Developer targeting Vikings, six others for L.A. stadium - The Orange Mane

HEAV · 10-24-2009, 05:56 PM

By JACOB ADELMAN , Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - The developer working to bring the NFL back to the Los Angeles area with a sleek, new 75,000-seat stadium has a 600-acre site to build the proposed venue and is close to having the legal go-ahead to break ground.

Now all that's needed is a team.

Majestic Realty Co. plans to build the $800 million stadium in the city of Industry — about 15 miles east of Los Angeles — and it's casting a wide net in its search.

Majestic named seven teams it believes are ready for a new home.

The Buffalo Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Minnesota Vikings, the St. Louis Rams, the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers are on developer's list of possible targets.

The teams are in stadiums that are either too small or can't be updated to cash in on the box seats, naming rights and other revenue sources that an NFL club needs to thrive, Majestic managing partner John Semcken said on Thursday, a day after the California Senate approved an environmental exemption bill allowing the stadium's construction.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office didn't immediately respond to an inquiry on whether he planned to sign the bill, which would nullify a lawsuit over the project's environmental impact report by citizens in the neighboring city of Walnut.

Majestic helped develop downtown Los Angeles' Staples Center, home of several sports franchises, including the NBA's Lakers and Clippers and the NHL's Kings.

Semcken said the company plans to begin approaching teams after the Super Bowl in February and could have a team playing at the Rose Bowl starting from nest season until 2013, when the company hoped to have the new stadium built.

The NFL is aware of Wednesday's Senate vote and other potential stadium developments in the Los Angeles area, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. He declined to comment on specific sites or teams that might move to the region.

Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consultancy SportsCorp, said persuading a team to move and getting the NFL's approval would be Majestic's greatest obstacle yet.

"Having the legislation and the environmental impact statement is lovely and it's a good thing," he said. "But without having the team in hand, it's just a very nice piece of paper to put up on your wall."

The Jaguars and the Bills are in areas too sparsely populated to make financing a new stadium feasible, Semcken said. The Jaguars' TV market ranks 29th among the NFL's 32 teams, while the Bills' is 31st, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc.

The Jaguars have struggled for years to fill Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and are in danger of having all their games blacked out on local TV this season. The Bills, meanwhile, have been playing some home games in Toronto in an effort to expand their market.

Jaguars majority owner Wayne Weaver and Bills owner Ralph Wilson have steadfastly dismissed any suggestion that they will sell or move their teams.

Other teams would have trouble raising the cash for a new stadium, Semcken said.

Mark Fabiani, who has been overseeing the Chargers' seven-year struggle to have 42-year-old Qualcomm Stadium replaced with a newer venue, said it's harder to finance a stadium in San Diego than Los Angeles because of the smaller market.

He said the Chargers are concentrating on keeping the team in San Diego, but noted that Majestic chairman and chief executive Ed Roski has a long-standing friendship with Chargers owner Alex Spanos and that the team's current lease enables it to move for a fee.

He said the team views a new venue as a necessity and wouldn't wait indefinitely for one to be built in San Diego.

"I can't predict what would happen if he called us in a year or six months," Fabiani said, referring to Roski.

The 49ers' could fall off Majestic's list of targets if residents of the San Francisco Bay Area city of Santa Clara vote to authorize nearly $80 million in public funds for the 75,000-seat venue for the team.

49ers spokeswoman Lisa Lang said managers are striving to keep the team in the area and that she expects Santa Clara voters to approve the $937 million stadium when they cast ballots within the year.

She also said planners were seeking approval to have two NFL teams play at the new stadium and that 49ers representatives have discussed sharing the venue with the Raiders, also on Majestic's list.

The Raiders, who moved to Oakland after playing in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, are free to leave Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum when their lease expires next year.

Rounding off the list are the Vikings, whose lease at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome runs out after the 2011 season, and the Rams, whose lease allows them to move as early as 2014 if the Edward Jones Dome is not deemed among the top quarter of all NFL stadiums.

Messages left with the Rams and Raiders were not immediately returned.

The Vikings are asking state legislators to issue at least $215 million in bonds to build a stadium that would keep the team in the Twin Cities, team spokesman Lester Bagley said.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 06:01 PM

No N.O. Saints on that list......wonder why that is.

HEAV · 10-24-2009, 06:08 PM

I can see the Jag's moving and the Raiders can move anytime. I just can't see the Bills,Vikes, 49ers or Chuggers move.

But to me Rams should be back in L.A.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEAV

I can see the Jag's moving and the Raiders can move anytime. I just can't see the Bills,Vikes, 49ers or Chuggers move.

But to me Rams should be back in L.A.

The Chargers could go "back home"....I'd hate to see that though because I do like going to San Diego on vacation.

HEAV · 10-24-2009, 06:18 PM

I'm just thinking more about the NFC West and how in the hell is St.Louis out west... St. Louis is a baseball town and will only support the Cards.

HAT · 10-24-2009, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEAV

I can see the Jag's moving and the Raiders can move anytime. I just can't see the Bills,Vikes, 49ers or Chuggers move.

But to me Rams should be back in L.A.

I'm really hoping for it to be the Rams.....The site is probably closer to Anaheim Stadium than the Coliseum anyway and The Rams have history in both LA & OC.

I wouldn't mind the Raiders so much b/c it would mean being able to see Denver twice a year again with no travel.

STL and the existing Cali teams have to be the front runners becasue anyone else would involve some sort of re-alignment.

Borks147 · 10-24-2009, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HAT

STL and the existing Cali teams have to be the front runners becasue anyone else would involve some sort of re-alignment.

nah - how long were the cardinals in the NFC east? It'll be sub-optimal, but doable.

frerottenextelway · 10-24-2009, 06:43 PM

Hope it's not Jacksonville. America's Team should stay in Florida imo.

Circle Orange · 10-24-2009, 07:03 PM

It's hard to understand the NFL's obsession with LA. Granted, it's a big market but two teams have already been there (Rams, Raiders) and the support didn't last. The Lakers have a huge following, there are too many things to do and sporting events to follow. And the Vikings playing in LA is absurd:

LA Vikings (WEIRD. They're a northern cold weather team!)
LA Jaguars (LAME. Sounds too stupid to process.)
LA Bills (CRACK. Even dumber than Vikings. They actually play in cold weather.)
LA Chargers (WEAK. This might work, but the Diegoans are still waitin' for a bowl)
LA 49ERS (POINTLESS. They're the Bay team, for crying out loud. Not inland!)

doesn't work, any way you slice it.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

It's hard to understand the NFL's obsession with LA. Granted, it's a big market but two teams have already been there (Rams, Raiders) and the support didn't last.

If I recall correctly, both the Rams and Raiders leaving L.A. had virtually nothing to do with fan support.

Circle Orange · 10-24-2009, 07:09 PM

I'll check into that, not sure. I know the Raiders had a good run while in LA, although Oakland was still considered their main fan base. Howie Long actually said he hated the neigborhood around the Coliseum, it was terrible.

Not sure if the Rams deal had to do with a lease or ownership transferral.

tsiguy96 · 10-24-2009, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogan11

No N.O. Saints on that list......wonder why that is.

they just got a 20 year extension in NO i think.

Rohirrim · 10-24-2009, 07:10 PM

Move the Rams back to LA and the Cards back to St. Louis.

UberBroncoMan · 10-24-2009, 07:10 PM

49er's moving would be ****ing retarded.

Vikings... how the **** are they going to shuffle up the divisions to make way for this ****.

Chargers... makes sense.

Rams... makes THE MOST SENSE. Give 2 Cali teams in the AFC and NFC + the Rams are already in the NFC WEST so if anything it would make travel even EASIER within the division.

Also the Rams have been in Los Angeles before.

The only reason the dev wants the Vikings is because the team is actually competitive and not in a **** hole mess like the Rams currently are.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsiguy96

they just got a 20 year extension in NO i think.

I hope so.....it's one of the few away cities I like seeing games in

Bronx33 · 10-24-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogan11

If I recall correctly, both the Rams and Raiders leaving L.A. had virtually nothing to do with fan support.

Heres why the rams left LA.

Hogan11 · 10-24-2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

I'll check into that, not sure. I know the Raiders had a good run while in LA, although Oakland was still considered their main fan base. Howie Long actually said he hated the neigborhood around the Coliseum, it was terrible.

Not sure if the Rams deal had to do with a lease or ownership transferral.

I thought both moves had to do with $$$ more than anything else, but I could be wrong....Georgia F wasn't very far removed from evil Al when it came to NFL team ownership.

tsiguy96 · 10-24-2009, 07:13 PM

chargers, oakland or rams are best bets.

McDman · 10-24-2009, 07:44 PM

It'd be a shame if the Vikings or Bills left their homes. Who cares about the others.

tsiguy96 · 10-24-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McDman444

It'd be a shame if the Vikings or Bills left their homes. Who cares about the others.

are the vikings more popular than the twins or no?

maher_tyler · 10-24-2009, 08:04 PM

The only teams i see moving is Jax and Buffalo..maybe the Rams! The Vikings are in the works for a new stadium...i'd be disappointed to see them leave Minn. actually!

http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/Mi...s/newindex.htm

Killericon · 10-24-2009, 08:09 PM

It's gonna be Jacksonville.

want2bAbronco2 · 10-24-2009, 08:16 PM

Ram it! that is soooo funny

McDman · 10-24-2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsiguy96

are the vikings more popular than the twins or no?

Yeah, pretty much. I don't live there, but my family lives there and in North Dakota and the majority of them and their friends are hardcore Vikings fans.

The Twins have grown in popularity and just got an awesome new stadium, but overall I think the Vikings own that town.

Bronco Warrior · 10-24-2009, 08:42 PM

The MetroDome is being torn down this year and Ziggy Wolf is buiding them another one last I checked ....so why is the Vikings on the list? The Vikings fans love and support them! 49'ers same thing, and they are getting a new stadium soon also! Buffalo..Hell No! They will never leave!

Saying SanDiego is too small a market is stupid to say the least. San diego County and surrounding area has 11 million people and is one of the densest areas in Cali..My GF is from Chula vista and an Ex Charger Girl! The SD problem is they sucked for so lomng and there is a lot of apathy for the team. They will move because the City of SD won't approve a new stadium site or a Bond because they can't sell tickets to the one they have. They will be moving to LA asap! They hired a marketing research firm last year to assess the fanbase to get fans for the Chargers.

10-24-2009, 05:56 PM	#1
HEAV Ring of Famer It's about the Team Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Ville Posts: 12,077 Adopt-a-Bronco: Brian Dawkins	Developer targeting Vikings, six others for L.A. stadium By JACOB ADELMAN , Associated Press LOS ANGELES - The developer working to bring the NFL back to the Los Angeles area with a sleek, new 75,000-seat stadium has a 600-acre site to build the proposed venue and is close to having the legal go-ahead to break ground. Now all that's needed is a team. Majestic Realty Co. plans to build the $800 million stadium in the city of Industry — about 15 miles east of Los Angeles — and it's casting a wide net in its search. Majestic named seven teams it believes are ready for a new home. The Buffalo Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Minnesota Vikings, the St. Louis Rams, the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers are on developer's list of possible targets. The teams are in stadiums that are either too small or can't be updated to cash in on the box seats, naming rights and other revenue sources that an NFL club needs to thrive, Majestic managing partner John Semcken said on Thursday, a day after the California Senate approved an environmental exemption bill allowing the stadium's construction. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office didn't immediately respond to an inquiry on whether he planned to sign the bill, which would nullify a lawsuit over the project's environmental impact report by citizens in the neighboring city of Walnut. Majestic helped develop downtown Los Angeles' Staples Center, home of several sports franchises, including the NBA's Lakers and Clippers and the NHL's Kings. Semcken said the company plans to begin approaching teams after the Super Bowl in February and could have a team playing at the Rose Bowl starting from nest season until 2013, when the company hoped to have the new stadium built. The NFL is aware of Wednesday's Senate vote and other potential stadium developments in the Los Angeles area, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. He declined to comment on specific sites or teams that might move to the region. Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consultancy SportsCorp, said persuading a team to move and getting the NFL's approval would be Majestic's greatest obstacle yet. "Having the legislation and the environmental impact statement is lovely and it's a good thing," he said. "But without having the team in hand, it's just a very nice piece of paper to put up on your wall." The Jaguars and the Bills are in areas too sparsely populated to make financing a new stadium feasible, Semcken said. The Jaguars' TV market ranks 29th among the NFL's 32 teams, while the Bills' is 31st, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc. The Jaguars have struggled for years to fill Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and are in danger of having all their games blacked out on local TV this season. The Bills, meanwhile, have been playing some home games in Toronto in an effort to expand their market. Jaguars majority owner Wayne Weaver and Bills owner Ralph Wilson have steadfastly dismissed any suggestion that they will sell or move their teams. Other teams would have trouble raising the cash for a new stadium, Semcken said. Mark Fabiani, who has been overseeing the Chargers' seven-year struggle to have 42-year-old Qualcomm Stadium replaced with a newer venue, said it's harder to finance a stadium in San Diego than Los Angeles because of the smaller market. He said the Chargers are concentrating on keeping the team in San Diego, but noted that Majestic chairman and chief executive Ed Roski has a long-standing friendship with Chargers owner Alex Spanos and that the team's current lease enables it to move for a fee. He said the team views a new venue as a necessity and wouldn't wait indefinitely for one to be built in San Diego. "I can't predict what would happen if he called us in a year or six months," Fabiani said, referring to Roski. The 49ers' could fall off Majestic's list of targets if residents of the San Francisco Bay Area city of Santa Clara vote to authorize nearly $80 million in public funds for the 75,000-seat venue for the team. 49ers spokeswoman Lisa Lang said managers are striving to keep the team in the area and that she expects Santa Clara voters to approve the $937 million stadium when they cast ballots within the year. She also said planners were seeking approval to have two NFL teams play at the new stadium and that 49ers representatives have discussed sharing the venue with the Raiders, also on Majestic's list. The Raiders, who moved to Oakland after playing in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, are free to leave Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum when their lease expires next year. Rounding off the list are the Vikings, whose lease at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome runs out after the 2011 season, and the Rams, whose lease allows them to move as early as 2014 if the Edward Jones Dome is not deemed among the top quarter of all NFL stadiums. Messages left with the Rams and Raiders were not immediately returned. The Vikings are asking state legislators to issue at least $215 million in bonds to build a stadium that would keep the team in the Twin Cities, team spokesman Lester Bagley said. Last edited by HEAV; 10-24-2009 at 05:59 PM..

10-24-2009, 08:42 PM	#25
Bronco Warrior Opinionated Jerk Ranting Maniac! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SLC,Utah Posts: 1,281 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	The MetroDome is being torn down this year and Ziggy Wolf is buiding them another one last I checked ....so why is the Vikings on the list? The Vikings fans love and support them! 49'ers same thing, and they are getting a new stadium soon also! Buffalo..Hell No! They will never leave! Saying SanDiego is too small a market is stupid to say the least. San diego County and surrounding area has 11 million people and is one of the densest areas in Cali..My GF is from Chula vista and an Ex Charger Girl! The SD problem is they sucked for so lomng and there is a lot of apathy for the team. They will move because the City of SD won't approve a new stadium site or a Bond because they can't sell tickets to the one they have. They will be moving to LA asap! They hired a marketing research firm last year to assess the fanbase to get fans for the Chargers. Last edited by Bronco Warrior; 10-24-2009 at 08:45 PM..

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10-24-2009, 06:01 PM	#2
Hogan11 Rock-N-Roll Historian Let's take these SOB's out!!!!!! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: W.NY.B.C. Posts: 21,300 Adopt-a-Bronco: Floyd Little	No N.O. Saints on that list......wonder why that is.

10-24-2009, 06:08 PM	#3
HEAV Ring of Famer It's about the Team Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Ville Posts: 12,077 Adopt-a-Bronco: Brian Dawkins	I can see the Jag's moving and the Raiders can move anytime. I just can't see the Bills,Vikes, 49ers or Chuggers move. But to me Rams should be back in L.A.

10-24-2009, 06:18 PM	#5
HEAV Ring of Famer It's about the Team Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Ville Posts: 12,077 Adopt-a-Bronco: Brian Dawkins	I'm just thinking more about the NFC West and how in the hell is St.Louis out west... St. Louis is a baseball town and will only support the Cards.

10-24-2009, 06:43 PM	#8
frerottenextelway █████ █████ Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: █████ Posts: 7,888 Adopt-a-Bronco: ██	Hope it's not Jacksonville. America's Team should stay in Florida imo.

10-24-2009, 07:03 PM	#9
Circle Orange SPOT ON. Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: The Styxx, D.C. Posts: 3,956	It's hard to understand the NFL's obsession with LA. Granted, it's a big market but two teams have already been there (Rams, Raiders) and the support didn't last. The Lakers have a huge following, there are too many things to do and sporting events to follow. And the Vikings playing in LA is absurd: LA Vikings (WEIRD. They're a northern cold weather team!) LA Jaguars (LAME. Sounds too stupid to process.) LA Bills (CRACK. Even dumber than Vikings. They actually play in cold weather.) LA Chargers (WEAK. This might work, but the Diegoans are still waitin' for a bowl) LA 49ERS (POINTLESS. They're the Bay team, for crying out loud. Not inland!) doesn't work, any way you slice it.

10-24-2009, 07:09 PM	#11
Circle Orange SPOT ON. Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: The Styxx, D.C. Posts: 3,956	I'll check into that, not sure. I know the Raiders had a good run while in LA, although Oakland was still considered their main fan base. Howie Long actually said he hated the neigborhood around the Coliseum, it was terrible. Not sure if the Rams deal had to do with a lease or ownership transferral.

10-24-2009, 07:10 PM	#13
Rohirrim Partisan Human Cannonball Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Twixt Hell & Highwater Posts: 48,794	Move the Rams back to LA and the Cards back to St. Louis.

10-24-2009, 07:10 PM	#14
UberBroncoMan Your Local Nostradamus ** you injuries, this ** Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6,518 Adopt-a-Bronco: Ghost of Hillis	49er's moving would be **ing retarded. Vikings... how the are they going to shuffle up the divisions to make way for this . Chargers... makes sense. Rams... makes THE MOST SENSE. Give 2 Cali teams in the AFC and NFC + the Rams are already in the NFC WEST so if anything it would make travel even EASIER within the division. Also the Rams have been in Los Angeles before. The only reason the dev wants the Vikings is because the team is actually competitive and not in a ** hole mess like the Rams currently are.

10-24-2009, 07:13 PM	#18
tsiguy96 Ring of Famer New to the Forum Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 12,559 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	chargers, oakland or rams are best bets.

10-24-2009, 07:44 PM	#19
McDman Ring of Famer Huzzah! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 3,699 Adopt-a-Bronco: None	It'd be a shame if the Vikings or Bills left their homes. Who cares about the others.

10-24-2009, 08:04 PM	#21
maher_tyler Ring of Famer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: AZ Posts: 5,663 Adopt-a-Bronco: Champ Bailey	The only teams i see moving is Jax and Buffalo..maybe the Rams! The Vikings are in the works for a new stadium...i'd be disappointed to see them leave Minn. actually! http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/Mi...s/newindex.htm

10-24-2009, 08:09 PM	#22
Killericon YES A DT!!!!!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: From Calgary, in Halifax for School Posts: 7,730 Adopt-a-Bronco: watermock	It's gonna be Jacksonville.

10-24-2009, 08:16 PM	#23
want2bAbronco2 Pro Bowler Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 618	Ram it! that is soooo funny