Caution: LA is coming to steal your NFL team in 2011

[BridgeTroll]

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/news/story?id=5868477

Two L.A. groups approach Vikings

Two different groups interested in bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles have approached the Minnesota Vikings about possible relocation, Vikings vice president of public affairs Lester Bagley said in a chat on the team's website Tuesday.

"We have been approached by two different groups in Los Angeles -- the Ed Roski group and more recently by former Timberwolves CEO Tim Leiweke and AEG," Bagley said in the chat.

Bagley said team owner Zygi Wilf and Vikings management toured L.A. Live, an entertainment complex located in the city's downtown area, in 2009. According to Bagley, the group was looking for ideas on building a similiar entertainment district in Minnesota.

The Vikings are in their final year of their lease at the Metrodome and have been pushing to get a new stadium approved.

The Minnesota Twins and the University of Minnesota football team have moved out of the outdated building into shiny new facilities of their own. Since 2002, the Vikings have been playing in the Metrodome rent-free, a gesture made to acknowledge the building's difficulty in producing revenue.

Bagley said the Vikings have told both interested groups that the organization is "focused on resolving the issue in Minnesota."

"We feel solid momentum and feel we're well-positioned with the new legislature and governor," he said in the chat. "Instead of spending energy speculating on other markets, let's keep the focus on building a world-class facility for the community and the state of Minnesota."

Both the Rams and the Raiders were once a part of the nation's second-biggest market in Los Angeles.

Speaking at a fundraiser for downtown Los Angeles in early October, Leiweke said he was still working on getting an NFL team to the area. Leiweke also said he's committed to working with city officials and AEG's Phillip Anshutz to make a downtown stadium a reality.

Magic Johnson appears to be on board with Leiweke. On Tuesday, Johnson announced on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that he is partnering with AEG to bring an existing NFL team to Los Angeles.

Roski has permission to build an NFL stadium in Industry, Calif., about 15 miles outside of downtown Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, an attorney for the San Diego Chargers denied a report Tuesday by a Toronto radio station that Anschutz will buy 35 percent of Southern California's only NFL team.

The report immediately elevated speculation that the Chargers could be headed to Los Angeles.

The Chargers recently announced that owner Alex Spanos is looking to sell a minority stake to help with estate planning.

"There is no truth to the rumor out of Toronto that the Chargers have agreed to sell a portion of the team to Mr. Anschutz," Chargers attorney Mark Fabiani said in a statement late Tuesday night.

The report was on Fan 590.

[Shwaz]

Personally I hope the Vikings are not a candidate. The NFL loves Minnesota and the long history of football there. If they were to move out west it would only be a few years before talk began of what team would be moving the land of a thousand lakes.

[Wacca Pilatka]

The NFL loves Minnesota and the long history of football there. If they were to move out west it would only be a few years before talk began of what team would be moving the land of a thousand lakes.

It would probably be the same with San Diego, since it is a big and growing market, and the Chargers have been around for as long as the Vikings have.  It'd probably be a different story with Oakland or Buffalo; no one would be clamoring to move teams into those markets if the Raiders or Bills relocated.  Not sure about the Rams.  I've more than once seen flippant comments online saying "Move the Rams to L.A. and the Jaguars to St. Louis to correct both of the NFL's 90s mistakes," but I'll chalk that up to ignorance.  St. Louis is a pretty big market, but not a fast-growing one, and its baseball team is first in its collective sports heart. 

Anyway, I don't root for any team to move because it'd be hypocritical of me to do that, and I don't root for Los Angeles to ever get a team with the Roski group's condescension and glaring sense of entitlement.

[tufsu1]

keep in mind that the Chargers started out as the LA Chargers....moved to San Diego after their first year

[Shwaz]

The NFL loves Minnesota and the long history of football there. If they were to move out west it would only be a few years before talk began of what team would be moving the land of a thousand lakes.

It would probably be the same with San Diego, since it is a big and growing market, and the Chargers have been around for as long as the Vikings have.  It'd probably be a different story with Oakland or Buffalo; no one would be clamoring to move teams into those markets if the Raiders or Bills relocated.  Not sure about the Rams.  I've more than once seen flippant comments online saying "Move the Rams to L.A. and the Jaguars to St. Louis to correct both of the NFL's 90s mistakes," but I'll chalk that up to ignorance.  St. Louis is a pretty big market, but not a fast-growing one, and its baseball team is first in its collective sports heart. 

Anyway, I don't root for any team to move because it'd be hypocritical of me to do that, and I don't root for Los Angeles to ever get a team with the Roski group's condescension and glaring sense of entitlement.

I disagree that the NFL would want back in San Diego with a team so close in LA, the attendance they're having and also stadium issues.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I can understand what you mean, but Vic Ketchman has implied that the NFL would prefer not to leave San Diego and that the attendance is deemed to have something more to do with the stadium situation and the potentially-leaving cloud hanging over the team.  (My assumption, which I didn't phrase well, was that SD and Minneapolis would potentially get new stadia in the works within a few years in the hopes of attracting a team--something like the Cleveland situation repeating itself.)

Also, SD fans are LOUD every time I watch a game, and always have been; sensitive as I am to people's misperceptions of Jacksonville's football passion, it's hard for me to perceive a lack of football passion there.

[Shwaz]

I definitely don't criticize their fans for lack of passion and you're probably right that it comes down to stadium issues... but from what I gather their is no current plan to build a new stadium there. Maybe Roski can take his business a little further south and build  stadium / buy a minority stake in the Chargers?

[Wacca Pilatka]

I wonder if it would be logistically possible to build a stadium further south of LA to draw from both LA and SD, but considering travel conditions there, probably a nightmare.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Forget LA and the whole state of California. I just hope the Jaguars finish this season well and get another good crop of STH.

[tufsu1]

I wonder if it would be logistically possible to build a stadium further south of LA to draw from both LA and SD, but considering travel conditions there, probably a nightmare.

that would be called Anaheim...where the Rams used to play

[Wacca Pilatka]

I wonder if it would be logistically possible to build a stadium further south of LA to draw from both LA and SD, but considering travel conditions there, probably a nightmare.

that would be called Anaheim...where the Rams used to play

I was meaning further south and closer to the coast.  E.g. going toward Oceanside but not that far south.

[Coolyfett]

LA still wants a team??

[duvaldude08]

They need to break ground on a stadium first. In my opinon, it was all blown out of proportion by the media. I honestly think the plan will eventually die off. The NFL is not really pushing for it anyways.

[Keith-N-Jax]

LA still wants a team??

NFL wants LA to have a team.

[mtraininjax]

NFL wants LA to have a team.

Owners run the league, so if an owner wants to pickup and move the team or sell out, its their sandbox to play in. Weaver is not ready to sell yet, and he has a great stadium and new revenue from Everbank/BCBSF. I say we have the team for at least the period of the Everbank deal.

Now to sell the remaining tickets for the Raiders and Skins.