Benson, San Antonio officials impressed with fans' support

[Slomo]

I'm completely ignorant about the teams in LA. Will somebody please explain why teams have failed there in the past and why it is expected to be different this time? Thanks!


Carie

bump

Does anybody know the answer to this?

[gameFACE]

The whole arguement that because the Alamodome wasn't sold out it is there fore a bad sign has got to be one of the weakest arguements i've heard. I'm not using these three games as a barometer for anything except to enjoy them. To watch a few pro football games in person and rooting for the home team. If SA were to get football somehow, it's most likely going to be a losing or struggling team whether its an existing team or a franchise. So if yesterday is a measure of anything it's that.

If your arguement for not going is "it's only the ing Saints and Bills", consider that after the Spurs won their third championship there are people out there saying "it's only the ing Spurs".

[gameFACE]

Here is the caption that goes with this photo:

Buffalo Bills fan Guillermo Mateos dances to the music of the mariachis outside the Alamodome before the Bills game against the New Orleans Saints Sunday, Oct. 2, 2005 in San Antonio. Mateos traveled from Monterrey, Mexico to attend his first NFL game. The Saints are playing some of their home games in San Antonio in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Seeing that the NFL is interested in the Mexican market Maybe the San Antonio Saints might work. Not only that, you could get this dude in the promo's:

[Horry For 3!]

"When the Saints fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter, someone from Louisiana told me they would have been booed if the game was in the Superdome," Wolff said. "But everyone was cheering for them here."

That is sad, your only down 7 - 0 and you get booed?

[TheTruth]

bump

Does anybody know the answer to this?

The city is a basketball town. The city has soooo much disposable income, yet they can't sell out even half of their baseball schedule? They'll support a team under two cir stances. 1) They are winning/championship contenders and 2) They are the Lakers. The town is too trendy. If it isn't a winner, they won't show up. Al Davis isn't stupid, if he was going to make more money keeping the Raiders in L.A. he never would have moved them to Oakland (not the biggest media market around).

Just my opinion. Probably am wrong.

[Vashner]

This guy that sat next to me during the opening.. he started Screaming Let's go Bills during the national anthem....
Oh yea.. I wanted to punch him... but soon a picture flashed of me being led away with handcuffs.. I went from zero to fifty real fast (got pissed)...

[Clandestino]

The Raiders ranked 31st out of 32 teams in 2004 National Football League attendance. The AFC West team averaged 50,742 fans for its eight regular-season home games at Network Associates Coliseum (since renamed McAfee Coliseum). The Raiders averaged 55,008 (30th in the league) in 2003. The Coliseum seating capacity for football is listed at 62,500.

wow, so no comment on this?

[TheTruth]

wow, so no comment on this?

Its not hard to believe. The A's have one of the lowest attendance figurs annually, and you know the Warriors don't sell out. Oakland is not really a sports town, but they are better than L.A. Al Davis says so.

[Extra Stout]

wow, so no comment on this?

The point you're trying to make isn't clear.

[Clandestino]

it is funny how every says sa can't support a team bc we only got 58,000 fans in the seats with only a couple weeks notice, the nfl commish saying you will never get a team and many of the best seats not even available til a few days before the game...

all the while oakland has had a team a few times and still doesn't do ..

[Extra Stout]

it is funny how every says sa can't support a team bc we only got 58,000 fans in the seats with only a couple weeks notice, the nfl commish saying you will never get a team and many of the best seats not even available til a few days before the game...

all the while oakland has had a team a few times and still doesn't do ..

Al Davis moved the Raiders back to Oakland against the wishes of Paul Tagliabue and the other NFL owners.

They objected in part because he was taking the Raiders from being the only team in the #2 market, to playing second fiddle in the #4 market (behind the 49ers), based upon a promise for stadium upgrades that wasn't in writing. They did not believe Oakland was a viable market.

And Davis has taken a financial bath for his decision. The Raiders have horrible attendance, and they rank like 30th in franchise value. Davis never got his refurbished stadium.

So Davis made a terrible decision against the advice of the league, and the league was proven right.

How does that example help San Antonio?

[TheWriter]

Just do me a favor:

Explain to me why San Antonio at the current time looks more attractive than Los Angeles?

For what?

Expansion? Well, Tags what's to be there.

As for owners willing wanting to move a team, SA is in the grab.

Did you watch JT the Brick on Sports Sunday last night.

He gave you the needed answers.

[Clandestino]

even through all problems you stated..the move still was made...

[Extra Stout]

In the NFL, thanks to revenue sharing, there are teams that are net contributors to league revenue, and there are teams that have to be subsidized.

It is not enough for San Antonio to prove that there is at least one NFL market worse than them. What they have to prove is that the market can support a team to the degree that it puts money in the other owners' pockets.

So citing the Oaklands and the Buffalos and the Jacksonvilles of the league is not a persuasive point. The NFL wants to avoid those kinds of markets.

[cherylsteele]

Al Davis moved the Raiders back to Oakland against the wishes of Paul Tagliabue and the other NFL owners.

They objected in part because he was taking the Raiders from being the only team in the #2 market, to playing second fiddle in the #4 market (behind the 49ers), based upon a promise for stadium upgrades that wasn't in writing. They did not believe Oakland was a viable market.

And Davis has taken a financial bath for his decision. The Raiders have horrible attendance, and they rank like 30th in franchise value. Davis never got his refurbished stadium.

So Davis made a terrible decision against the advice of the league, and the league was proven right.

How does that example help San Antonio?

Then why did the Rams Leave too? It is because support was nil in LA. They had TWO teams and could keep neither one.

Does anyone know how well the games in Baton Rouge are selling?

[Clandestino]

but showing we can already do better with waaaay less time and resources IS a selling point.

[Clandestino]

Then why did the Rams Leave too? It is because support was nil in LA. They had TWO teams and could keep neither one.

Does anyone know how well the games in Baton Rouge are selling?

man, it's been a while.. i forgot about the ty la rams!

supposedly they are keeping quiet about the baton rouge tickets

[Extra Stout]

even through all problems you stated..the move still was made...

You are right that if Tom Benson absolutely, positively wants to move to San Antonio, and the city absolutely, positively doesn't care about the criticism, then nobody can stop them.

But Benson will lose a lot of money just as Al Davis has. If he's willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the NFL to San Antonio, then the door is open.

[Clandestino]

i think sa could pull it off if the team were actually san antonio's.. all the we're doing for them now and it isn't even our team...

[cherylsteele]

man, it's been a while.. i forgot about the ty la rams!

supposedly they are keeping quiet about the baton rouge tickets

They weren't horrible just poorly managed...they did make a Super Bowl in '79.
Granted they were no world beaters either....probably a step up from the Texans.

[TheWriter]

You are right that if Tom Benson absolutely, positively wants to move to San Antonio, and the city absolutely, positively doesn't care about the criticism, then nobody can stop them.

But Benson will lose a lot of money just as Al Davis has. If he's willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the NFL to San Antonio, then the door is open.

Benson is going to "lose" money if he moves from New Orleans to San Antonio?

How? Explain. Don't use any other past examples, explain how Benson, who had to be paid by the state of Louisiana in order to just stay, is going to lose money?

Didn't know buying tickets, buying merch, watching the games didn't make a owner money.

[Extra Stout]

Then why did the Rams Leave too? It is because support was nil in LA. They had TWO teams and could keep neither one.

Does anyone know how well the games in Baton Rouge are selling?

Fan support had nothing to do with either move. While attendance wsn't great, the problem in both cases was the inability to get the government in Southern California to pay for a new stadium. Anaheim Stadium and the L.A. Coliseum did not generate enough revenue.

The Rams' move was blessed by the league because there was a brand new dome rife with luxury suites and concessions waiting for them in downtown St. Louis. And, the NFL thought there would still be the Raiders in L.A.

The Raiders' move was not blessed because there were only verbal promises for upgrades to be made to the old Oakland Coliseum, and because the move meant the abandonment of the #2 media market.

This is instructive when thinking about S.A. as a potential NFL market.

[cherylsteele]

You are right that if Tom Benson absolutely, positively wants to move to San Antonio, and the city absolutely, positively doesn't care about the criticism, then nobody can stop them.

But Benson will lose a lot of money just as Al Davis has. If he's willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the NFL to San Antonio, then the door is open.

The Rams left to St Louis which is a much smaller market and are doing okay.

You are just speculating that something bad will happen financially if the Saints were to move here. you have no real proof. Just like I have no proof that they were to be succesful if they came.

[TheWriter]

St. Louis' stadium seats 65,000.

How is that different from the Alamodome? Yes, the Dome doesn't have enough lux. boxes, but besides that, what else is different?

[TheWriter]

Interesting qoute from a Saints fan at the game from a Saints board:

Quote of the Day: the mayor of SA's campaign manager (Christian something) came down from Mr Benson's box and told the people around him that Mr Benson announced to all in his box that "this team would never leave SA." I'd love for some reporter to confront him with that quote.


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