One? Two? Three?
None?
For some reason, after twenty barren years in the second-largest metropolis in the country, there's suddenly a rush to fill a void that most of us don't even notice.
It's not as if the NFL hasn't flourished in the last twenty years, or that any of its current problems are affected or would be solved by having at least one team return to L.A.
But suddenly, the San Diego Chargers AND the Oakland Raiders are threatening to bolt their current stadia (that's the plural of 'stadium', erudite readers), and the St. Louis Rams are talking about doing the same thing and returning to its original stomping grounds. Admittedly, all three stadia (go out and use the word twice today - that's your homework assignment) are in poor shape, although the Edward Jones Dome and Qualcomm Stadium are the Taj Mahal in comparison to the dump that the Raiders and Athletics share in Oakland.
There's a huge issue if the Chargers and Raiders follow through with the shared stadium deal they're discussing, but it's hard to see this being the deal-breaker if money talks loudly enough.
Our question is - WHY? Every one of these teams has been in their current homes for a minimum of twenty years; the Chargers for almost fifty. Los Angeles is NOT hurting for things to do on a Sunday afternoon: that's why the Raiders and Rams left in the FIRST place! Between living in the sun and surf capital of the nation, Hollywood, and everything else SoCal has going for it, who has time to watch football? The USC and UCLA football teams can testify to this (so can their basketball teams, for that matter) - when they're not good/borderline great, they're nothing in that town. Do you really think the current Rams or Raiders would succeed financially there? Really?
Stick with stability. Fix the stadium issues where you are (WITH PRIVATE MONEY!), and stay put - your loyal fans there will thank you tenfold.
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