The National Football League has been around since 1920. When it first began, the franchises were all over the Eastern and Midwestern parts of America before many teams folded and moved. Ultimately, up until the mid-1940’s, the NFL had teams only as far West as Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago.
In 1946, the Cleveland Rams bucked that trend and decided to move to California, changing the landscape of both the NFL and professional football in the United States. The Rams became a successful enterprise in Los Angeles, lasting in the L.A. Coliseum until 1979 when the team moved to Anaheim, although retaining the Los Angeles name. The Oakland Raiders soon replaced the Rams, moving into the Coliseum in 1982 after owner Al Davis relocated his team from Oakland.
The teams would remain under the Los Angeles name until 1994, when both decided to leave town. The Rams were moved to St. Louis while the Raiders returned to Oakland. Many thought an expansion team would soon replace one of the two teams, but it never materialized.
Recently, there has been ample buzz about a team returning to Los Angeles, the country’s second-largest market only behind New York. Many pundits have speculated that the Raiders and Rams might be the returning parties, although the San Diego Chargers are also in the mix. Considering San Diego’s attendance problems over the years and the lack of a new stadium, the Chargers have to be considered as a real possibility.
Let’s handicap the chances either of the three aforementioned teams goes to Los Angeles in 2015:
Oakland Raiders – 50 percent
It takes a lot to move a franchise and get everything up and running so quickly. However, owner Mark Davis has repeatedly stated his displeasure with the O.co Coliseum and the lease he’s dealing with. It has become clear the city of Oakland is in no rush to provide a new home for the Raiders, who have been playing in the same building since 1966.
During the NFL Owner’s Meetings on Wednesday, NFL media insider Ian Rapoport delivered this tweet:
The Oakland #Raiders have a much better chance of moving to Los Angeles this year than I realized. That possibility is very legitimate.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 10, 2014
While this is speculation, it makes you wonder exactly what went on in those meetings.
San Diego Chargers – 30 percent
San Diego is an attractive team to the Los Angeles market for a few reasons, chief among them a competitive team that already has fans in the area. The Chargers have always been a high-octane, star-power type of team and feature an elite quarterback in Philip Rivers. Additionally, the city of San Diego built the Padres a new park recently but have done nothing to improve the Chargers’ situation with Qualcomm Stadium.
As Mike Florio of NBC Sports pointed out, the favorite in this race to Los Angeles might actually be the Chargers. It has not been as public as the Raiders and Rams, but the interest from both sides is certainly there.
St. Louis Rams – 20 percent
Over at CBS Sports, Jason La Canfotra sees the Rams as the front-runners to move back to the City of Angels. Owner Stan Kroenke owns land in Inglewood, giving the team a site to build upon.
The Rams have simply not generated much support in the St. Louis market since showing up in 1995. When the team was excellent during its “Greatest Show On Turf” days, the fans were filling up the Edward Jones Dome. However, times have been very lean over the past decade and the citizens have stayed away in droves. The stadium is also outdated but the city has shown little interest in helping the Rams secure a new building.
