Which City Would You Like To See Get An NFL Team (1 Viewer)

[Chaka]

Portland or Spokane, so we could have more west coast games

Won't make a difference if it's the Spokane Chargers or Portland Raiders, which are two of the more likely scenarios.

Isn't Jacksonville potentially going to relocate, or are people already resigned to the idea this is the team that will move to London?

They are most likely the favorite for London, but I think Shad Khan wants to see what he can do in Jacksonville first.

And I think Jacksonville is probably the reason that places like Portland, Spokane, San Antonio etc. are unlikely to get an NFL team, the fan base is simply too small.

 

[biju]

Portland or Spokane, so we could have more west coast games

Won't make a difference if it's the Spokane Chargers or Portland Raiders, which are two of the more likely scenarios.

Isn't Jacksonville potentially going to relocate, or are people already resigned to the idea this is the team that will move to London?

They are most likely the favorite for London, but I think Shad Khan wants to see what he can do in Jacksonville first.

And I think Jacksonville is probably the reason that places like Portland, Spokane, San Antonio etc. are unlikely to get an NFL team, the fan base is simply too small.

I don't know if Spokane can support a team since there isn't another big city around it (unless Coeur D'Alene has exploded in population since the last time I drove through), but Portland also has Vancouver nearby and there are *tons* of suburban/urban cities right around Portland, not to mention Salem is only an hour drive away.

Really all I'd like to do is have the NFL end the charade that St. Louis belongs in a "West" division. It's closer (by a lot) to the Atlantic ocean than the Pacific so that whole West thing needs to go away.

 

[valhallan]

Portland has itself, Vancouver, Gresham, Beaverton, the rest of the suburbs, and then Salem and Albany in reasonable distance. That's about 3 million. There's no doubt this area has enough people to support an NFL franchise but the key issues are money and money.

And would Paul Allen, who owns the Seahawks and Portland's only major franchise the TrailBlazers NOT do everything he can to block a new franchise on his turf?

I want it bad, but it really feels like a pipedream.

 

[dgreen]

Portland has itself, Vancouver, Gresham, Beaverton, the rest of the suburbs, and then Salem and Albany in reasonable distance. That's about 3 million. There's no doubt this area has enough people to support an NFL franchise but the key issues are money and money.

And would Paul Allen, who owns the Seahawks and Portland's only major franchise the TrailBlazers NOT do everything he can to block a new franchise on his turf?

I want it bad, but it really feels like a pipedream.

I'm not sure there are many good choices that wouldn't have at least one owner fight over the territory. Maybe Salt Lake City and Vegas?

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Highest ranked DMA's without an NFL franchise: (Link)

Rank Designated Market Area (DMA) TV Households % of US

2 Los Angeles, CA 5,666,900 4.889

19 Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL 1,453,120 1.254

20 Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA 1,409,400 1.216

22 Portland, OR 1,197,780 1.033

25 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville), NC 1,131,310 0.976

30 Hartford and New Haven, CT 1,018,770 0.879

32 Salt Lake City, UT 953,950 0.823

34 Columbus, OH 915,950 0.790

36 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson,SC 878,550 0.758

37 San Antonio, TX 844,910 0.729

38 West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL 773,890 0.668

39 Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA 749,020 0.646

40 Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa), AL 747,190 0.645

41 Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI 740,230 0.639

42 Las Vegas, NV 718,030 0.620

43 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 716,050 0.618

44 Austin, TX 707,430 0.610

45 Oklahoma City, OK 704,670 0.608

46 Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM 703,720 0.607

47 Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC 699,040 0.603

48 Memphis, TN 693,860 0.599

50 Louisville, KY 674,940 0.582

(For point of reference, Jax is 49, Buffalo is 51, New Orleans is 52, Green Bay is 71)

Based on this, the only areas I would consider for expansion/relocation are Los Angeles and Portland. The other ones are either too small or too close geographically to existing teams (i.e. Orlando, Sacramento, etc).

I don't know if much has changed since this post but this really seems to be the list of viable cities.

There are some surprises on that list. Some of them like Hartford (Pats) are already in team's regions. Austin would really be considered as within San Antonio's region. I've bolded what I guess would be most likely.

I agree with the Portland suggestion, automatic rivalry with Seattle and San Fran and more west coast balance for the schedule and alignment.

 

[jurb26]

Rank Designated Market Area (DMA) TV Households % of US

2 Los Angeles, CA 5,666,900 4.889

19 Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL 1,453,120 1.254

20 Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA 1,409,400 1.216

22 Portland, OR 1,197,780 1.033

25 Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville), NC 1,131,310 0.976

From the above which was over 4 years ago.... I would be shocked if Raleigh-Durham wasn't higher on the list now. It's been one of the fastest growing cities in the US for several years now in a row and it is also forecasted that they will surpass Charlotte in the next 5 years... IIRC. Many will think it's silly, bit NC could easily support 2 NFL franchises and I for one would gladly support it as well.

 

[Doug B]

It's interesting, SaintsInDome2006, that you spotlighted so many cities. I've always thought that the next time the NFL expands, they should aim to add 8 teams -- bring each of the existing divisions to five teams. Not all at once ... maybe in pairs over an 8-12 year period. Here'a a back-of-the-envelope proposal for thought:

AFC East - 43 Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA 716,050 0.618
AFC North - Indianapolis Colts join

AFC South - 37 San Antonio, TX 844,910 0.729, 50 Louisville, KY 674,940 0.582
AFC West - 45 Oklahoma City, OK 704,670 0.608

NFC East - Carolina Panthers join

NFC North - St. Louis Rams join

NFC South - 40 Birmingham, AL 747,190 0.645, 48 Memphis, TN 693,860 0.599
NFC West - 22 Portland, OR 1,197,780 1.033, 32 Salt Lake City, UT 953,950 0.823

Comments on some remaining sites:

2 Los Angeles, CA 5,666,900 4.889 (likely Raiders landing spot. If not, replaces OKC in AFC West)
19 Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL 1,453,120 1.254 (good spot for Jags. If Jags stay in Jax or go to London, Orlando can replace Norfolk in AFC East)
20 Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA 1,409,400 1.216 (In SF & Oak's territory, could bump OKC or SLC)
34 Columbus, OH 915,950 0.790 (CLE, CIN, Ohio State territory. Could replace LOU in scheme above and keep INF in AFC South)
44 Austin, TX 707,430 0.610 (combined with SA metro above)

 

[Doug B]

From the above which was over 4 years ago.... I would be shocked if Raleigh-Durham wasn't higher on the list now. It's been one of the fastest growing cities in the US for several years now in a row and it is also forecasted that they will surpass Charlotte in the next 5 years... IIRC. Many will think it's silly, bit NC could easily support 2 NFL franchises and I for one would gladly support it as well.

You know ... when I was looking at this stuff, and saw Raleigh-Durham, I thought "way within Carolina's territory, skip". Strangely, on a map, the distance betweeen Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte is hard to appreciate. Keep thinking all that is one sprawling metro area ... was a little surprised to learn it was hours of drive time between them.

A Raleigh-Durham NFL team could, with any requisite shuffling, displace any one of Norfolk, Memphis, Bimingham, OKC, or Louisville in my proposal above.

 

[Run It Up]

Springfield MO - Come on doesn't everyone want a team in there own city.

Well this is awkward. Also in Springfield, MO.

 

[jurb26]

From the above which was over 4 years ago.... I would be shocked if Raleigh-Durham wasn't higher on the list now. It's been one of the fastest growing cities in the US for several years now in a row and it is also forecasted that they will surpass Charlotte in the next 5 years... IIRC. Many will think it's silly, bit NC could easily support 2 NFL franchises and I for one would gladly support it as well.

You know ... when I was looking at this stuff, and saw Raleigh-Durham, I thought "way within Carolina's territory, skip". Strangely, on a map, the distance betweeen Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte is hard to appreciate. Keep thinking all that is one sprawling metro area ... was a little surprised to learn it was hours of drive time between them.

A Raleigh-Durham NFL team could, with any requisite shuffling, displace any one of Norfolk, Memphis, Bimingham, OKC, or Louisville in my proposal above.

Yeah I make the drive at least once a month for work and also to Fayetteville (which is the armpit of the state) so I'm well aware of the time it takes. You're correct, anyone not from the area would never expect it to be as far as it is. I think it would be an easy upgrade to picking Norfolk. Norfolk is about the same distance from Raliegh-Durham as Charlotte is, actually. A team in Raliegh-Durham would probably pull some of that market anyway and thus be a better option for the NFL. Also, a team there would draw in the Tiad region of Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Highpoint. Though that area might also pull some Panther fans. In the end, the key is the growth that Raliegh-Durham is enduring. Here is one such article.

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_estate/2014/03/27/fastest-growing-cities/3.html

 

[biju]

The last thing we need is another east coast team. The Packers can basically walk to their entire schedule while West Coast teams typically fly the equivalent of going around the world.