Posted on 10/27/2005 6:35:15 AM PDT by robowombat
Saints Could End Up In L.A. Team, League Weighing Options
By Mark Maske and Leonard Shapiro Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, October 27, 2005; E01
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 26 -- The NFL will consider relocating the New Orleans Saints to Los Angeles if New Orleans is unable to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, three sources familiar with the league's deliberations on the matter said.
The NFL plans to return the Saints to New Orleans if the city demonstrates it can still support the team, the officials said. But they said the league is concerned that the area will not be able to fully bounce back and is thus open to the possibility of having the Saints play in San Antonio next season and then move permanently to Los Angeles.
The Saints have been based in San Antonio since being displaced by the hurricane in August, but the league has no interest in that city as a permanent home for the club, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no firm decisions have been made and the deliberations are at a sensitive stage. The NFL has been actively seeking to return to Los Angeles, the second-largest television market in the country, which has not had a franchise since the Raiders left for Oakland after the 1994 season.
"We're going to try to ride out the rest of this year the best way we can," a source involved in the discussions said. "They could very well spend another year in San Antonio. If you're looking at it long-term, L.A. is a no-brainer. But I also think we need to give New Orleans and Louisiana a shot. ************************
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
They would DEFINITELY need to change the name then.
A team called the "Saints" in L.A.?
My initial response is "No Way!"
You might call them "Clippers"
Or "Tramps" or "Male Strippers"
But it's still unlikely they'll stay.
Ok so San Antonio might want to just let the Saints play to an empty stadium next year if the NFL wants to just use and abuse the city to keep the team profitable for an additional 12 months while it prepares LA to receive it.
Quite a slap in the face for SA I would say.
Alternatively, the Alamodome should simply schedule live big screen feeds of the Cowboys' games next season rather than scheduling the Saints'home games. Let them play in and LA area stadium next year.
Cripes, I'm a genius!!!
Congress will LOVE this idea!!!
I knew I'd finally come up with one sooner or later...
If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em!!!
LA could not support an NFL team in the past, that's why they are without one now.
Tagulibue and the rest of the sports media need to realize that sports world doesn't revolve around LA. Just the oppostite.
Too much to do in L.A. year round b/c of the good weather. Same thing in Miami where you can walk right up to the booth and get tix. Try that in most northern cities with NFL teams. The Redskin's have like a 20 year waiting list for potential season ticket buyers.
The Saints! Playing in the cities no one else wants to play in.
Los Angeles = The Angels
What is wrong with The Angels' Saints?
"migrant workers who play in a different city every week. "
Change the name to "The Manuel Labores"
What about Mexico City? The NFL has been slowly trying to internationalize anyway showing pre-season games in Japan and now regular season games in Mexico. They sure would have a good fan base here in the US with all the Mexicans
already here.
Saints in LA, makes as much sense as..uh...hmmm....oh, Jazz in Utah.
Instead of the NO Saints, they can be the NWO Santos!
And Dubya can claim credit for inserting the "W"!!!
How about the Los Angles Illegals.
Cool!
If the players multitask as their own groundskeepers, the turf oughta be in immaculate condition for every game.
And there should be a reduction in team traveling expenses since you can probably cram the whole squad into maybe 4~5 minivans.
I was pulling for the Cowboys, but Arlington came through with a billion dollar deal for Jones.
Los Angeles Undocumented Workers.
Or the Flames in Calgary. At least Cleveland managed to keep the name, and Nashville had enough sense to come up with a new name, as did KC, while Houston bought the rights to the name of the former Dallas team.
Why does LA need an NFL team? We already have two fine college teams--The USC Trojans and the Occidental College Tigers.
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