It's astounding on the surface that the NFL is as popular as it is and yet the league has no franchise in the entire Los Angeles area -- the second largest potential market in the United States. While cities such as Nashville, Green Bay and Kansas City enjoy NFL franchises of their own, L.A. has gone without for some time. Several teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers are often linked to L.A. as a potential move down the road, but stadium issues have always negated such possibilities. But now, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that expansion is also a possibility.
The NFL released a statement to all 32 teams on Friday and the Associated Press got a hold on the memo saying that the league was looking into a specific procedure to secure an Los Angeles franchise now that stadium issues might be clearing up. In this case, the league might look at one or even two teams in the area through potential expansion who would share the same arena.
"Given that simultaneous league-wide investment in two stadiums in the same community is unlikely," Goodell wrote, "we believe that the best approach will be a single site where an iconic facility could credibly both host two teams and provide ancillary entertainment and development opportunities."
The idea of expansion would be an exciting one for many franchises who could rest easy now that moving was no longer a concern. However there's a long road ahead for any thoughts concerning expansion in an era where most leagues have likely considered contraction more than expansion in the last decade. The NFL, however, still reigns when it comes to fan support and popularity and if that continues, L.A. could break into the league in a major way.