The Browns fans and Cleveland sued model for the name, colors, records, and anything else they could think of. In the end, the fans forced model to give up everything Browns to be able to move. All he got was the players and equipment, and the equipment all had to be tossed out after his team changed their name. Just because your team might be moving, doesn’t mean your city will get to keep anything.

” . . .everybody can say what they want about how the NFL has the rights to LA . . .”

Everybody can indeed offer an opinion, but only the opinion of the court matters. And they have found that Al Davis does not own the rights to the Los Angeles market, therefore making it unnecessary to pay him anything.

” . . .but I guarantee 100% that Al Davis will sue any other team than the raiders that moves to LA.”

Of course he can sue and promptly lose the case as well.

Still think zygi is the greatest owner ever?

It will when the team isn’t the Vikings, or Jaguars, or Bills, or whatever any more. Any team that relocates to Los Angeles (with the possible exception — God Help Us — of the Raiders) is going to have to abandon their existing identity entirely if they want to grow a fan-base here.

There was a poster up the thread a ways who said that he had been an Oilers fan and was now a Titans fan, but I think that kind of bridge behavior is an aberration. Who wants to watch “their” team on TV when it isn’t for all intents and purposes the same team anymore?

Stop making stuff up!

Claiming monster truck rallies and concerts will pay for it is bull!

The real skinny about the deal on the table is this.

Ziggy will put 200 mil down. The NFL will pony up another 200 mil (a gift from franchises that actually show a profit unlike the vikings) for a grand total of 400 mil.

The State of Minnesota will toss what amounts to 150 mil in the kitty and Ramsey county will sell it’s citizens into slavery for 350 mil more. For a stadium that will cost a billion dollars. Wait, those number don’t add up? Hmmm… There’s between 200-300 million unaccounted for… Better wear sweat pants people of Minnesota, because Big Government is going to ram something in you where the sun don’t shine!

And what do the people get out of this? Ziggy will own the stadium, taxpayers can pay a mil a year to keep the place running and we’ll all get fat off the 20-30 mil in taxes the government can charge, but nothing from tickets to the stadium we built or the parking fees. Ziggy needs that money!

By the way, the tax revenue won’t cover the bonds interest (at just the 350 million Ramsey is going to put on the credit card not including the 200-300 mil gap unaccounted for)!

This will never pass…

“yet since the Vikings have the most degenerate rivals the entire thing takes an omg it will be the Vikings spin.”

Which is more likely — everybody else is actually “degenerate” or you’re just mad at everybody else?

So if love for the Vikings doesn’t serve to motivate the State to get a stadium deal and save the franchise from moving, then how about simply hatred for the Packers and Sconnyland? Perhaps putting into the minds of the state legislature the sickening prospect of having to watch the Packers on TV every Sunday, let alone watching them potentially win a 5th Lombardi Trophy would motivate them??? Whatever it takes, do it. I hate the Vikings, but I love the rivalry and would hate to see it go, even if such might mean I could get every Packer game on Minnesota TV for free. Such might be a consolation prize to me, but would only be further salt in the wounds to native Minnesotans.

Since the fans prefer to watch on TV, moving to L.A. won’t impact them.

Because the Vikings didn’t move toMinnesota from Los Angeles. The devil is in the details. I guess the best analogy I can come up with would be Raiders fans in Southern California being upset that Al Davis took his team back to Oakland.

I don’t mean to antagonize you personally — I can’t reasonably fault you for becoming a fan of the team that came to your city. Saint Louis should have gotten an expansion franchise before Jacksonville or Carolina; it might not have prevented the Wicked Witch of the (NFC) West from moving the Rams, but I would probably be having this exchange with somebody living in one of those two other cities.

This could be the dumbest reason anyone has ever given for their belief that their team might not move. It’s not like NFL teams are paying $160 for authentic NFL jerseys like the fans. Anything they would spend on moving would be chump change for an NFL franchise (even the Vikings).

There’s a reason only the Packers opened up their books during CBA negotiations. If citizens of states saw how much money these teams made, there’s no way they’d agree to build new stadiums with taxpayer money.

After the division restructure they did a reasonable job at fixing some of the weird divisional structures, but if they stick with the current layout after a Vikings relocate, it’d be disappointing.

Not to mention, the improvement in divisional talent that a restructure would create(I’m looking at you NFC West).

Sure, I saw the irony. I’m just sayin’, I like football, I like having a home team (even if they’re more recent than some), and if they move away, they’re not my home team any more. Didn’t support the football Cardinals after they moved out (and they weren’t original to STL either). If (God forbid) some new owner should buy and move the Blues (NHL) elsewhere, I can’t see myself following them. (The idea that somebody could move the baseball Cardinals is so ludicrous at this point it doesn’t bear being examined.)

For the people who are willing to follow their team when it moves elsewhere, more power to them. I’m just not that kind of person

Oh, and NoHomeTeam – how is the idea of a St. Louis fan being upset at the idea of losing their NFL team (for the second time in their own lifetime) different than a Vikings fan being upset at the idea of losing *their* team?

“Rivalries will be ruined if the Vikings move,”

And you are under the impression that the NFL cares?

“and a re-alignment occurs”

This is a league which once had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playing in the NFC Central. The Saint Louis Rams currently play in the NFC West, and the Indianapolis Colts play in the AFC South. I doubt you will see a realignment regardless of what team moves to L.A.

“which will effect ticket sales in a negative way.”

[citation needed]

“The Vikings name an, uniforms, and history will stay; which means L.A. would have to pay to have new uni’s and logos, and everything else.”

This will be true for any team that relocates to Los Angeles. For any team to have a hope of succeeding here, it must have the impression of being an entirely new franchise. There aren’t enough fans of any of the teams on this list here to warrant retaining the name, logos, colors, etc. The new L.A. team must effectively be just that: NEW.

“Not to mention that the Vikings would cost more to move than Oakland or San Diego considering distance to L.A.”

Not appreciably, given the scope of the financials involved. It might cost $20k or $30k more to relocate a team from Minneapolis than from, say, San Diego. Physical distance is a cost factor when you our I move our household belongings from one area to another; with an NFL team — not so much.

Does this mean I think it would be a good thing if the Vikings moved here? Really, no. Personally, I’m hoping for the Rams to come home.

And whoever said the Vikes & Rams should switch divisions: brilliant. However, it makes too much sense. So, it’ll never happen.

Also, johnsticle is a liar. Checking an NFL rumor site in the offseason during a lockout classifies you as an ADDICT. You might stop watching if your Vikes move to L.A., but you’ll be back…

1. When the roof of the Metrodome collapsed, the state of MN lost $9 mil in revenue for the game that was moved to Detroit per the MFSC. (the group that runs the dome)

2. In the current stadium proposal, it is said the Vikings will sign a 40 year lease in the new stadium, the first team to do that in the NFL, as all others go by the normal 30 year lease.

3. Simple math here folks. 9 mil multiplied by 10 games per year (yes, preseason counts) equals 90 mil a year. Still with me? Now take 90 mil multiplied by 40 years and you get 3.6 BILLION

4. So the Vikings games alone would bring 3.6 BILLION in revenue to the state of MN in comparison to the 1.1 billlion it cost to build the stadium. Which by the way, the state is only wanting to contribute $300 mil at this time with 131 million in road upgrades being the major hang up as to who pays for it.

FINAL: 3.6 BILLION minus 431 million (Let’s say the state agrees to pay for the road upgrades, which are schedule to be made within the next 5 years ANYWAYS) equals what? 3.169 BILLION DOLLARS!!! This is the revenue the state of MN gets just from Vikings games!! This does not include Super Bowls, NCAA final fours, concerts, monster truck rallies, and the numerous other events that the stadium would hold.

I’m not the quickest guy out there, but this isn’t rocket science here people. If this state allows the Vikings to leave, the state government deserves ALL THE BLAME! You DO NOT let 3.169 BILLION dollars leave your state! Unless your trying to win reelection because by the time the people realize the lose, the current politicians will be long gone!

Thank you and enjoy your final season of Minnesota Vikings football.

I’ll guess that you didn’t actually live in Houston. Otherwise, I don’t understand how you could remain a fan after the move, unless you were actually more of a Bud Adams fan than an Oilers fan.

Pawlenty had pawlenty of time to deal with this but he thought he had pawlenty more work to do on his pres. run while being our governor.

It’s overused to the point of abuse here on this site, but . . . really? A Saint Louis fan upset over the idea that the Rams have been mentioned as a candidate to move to Los Angeles?

That said, I will agree with the core of your sentiment, umrgury; I wouldn’t expect you to remain a fan of a team that leaves your city. The mindset of people who do so is unfathomable to me. When the Rams left, I was stunned to see that people here would still align themselves with the team, especially given the circumstances under which it departed. My favorite team instantly became whoever was playing the Rams, and remains so to this day.

Would I change my mind if they came back? With a new Owner . . . absolutely. I’d have to buy some new team merchandise, though, since I had a little bonfire on the beach back in ’95.

1) Considering the new revelation that Hawai’i doesn’t want to pay money for the Pro Bowl anymore…and the fact that they’re attempting to build a new stadium in a location that has pretty good climate, why don’t they just play the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl in LA every year?

2) As a way to make the Pro Bowl more entertaining, why not do something like this for the game (using this year as the perfect example): the team with the lowest record in the NFL [Carolina Panthers] should play the championship team in the UFL [Las Vegas Locomotives] for the right to be in the NFL. Whichever team wins that game gets to be in the NFL. I think this would give each team something to play for more than just money.

3) Halftime show during this game would be a little mini skills competition. Everyone always wonders who’s the fastest RB/DB/WR in the leage; lets put them on the field and race. Who has the strongest arm or is the most accurate? Put them on the field and let them throw.

I think doing this would help give the fans something interesting to watch instead of the walkthrough that is the current NFL Pro Bowl. It would also help give some more exposure to the UFL and would also allow fans of both teams to enjoy something with some real merrit.

And the best thing??? No fan base would have to lose “their” team.

Whatdya think?

yay/nay?

Been to a Dodger game of late…..a sea of EMPTY seats !

If the Vikes move to LA , where is the fan base of support ? This could be another financial diseater in the making.The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence doesnt it ?