Football in L.A.?
Well, we're three weeks into another NFL season without a team in Los Angeles.
Does anybody care?
I think the answer to that is still "no" - but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wouldn't work to put a team here.
You see, here's what my take on NFL football in L.A. has always been and continues to be: The biggest reason there's no team here is because of the makeup of the population - there are too many transplants in Los Angeles. It is a city full of people from other parts of the country who remain loyal to their hometown teams. That is the reason why the other L.A. teams don't and will never have the same kind of passionate fan base as other cities. The Lakers come the closest to bucking this theory, especially when they were good. But even they don't send their fans home in tears after a crucial loss. You see, cheering for and attending games of L.A. teams is more of an image marker than it is a passion.
And it's not that people in L.A. aren't passionate about NFL football, they are. But they are passionate about their own teams.
HOWEVER - I DO think that a new team in L.A. could still work, to a certain degree. You see, the NFL is a different machine than it was 12 years ago (when we last had football teams here). It is far and away the best run sports league in the world and a perfectly managed and marketed entertainment machine that is clicking on all cylinders right now. And its success and popularity transcend hometown loyalties now more than ever.
I speak from personal experience. As a New England transplant, I am a die-hard Patriots fan. However, if L.A. got a new team now, I think I would be very into it. Would I stop rooting for the Pats? Absolutely not. But the NFL product is so good that I would enjoy going to games here even if it weren't the Pats playing - there is room in my "fan cache" for a secondary team. I can't say that about any other sport.
Let me know what you think about this topic. Are you from another city and do you have strong loyalties to another NFL team? How would you feel (excited? indifferent?) about a Los Angeles NFL team? Would it matter if it was a team from another city (L.A. Jaguars? L.A. Chargers?) Or would it have to be a "new" team?
Does anybody care?
I think the answer to that is still "no" - but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wouldn't work to put a team here.
You see, here's what my take on NFL football in L.A. has always been and continues to be: The biggest reason there's no team here is because of the makeup of the population - there are too many transplants in Los Angeles. It is a city full of people from other parts of the country who remain loyal to their hometown teams. That is the reason why the other L.A. teams don't and will never have the same kind of passionate fan base as other cities. The Lakers come the closest to bucking this theory, especially when they were good. But even they don't send their fans home in tears after a crucial loss. You see, cheering for and attending games of L.A. teams is more of an image marker than it is a passion.
And it's not that people in L.A. aren't passionate about NFL football, they are. But they are passionate about their own teams.
HOWEVER - I DO think that a new team in L.A. could still work, to a certain degree. You see, the NFL is a different machine than it was 12 years ago (when we last had football teams here). It is far and away the best run sports league in the world and a perfectly managed and marketed entertainment machine that is clicking on all cylinders right now. And its success and popularity transcend hometown loyalties now more than ever.
I speak from personal experience. As a New England transplant, I am a die-hard Patriots fan. However, if L.A. got a new team now, I think I would be very into it. Would I stop rooting for the Pats? Absolutely not. But the NFL product is so good that I would enjoy going to games here even if it weren't the Pats playing - there is room in my "fan cache" for a secondary team. I can't say that about any other sport.
Let me know what you think about this topic. Are you from another city and do you have strong loyalties to another NFL team? How would you feel (excited? indifferent?) about a Los Angeles NFL team? Would it matter if it was a team from another city (L.A. Jaguars? L.A. Chargers?) Or would it have to be a "new" team?
posted by Pappy | 9:53 PM
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