NFL in Los Angeles?

[LA Rammer]

Roski plans ‘major announcement’

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer 46 minutes ago

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LOS ANGELES (AP)—Edward P. Roski Jr., a part owner of the Kings and Lakers who has spent several years trying to lure an NFL team to the Los Angeles area, has scheduled a news conference at Staples Center to make a “major announcement” concerning the league and L.A.

On Thursday, Roski will unveil his latest concept for a stadium in the City of Industry, near the southern intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways some 20 miles east of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Wednesday.

The stadium would be surrounded by a high-end shopping mall, already in the works, the newspaper said.

Roski didn’t immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the AP that the league wasn’t involved in Thursday’s news conference.

Los Angeles, the second-largest market in the country, has been without an NFL team since 1995, when the Raiders moved back to Oakland after playing 13 years at the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis.

Los Angeles lost out to Houston for an expansion franchise since that time, and the league hasn’t made relocating to the area a top priority in recent years.

Proposals have been made for numerous stadium sites in the area over the years including the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena as well as in Irwindale, Inglewood, Carson and Anaheim.

Roski and Philip Anschutz, the head of AEG, headed up construction of Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The Lakers, Kings and Arena Football League’s Los Angeles Avengers play their home games at the facility, which opened in October 1999. AEG is not involved in Thursday’s news conference either, according to a spokesman.

[ramsanddodgers]

If this were to become fact I wonder which division it would be in.

There would almost have to be multiple expansion teams? Only one team would create scheduling difficulties.

[Mooselini]

Doesn't california have enough teams?

As mentioend above, this one team could mess everything up. I expect a switch for a team...but who?

[LA Rammer]

Doesn't california have enough teams?

As mentioend above, this one team could mess everything up. I expect a switch for a team...but who?

Who knows, maybe...Rams?

[HUbison]

Most likely movers would be the Jaguars, Bills or Saints (in that order IMO). That's two South teams and a East team to play in LA. Either the league accepts the weird geography or reallign the divisions. Maybe.....

LA Jaguars - AFC-W
KC Chiefs - AFC-S

Would suck to see the Chiefs leave the West though.
----------------------------------------------------
LA Bills - AFC-W
KC Chiefs - AFC-N
Balt. Ravens - AFC-E

Again, don't want to see the Chiefs leave the West, but I must admit the Ravens moving to the East would be entertaining............like 50 Cent in a golf foursome.
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LA Saints - NFC-W
St.L Rams - NFC-S

Here's where it hits home. How could we leave the whiners? And I'm just not excited about sharing a division with the Bucs, Panthers, & Falcons...........just no intrigue for me, at this point.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

I don't see an expansion team here. As someone said, it would create an unbalanced alignment.

So, it'll probably be a relocation if it happens, and that's still a big IF.

If not the Rams, then I'm still holding out hope that the Chargers move north. That's a team that I could (would) immediately latch onto.

I wouldn't mind having the Jaqs here either. Bills? No thanks. Saints? Maybe.

I'm just wondering what I'd do with all my Rams stuff if the Bolts did move north? :O

[Roy G. Biv]

I don't see an expansion team here. As someone said, it would create an unbalanced alignment.

So, it'll probably be a relocation if it happens, and that's still a big IF.

If not the Rams, then I'm still holding out hope that the Chargers move north. That's a team that I could (would) immediately latch onto.

I wouldn't mind having the Jaqs here either. Bills? No thanks. Saints? Maybe.

I'm just wondering what I'd do with all my Rams stuff if the Bolts did move north? :O

Good question. What to do with all your Rams stuff if the Bolts move north? Hmm, what to do, what to do, hmm. Oh wait. I know the answer. You could give it all to a Rams fan that won't jump ship when a new team moves to town.

[LA Rammer]

Good question. What to do with all your Rams stuff if the Bolts move north? Hmm, what to do, what to do, hmm. Oh wait. I know the answer. You could give it all to a Rams fan that won't jump ship when a new team moves to town.

I'm in LA and I'll take it! Save you shipping charges.

[laram0]

I'm not so sure another expansion team is out of the question. Maybe the NFL has another area that's being taken into consideration along with L.A....Las Vegas, San Antonio, Toronto?

The question to have some fun with is if there is a new expansion team in L.A. what would the team name be?

[Truth]

The NFL stated that they are not interested in expanding the league. This means that an existing team will have to take the spot. Teams looking for stadium deals will begin using LA as a threat in the very near future. The 4 teams mentioned to move are... Saints, Jaguars, Vikings, and Chargers. I can't see the league letting the Saints go anywhere. I believe that the Vikings will threaten to leave to get a new stadium deal done. That leaves the Jags and Chargers.

Another interesting comment (spelled L-I-E) to come out of the NFL is that putting a team in the 2nd largest market in the country is not a priority for the league.

It will be interesting to see how teams looking for new stadium deals from their current cities will deal with this new $800,000,000 stadium being built WITHOUT any taxpayer dollars.

[evil disco man]

The only problem L.A. has had getting an expansion team is that they cannot get the public funds to build a stadium. It seems a private investor is the only way to go through with it, and sooner or later someone was going to step up.

I agree that it will more likely be a team moving than an expansion team. I hope so, because I like the way the divisons and schedules are set up right now. I remember reading a couple years ago that the league wanted to get a team in L.A. by 2010 - look for something to go down by that time.

:l

-jake-

[ramsanddodgers]

I thought London was in the front of the line for a new or transplanted team?!?

Unconfirmed vicious rumor, of course!

[lostsoul]

I'm not so sure another expansion team is out of the question. Maybe the NFL has another area that's being taken into consideration along with L.A....Las Vegas, San Antonio, Toronto?

The question to have some fun with is if there is a new expansion team in L.A. what would the team name be?

Oscar Goodman (The Mayor of Las Vegas) has been trying to get a pro franchise in Vegas for years, for awhile there were rumours the Chargers were moving to Vegas.

[dgr828]

Football will never come to Los Angeles until our beloved Rams return from being "on loan" to the city of St Louis. In Fact, It's still the Los Angeles Rams, were just using St Louis for the Dome Stadium. Much in the way that the New York Jets and Giants use New Jersey for their stadium. Makes much more sense for the Rams to move back west and keep the NFL alignment intact. Hate to say it, but St Louis fan seems to be a frontrunner. In 1999 he jumped on the Rams bandwagon until it hit a bump in the road, ditching it and settling for the St Louis Blues.

NFL in LA? It'll never happen until the Rams return to run the Empire they built for nearly 50 years. The Rams put LA on the map, and when they left no one has been able bring football back to that region of the world. Rams will always forever be Los Ageles!

[Rambos]

Thats 15 min from my house,come home Rams!