Minneapolis should be allowed to counter-threat with a municipal buyout of the franchise. If your owner becomes a Grade-A dickwad, then you get to turn your team into the next Green Bay Packers. Sadly, the NFL doesn't want that kind of civic ownership.

A Minneapolis sports franchise going to Los Angeles with a nickname that no longer makes sense?



That's unpossible!

Buffalo is the only team that does not make sense for where it is located. I still think that franchise will be the next one to move

Hang On Voltaire: Buffalo is the only team that does not make sense for where it is located. I still think that franchise will be the next one to move

If any franchise were to move, it should be Jacksonville. The market isn't there, the blackouts are pervasive, and the team has far less history than Minnesota or Buffalo.

UNC_Samurai:

If any franchise were to move, it should be Jacksonville. The market isn't there, the blackouts are pervasive, and the team has far less history than Minnesota or Buffalo.

True but that would change if the team were winning. Buffalo is a dying city.

The Jazz don't play in New Orleans anymore?, I guess I should read the sport section more often.

C'mon, put something in San Antonio. Please?

It's going to be jacksonville. They don't even sell out when they're winning.

UNC_Samurai: If any franchise were to move, it should be Jacksonville. The market isn't there, the blackouts are pervasive, and the team has far less history than Minnesota or Buffalo.

Absolutely. The NFL thought Jacksonville was about to explode as a city, and it hasn't happened.

Plus their color scheme and mascot would work in LA, so there's that.

DrVoice: C'mon, put something in San Antonio. Please?

Isn't san antonio a mark for the cowboys? Wouldn't jerry get his knickers in a twist over that?

Meh, they're just using the threat to move as leverage to get a new stadium built. Like others have said, it would make much more sense for Buffalo or Jacksonville to be the team to go. I can't blame the Vikings for using whatever they can to get out of the shiatty Metrodome.

I am Ahab: Meh, they're just using the threat to move as leverage to get a new stadium built. Like others have said, it would make much more sense for Buffalo or Jacksonville to be the team to go. I can't blame the Vikings for using whatever they can to get out of the shiatty Metrodome.

Sounds like the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission threatened first, because the sooner the Vikings move, the sooner they're a useless entity.

This is why I prefer college sports to the pros. I seriously doubt that the Hawkeyes (or insert your favorite team) will be moving to another city in the future.

No worse than:

Adding to the Vikings' frustration is the fact that the University of Minnesota's football team moved into a new $288 million stadium this fall, and the Twins will move into a new $517 million stadium in April.

And there it is. It looks like the Vikings are all like "Well U of M got a new stadium, and the Twinkies got a new stadium. You have to give us a new stadium, right? WAHHHH!"

I might move J-ville, but not any team that is established like the Bills or Vikings. I'm still not convinced LA would support a team unless they were winning.

neuroflare: DrVoice: C'mon, put something in San Antonio. Please?

Isn't san antonio a mark for the cowboys? Wouldn't jerry get his knickers in a twist over that?

Yeah, but when there's no football in town above the NCAA D2 level, you gotta do something to keep sane.

Name that film:

"The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville where there is no oil.

The Minneapolis Lakes moved to Los Angeles where there are no lakes.

The New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah, where music is illegal."

Nope, Utah Jazz still the worst name. Not only is it a state where most of the population can't dance, but the only black guys in Utah play on the Jazz.

Utah is the Florida of the West Coast.

LA has had their shot at a NFL franchise, twice. They failed. Forget it.

Nothing is worse than Utah Jazz.

The home of conservative mormons named after black subversive "devil's music"?

Only browsed TFA but it seems to imply that the Vikings can't make enough money because of the stadium? I don't get that at all.

YonderScott: I might move J-ville, but not any team that is established like the Bills or Vikings. I'm still not convinced LA would support a team unless they were winning.

First season or two a team moving here might get a bit of leeway. But much beyond that, without winning, no one will show up. This isn't NY with long time team loyalties or Green Bay with fark else to do.

tnpir: Name that film:

"The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville where there is no oil.

The Minneapolis Lakes moved to Los Angeles where there are no lakes.

The New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah, where music is illegal."

One of my favorite opening scenes to a movie.

As a Packers fan, I would LOVE to see Minnesota gain a QB but lose the team. That would be hilarious.

/won't happen
//well, MIGHT not happen....

tnpir: Name that film:

"The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville where there is no oil.

The Minneapolis Lakes moved to Los Angeles where there are no lakes.

The New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah, where music is illegal."

Schindler's List.

markyp09: tnpir: Name that film:

"The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville where there is no oil.

The Minneapolis Lakes moved to Los Angeles where there are no lakes.

The New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah, where music is illegal."

Schindler's List.

baseketball

tnpir: Name that film:

"The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville where there is no oil.

The Minneapolis Lakes moved to Los Angeles where there are no lakes.

The New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah, where music is illegal."

Greatest Sports-related movie ever. Sports in Basketball is pretty much how it is now. UFC anyone?

DrVoice: C'mon, put something in San Antonio. Please?

I think I remember Jones saying he would be ok with a San Antonio team if it were in the AFC. I can't think of the source, but if I remember it, I'll put it here.

WTF Indeed: Utah is the Florida of the West Coast.

WTF, indeed.

neuroflare: Schindler's List.

baseketball

Whoa. I was way off.

Put something in Virginia.

jaylectricity: No worse than:

WTF....that looks like a motorcycle helmet with horns.

Lt. Cheese Weasel: LA has had their shot at a NFL franchise, twice. They failed. Forget it.

The LA Rams, Raiders, and Chargers?
Yea, that adds up.

So it's official - LA lacks any originality whatsoever. Heck, even their titz ain't original.

/calling all foobies

jaylectricity: No worse than:

I dunno, I don't have stats but there are a good number of Scandinavians in the Pacific Northwest. Not as many as Minnesota, but I went to school (in both Seattle and Portland) with plenty of people named Larsen, Gunderson, Jensen, Johannsen, etc.

The guy building the LA stadium wants to own the NFL franchise that would potentially move there. That is going to knock out a lot of teams.

InferiousX: Only browsed TFA but it seems to imply that the Vikings can't make enough money because of the stadium? I don't get that at all.

The stadium only seats 64k, which is small by NFL standards, they only have 100 luxury boxes, and no club seating.

It's not their only problem, because they're hovering just under the salary cap, but it's not helping.

jibern: Lt. Cheese Weasel: LA has had their shot at a NFL franchise, twice. They failed. Forget it.

The LA Rams, Raiders, and Chargers?
Yea, that adds up.

When were the Chargers in LA?

The Minneapolis Twincinerator has to be the worst newly contructed stadium in the last 10 years. Sunday Sunday Sunday! This April the rest of Minnesota will be freezing, but not at the Twincinerator. As Joe Mauer hits another double, watch the mercury rise, in your blood stream!
/Perhaps the Vikes can build onto the Prarrie Island nuclear power plant.

bottsicus: jibern: Lt. Cheese Weasel: LA has had their shot at a NFL franchise, twice. They failed. Forget it.

The LA Rams, Raiders, and Chargers?
Yea, that adds up.

When were the Chargers in LA?

The Chargers started in LA when the AFL started up in 1960.

Asherah loves YHWH: The Minneapolis Twincinerator has to be the worst newly contructed stadium in the last 10 years. Sunday Sunday Sunday! This April the rest of Minnesota will be freezing, but not at the Twincinerator. As Joe Mauer hits another double, watch the mercury rise, in your blood stream!
/Perhaps the Vikes can build onto the Prarrie Island nuclear power plant.

Oh give it a rest.

"Waaah waaahhh outdoor baseball. Waahh wahhhhhhh it's near the HERC, which I've never even smelled, only read about in the paper."

Kygz: It's going to be jacksonville. They don't even sell out when they're winning.

This.

/agrees that "Lakers" in L.A. is a worse nickname than "Jazz" in Utah. Plus it goes better with the rest of the headline. Bad subby.

tnpir: Name that film:

"The Houston Oilers moved to Nashville where there is no oil.

The Minneapolis Lakes moved to Los Angeles where there are no lakes.

The New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah, where music is illegal they don't allow music."

FTFY

I kinda don't get why Jacksonville has such bad attendance. I mean, living in FL all my life, I understand a lot of people are transplants but J-ville has a huge population (biggest city in FL, I think). They're not even that bad of a team. A couple of their guys died/got shot/were amputated recently but they're solid enough. They're not Oakland or St. Louis

See, this actually perfect. This is what will happen: the Vikes will finally win the Super Bowl this year just to rub it in the faces of all the die hard fans. Like my Uncle, a season ticket holder since 1969, who hates Favre more than anything. It's going to take a Packer to win it for the Vikes. They will then move and become the best team in the league for the next 15 years. MN will never get another team. It's so clear....

Wired magazine had an article making a strong case for breaking up the major sports leagues (new window) and reformatting them to prevent this sort of crap happening.

Eliminate the false scarcity of teams by creating a multi-tiered league, where the perennial losing teams are booted down and lose value. That forces owners to compete, not just sit back and collect from revenue sharing. It also allows more start up teams to join, reducing the threat of leaving, since someone else can just use the abandoned stadium for their new team.

It's a real slap in the face when teams move and keep their names. Get my grandfather drunk and he'll rant and rave about O'Malley and how much of a scumbag move stealing the Dodgers was.

Zygi Wilf knew what he was getting when he bought the team. Let him build his own stadium, the cheap-ass billionaire.

bottsicus: InferiousX: Only browsed TFA but it seems to imply that the Vikings can't make enough money because of the stadium? I don't get that at all.

The stadium only seats 64k, which is small by NFL standards, they only have 100 luxury boxes, and no club seating.

It's not their only problem, because they're hovering just under the salary cap, but it's not helping.



Also, when fans attending Gopher or Twins games at the Dome would by concessions, the most of the profit went to the Vikings, not to the team playing in the Dome that day. So there is more money that they are no longer receiving.