San Antonio ---> L.A. most likely trail for the Saints( ESPN)

[underpants]

San Antonio is team's likely home next season

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2201514

Saints owner Tom Benson declared this week that nothing will be decided on the franchise's future until after the season. But ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that, based on information from key league sources, the team has probably played its last game in New Orleans.

According to Mortensen, San Antonio is a likely home for 2006 and Los Angeles* is the preferred destination beyond that. The NFL could still include New Orleans as a Super Bowl site when the city is reconstructed, and expansion might even be a possibility, but that's 10 to 15 years away.

*ON EDIT-Why not the Cardinals? :shrug:

If the Saints relocate to San Antonio or elsewhere, New Orleans has only a slim chance of ever seeing another NFL team, according to a major sports consultant.

"If I were advising Mayor Nagin, I would have given him the same advice that someone should have given the mayors of Baltimore and Houston," Ganis said. "Hold on to what you have. Do everything you have to hold on to what you've got, because there's no certainty to what will come next or what will come at all."

Ganis said New Orleans is already viewed as a small market struggling to remain financially competitive -- and most NFL owners oppose expanding beyond the present 32 teams.

[imouttahere]

1. As long as they don't expect a new stadium in L.A.....

because a publicly-funded stadium in L.A. just isn't going to happen. Our local politicians may not be perfect, but they have continually said no to publicly-funded stadiums. If they want to play here bad enough, they can play at the Coliseum.

[dr.zoidberg]

2. NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I've followed this team since I was able to understand the game. I have lived through the good times with Mora, to the bad times with Mora, to the really bad times with Ditka, to the up and downs with Haslett. I have always considered the Saints to be my favorite team in all of sports(LSU and Manchester City are tied for second). I don't want to lose them.:cry:

Fuck you, Tom Benson. This motherfucker has been extorting Louisiana for years with threatening to move the Saints. As far as I can see, Benson has no real reason to move. He has an act of God clause in the contract. This means that if the facilities are destroyed, then the Saints can move. Well guess what? The facilities are not totaled. In fact, they are in good condition(except for the Superdome, but projections show it being fixed sometime next year.) He can't say that wee don't support the team either, home games have been sold out for 4 years in a row. Hell, we probably would build statues in Haslett's honor for getting us close to the playoffs for several years in a row. What this all boiled down to is that Benson is going to do what he always wanted to do, move the team. I expected nothing less from a used car salesman cocksucker like himself. You can go to hell, Benson, straight to hell. :mad: :grr: :cry: :banghead:

[imouttahere]

3. It's too bad someone couldn't buy the team to keep it in NO

but it seems the NFL is a great investment these days, and owners are probably not very likely to sell anymore. Unless you own the Arizona Cardinals.

[KamaAina]

9. The only answer is for the Bagheads to take the team public

a la the Green Bay Packers. Trust me, the same Louisianians who bellyache about their tax dollars going to subsidize the Saints would gladly pony up two and three times the money for an ownership interest, however small, in their team.

Mayor Nagin's idea of keeping the name and trademark, like Cleveland did with the Browns, founders on the rocks of an NFL already swollen to the nice even number of 32 teams, and on a smaller New Orleans not exactly being seen by the league as a juicy expansion market.

[underpants]

13. Baltimore Browns

I knew a guy in Baltimore who had a sweatshirt with the helmet and everything. I offered him $100 for it (he wore it and worked in it) but he wouldn't give it up.

[Awsi Dooger]

4. Isn't Arizona building some kind of amazing new stadium?

Maybe it fell through. But regarding your "Why not the Cardinals?" I wondered the same thing last year until I read about a new stadium that had a retractable roof and/or movable field that could essentially adjust to all types of weather and playing conditions. It was an incredible investment for a franchise that seemed to be struggling, and a likely candidate to move.

[underpants]

5. I must have missed the story about the new stadium

I hate to make such a blanket statement...but-Arizona just seems to be a wasteland of players either hanging on for one or two more years or guys waiting to get the hell out of there. That is just and impression I have had of them since they moved out into the desert.

Retractable roof???what with Air conditioning??? Moveable field? WOW!

[Awsi Dooger]

6. Here's a link to the new stadium

http://azcardinals.com/stadium/

Scheduled to open next season. Looks sort of like a modern version of Texas Stadium. I didn't check out the 3D animation, but it mentions the retractable roof and rectractable field.

I was shocked when I read about this stadium and the features last year. Since the late '80s I've had the same impression of the franchise as you described. Especially when the stands are empty and in some games, like vs. Dallas, you seemingly get more fans rooting for the visitor than the Cardinals.

[underpants]

7. Bidwell had a SWEET deal. NFL restructured away $$$ due to him

Well maybe not DUE to him but it affected him.

This probably isn't news to you.

Used to be that the away team got half of the gate (figured without sky boxes and some season tickets) well for the Cards this was great-they played AT Philly, NYG, Dallas, and Washington. The latter of which was always sold out no matter what. Well the Niners of the league didn't like that they played AT NewOrleans, Atlanta, and .....who was it.... anyway they tended to suck and the fans didn't show up anywhere near like they did in the NFC East.

Jerry Jones actually helped work this out about 5 years ago. Now all the away money goes into one pot and is then split up amongst all the teams. No one benefits like Bidwell used to just because he was in the right division. It was a good stability thing for the league but think about all that money Bidwell got over the years for no real reason.

[Awsi Dooger]

8. I read a funny story about Jacksonville and money to the away team pot

This was in Pro Football Weekly during exhibition season. That's a small market and they have very low corporate investment in season tickets, less than one-half or one-third the typical number. To encourage season ticket purchases, the Jaguars started allowing ticket purchases on an installment plan, including payments due long after the season was over. Well, according to Pro Football Weekly, after last season ended a huge percentage of those people just stopped paying. The money due to the league was based on the number of tickets sold, but since a significant percentage of that money was never collected Jacksonville was in bad shape trying to figure out what to do.

[imouttahere]

12. That story sounds a little like the Raiders situation....

the reason you sometimes see a lot of empty seats at Oakland Raiders home games isn't just because the tickets are ridiculously expensive. It has a lot to do with folks who wanted to purchase PSL's back in '95 when the team returned to Oakland and their credit card purchases were declined. That started a domino effect where the number of PSL's/season tickets was severely over-estimated and the county and Coliseum commission have tried to make up the shortfall ever since, much to the dismay of Raiders fans who simply can't afford the tickets. Seems to me, given the enormous amount of money involved in the NFL TV contract, that it would be in the best interests of the Raiders and the municipalities involved to lower the ticket prices so they can sell out the games and lift the TV blackouts. But what do I know?

[underpants]

14. PSL's

Woo boy what a scam. The Ravens fans I knew in Baltimore were explaining it to me when I stopped them....yeah they knew it was ridiculous but the aspect of OWNING the rights was very appealing to them.

BTW these were businessmen types too and they knew what they were talking about.

That is a funny (sad) story about the Raiders.

[imouttahere]

17. I have to admit, it was fun knowing you OWNED something....

it felt like you owned part of the team. And my name is prominently displayed on a wall on the west side of Oakland Coliseum.

BTW, I wasn't a businessman at the time, and most of the Raiders' PSL holders probably aren't - just devoted fans, some of whom even took out 2nd mortgages to pay for the PSL's/tickets. At the time, it was the ONLY way to get Raiders season tickets, and as far as I know, it still is.

[underpants]

18. Nosebleeds at the Raven's stadium were about $1,500

the PSL's were oh about $3K

I think it was something like that.

The manager of the business I worked at bought 4 way up and 24for himself on the second level. His were more expensive but not a huge amount.

He used the top level ones to give out to customers and their foremen types while he entertained the purchase dept. heads and higher up types....so it goes.

[getmeouttahere]

19. Well, the nosebleeds at Oakland aren't that much.....

probably half that, but if you're talking about an individual, versus a company/corporation, it's still damned expensive. We were able to upgrade without costing us too much 4 years in, so now the seats are on the 20 yard line, 15 rows up. We wouldn't have been able to upgrade like that if we hadn't been in from the beginning. And it sounds like the Ravens were able to fetch a lot more...maybe because they have more corporate interest, or just did a better job of marketing.

[KamaAina]

10. If dastardly Benson gets away with this, the Super Bowl is gone

and that diminishes the entire NFL. Alas, after the Al Davis fiasco, I don't know what the league can legally do to stop the thief.

Imagine your team winning its conference championship game as you yell at the top of your lungs, "Yes! We're going to San Antonio! Where people know what picante sauce is supposed to taste like!" :sarcasm:

And this right after he took out a full-page ad in the N.O. Times-Picayune proclaiming his loyalty to the city! Would it surprise you at all to learn he's a big-time repuke? :puke:

[imouttahere]

11. Don't know about diminishing the entire NFL...

but I certainly don't think the Super Bowl should be played in San Antonio.

And no, I'm not surprised to hear he's a big time repuke. Most of them are.

[KamaAina]

15. New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl as often as any other city

nine times in all; the other most frequent hoster is Miami. There must be a reason for that, and it sure ain't the 'Aints' proud tradition on the gridiron! :-) Rather, it's that N.O. is the best place to have a massive gathering and celebration like the Super Bowl, and the loss of that is what would diminish the entire NFL.

[imouttahere]

16. Well, I know the Raiders enjoyed playing in SB 15 there!

because the Tooz and company partied all night and still kicked the Eagles' asses!

I sincerely hope that the Superdome is ok and ready for the Saints next season, and for years to come.