NFL In Los Angeles: What Would A Stadium Look Like?

As many of you know there is no NFL team in Los Angeles right now and the NFL has expressed interest in one day moving a team there. There's no timetable on this idea because, with the impending labor situation, there are priorities for the league right now but it's something that's a very close second.

So the NFL wants into Los Angeles. I understand the appeal of a big city -- second largest media market in the country -- and promoting the game, the league and all that. I understand the appeal from a players perspective with all the untapped marketing possibilities in that city. There's millions of unspent money in that town.

But will people in California show up? There's already three teams there -- 49ers, Raiders and Chargers -- and two of those teams are frequently blacked out on local TV because they can't sell out. Why would an LA team be any different? Some will make the argument that once USC -- LA's "pro team" -- started winning, the Coliseum filled, even if it is in a bad area. Good argument but what if the team isn't winning? Only the best NFL teams in history have the pro equivalent of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush on their team.

Then there's the stadium issue. There's one group that has a shovel-ready spot in the City of Industry to build the next stadium. Then there's another group that wants to put it near the Staples Center (Lakers). The latter is expected to be at a minimum of $1 billion and the former is expected to be cheaper.

One of the groups has come out with plans for a stadium including pictures and all that which you can view here. Great ideas and they would all be very cool...if people would show up consistently.

The key here is private financing. In this day and age, you're going to have a tough time doing this publicly.

I understand the need or want to bring a team to LA but, considering the popularity of the other California teams, why would LA be any different? That's the one question that people can't seem to answer.

At a minimum, you need people to show up for the games, right?