Look: 49ers, Rams Open Seasons With Plenty of Empty Seats in Stadiums

Sports Illustrated ^ | September 10 2017 | Khadrice Rollins

[semantic]

The Premier league doesn't conduct promotion/demotion out of some sense of sportsmanship, good conduct or moral obligation. Rather, it's a competitive system that works for their specific targeted audience engaged ie British males. In that sense, perhaps there is a cultural influence, but it's driven by the consumer who's paying the bill(s).

If that kind of system worked for the NFL, the league would have no compucution about adopting it for their own purposes. But, as you mentioned, they share the (collective) broadcast rights evenly among all teams. However, I would caution against conflating their approach with a political socialist economy.

In case anyone needs a reminder, the NFL central offices are located at 345 Park Ave in *New York City*, right next door from the world's largest media conglomerates. The NFL is, and has always been, an entertainment business.

[dfwgator]

I grew up in Monterey, I know how microclimates there are...a world of difference between Carmel and Salinas.

[discostu]

They might be worth their weight in gold, but they’re never worth more than 3 draft picks. There’s a reason why teams that trade up a lot never get better and teams that trade down a lot never get worse. There’s a very straightforward math in the NFL: 53 roster spots, 1/3 annual turn over (free agency, retirement and trade), 7 draft picks. Teams are fighting an uphill battle constantly needing to replace 17 people with 7 draft picks, the more on roster people your draft picks turn into the better your team is going to be. Trading 5 picks to get one guy is the equivalent to having 4 draft busts that never see the field, teams that have half a draft never see the field will stay bad.

Best you can hope for on that is the guy is so good and so loyal he stay long enough for you to get to “normal” drafts and surround him with talent. Julio Jones is an example of that, the Falcons gave up 5 picks for him, promptly went sub-500, got their coach fired, and have finally rebuilt around him. Of course even then, if they’d have gotten him for one pick maybe their defense is younger and stronger, doesn’t get worn out, and they win SBLI.

[aquila48]

What are the odds of that? It’s more likely they’ll double down. I’m sure what they’d like to do is not play the national anthem at all.

[dfwgator]

LA is one of those places where most people come from somewhere else and keep loyalties with their old team.

Miami has that same problem.

[Hugin]

I lived there a long time, and now is the hottest time of year. Now I’m in Sacramento, 90 doesn’t seem hot to me anymore. ;~)

[Hugin]

Santa Clara is near the Bay though, and it does moderate the weather. I live near Sacramento, and it’s generally 10-15 degrees hotter here than SJ in the summer. But even here we get cooled by the delta breeze most summer nights.