe they're a candidate to move to LA. Ticket sales in Oakland are nowhere near what Davis was promised back when he moved away from LA, and the Raiders' contract in Oakland is up in a couple years.

7/2/2006 10:29:05 PM

I can't see the Jaguars moving, but I'm not sure how ticket sales have been for them. Their team has been decent in recent years though.

New Orleans might move to Los Angeles. There'd be a better chance of the Saints relocating if Katrina hadn't happened.

New Orleans might want a new team if the Saints left, but I don't know if there would be the same push in Jacksonville.

Oakland could move I guess, but the fans there would be upset moreso than Jacksonville or New Orleans at this point I'd say.

7/2/2006 11:05:20 PM

Jacksonville has had awful ticket sales recently. Thats why they have been mentioned

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/JAC/8164105

Tagliabue says Jaguars' future safe

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2005) -- Commissioner Paul Tagliabue assured Jacksonville Jaguars fans that the franchise's future is safe, despite sagging attendance and a decision to cover seats next season.

Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver decided in December to cover 9,700 seats in hopes of alleviating local television blackouts, which have become common the past two years in one of the NFL's smallest markets.

"I think everyone realizes the stadium was somewhat oversized in terms of capacity because of the goal of having it big enough so that you could play a Super Bowl here, having it big enough so that you could play the Florida-Georgia game here, having it big enough so you could play college bowls here," Tagliabue said during his annual state of the league address.

"So what Wayne is doing in terms of reducing the capacity at the margin is intelligent and will bring it much closer to what our average capacity is for new stadiums."

Tagliabue noted several small-market teams have had sustained success, including Kansas City and Buffalo. He said Jacksonville could do that, too.

"We'll have to keep in place some of our wise policies in terms of revenue sharing and cost sharing," he said. "So if they need support from the league they'll get it."

The Jags will cover the four upper-deck corners of Alltel Stadium, as well as 16 rows of seven sections in the north end zone, to drop their capacity from 76,877 to 67,164. The reduction of 9,713 seats means the Jags will now have to sell approximately 49,000 tickets each game -- in addition to the season-ticket base -- to reach sellout status.

The team had 11 blackouts in 16 home games the past two seasons.

One drawback of this move is an NFL rule that mandates a team covering seats must do so for the entire season, including the playoffs.

7/2/2006 11:14:37 PM

Wow, didn't know all of that. Yea, maybe the League would be better served by moving Jacksonville to Los Angeles. If they are struggling to fill their stadium that's not good, and I think they have a fine football team.

I still think in the next ten years you will see another team or two added to the league. Just not sure where.

I'd love to see a few more top 3's from other people reading and posting in this thread.

7/2/2006 11:20:07 PM

If expanding (Which would be a horrible thing for the game)
They should go to:
LA - Duh
LV - Every sport should go here. Large population, continued growth. Imagine the facilities if the city would pony up for it, and leagues got over the gambling thing
Birmingham - I've said since Katrina they should just move the Saints here. Same area, fan base.

If moving:
Jacksonville - nice try, but see above
New Orleans - Reality is a bitch, and so is Tom Beson
Oakland - See the Jacksonville reasons, already been to LA

7/2/2006 11:30:36 PM

I think any of the California teams could end up in LA. Obviously all of them already have some sort of a fan base in the area, and all of them are in desperate need of upgraded facilities. The Raiders remain my number one for the reasons I already listed, plus Al Davis' nature in the past. Then in no particular order are San Francisco and San Diego.

7/2/2006 11:34:26 PM

Yes the Raiders have been in LA before, but their reasons for moving back to Oakland lead me to believe they could end up back in LA. In 1994, Davis was promised sold out crowds, a new stadium, and new practice facilities if he moved back to Oakland. No such offer was present in LA, as he wasn't happy with the LA Coliseum and sharing it with the Trojans.

Since moving back to Oakland, none of the promises made to him were fulfilled. They're still sharing the coliseum with the A's and the majority of the games are blacked out due to low attendance.

The NFL wants a team in LA, and they're willing to build a brand new stadium to get a team there. Considering the Raiders already have fans in the area and Davis is upset with the city of Oakland for making unfulfilled promises (he's sued the city once already), I think he'd move the team back to LA.

7/2/2006 11:40:30 PM

I can't see either the Chargers or the 49'ers leaving their cities.

The 49'ers have championships there. I can't imagine leaving that city and that history.

The Chargers have a devoted fanbase. Rome bitches perennially about the Raiders suck, Chargers rule goodnight now calls he receives.

[Edited on July 3, 2006 at 1:25 AM. Reason : ]

7/3/2006 1:25:06 AM