(02-07-2012 07:53 AM)WesternBlazer Wrote: Don't bet the farm...
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/articl...main_col_9
Some of the cities on this list are
, to include, I'm sorry to say, Birmingham. We had our chance and blew it numerous times, fearful of offending the self-appointed "Gridiron Gods" in this state. The last legitimate chance died with the Stallions & the USFL, there were at least 5 or 6 teams in that league that could have more than held their own in the National Football League, and the Stallions was one of them.
IMO, even though I'm putting an asterisk by the name of Jackson, MS. (there was a group of investors there a good while back that was making a serious pitch at purchasing the New Orleans Saints and moving them there), IMO, the only legitimate candidates on this list are: Omaha, Oklahoma City, Louisville, San Antonio, and Portland.
Columbus, Ohio? Nothing against the city, great place, been there a number of times and sort of like it (even though I nearly died there twice), but the state of Ohio already has 2 NFL teams, the same argument was made against the state of Tennessee when Memphis was once considered a front runner for an NFL team, but once Nashville got the nod somehow ahead of them, Memphis for some reason, was off the NFL "radar."
I personally would like to see expansion in cities that have at least one professional team in another league of some kind and is warmly embraced and supported in that community, like the Trail Blazers are in Portland (try and take that franchise away from that city and watch what happens!) The Hurricanes in Raleigh, the Jazz in Salt Lake City, the Kings in Sacramento or the Thunder in Oklahoma City, if our city had leadership and populace mindsets like these places, we'd have at least one major league team of our own to enjoy along with our beloved Blazers by now.
Or cities like ours, that have nothing along the lines of true professional sports to cheer for, rally around as a city and call our own, like Louisville, they used to have an ABA team and supported it well. Surprised that they don't have anything yet, but I do know it hasn't been from lack of trying and with Papa John's HQ being there, and them being the official sponsor of the NFL, who knows? Louisville could very well break through and get an an NFL expansion team if a serious push was made there, but the league has this man-crush on Los Angeles, for some reason. But when it comes to something this big, Birmingham's just whistlin' dixie now. There's an 'elephant' in the room (if you know what I mean), and all our city officials have done for years is kiss up to it...& can't get it to leave, it's sitting on this city and refuses to get up. And we don't have what it takes to get it off of our backs.
Toronto? Nothing personal, but **** no!!! They're trying to lure the Bills away from Buffalo. If I know that fan base like I think they do, there'd better be riot squads in place on the streets of Buffalo, because after what happened to them with their former NBA team (the Braves), no way in **** are they going to stand still for someone stealing the Bills from them. This would devastate that city, as would New Orleans if the Saints go marching out.
Far as Birmingham's concerned? Sure, I'd love to have more in this regard, been wanting for as long as I've lived here (a very long time)but I'm grateful for UAB athletics & will root for what I got, to some degree, they've filled the void as best as they could, but, time is not on my side waiting on Birmingham to join the ranks of major league cities, we had our chances to get real pro teams and blew every single one of them, allowing outside forces within this state to dictate agenda, **** them - Go Blazers!!! We that live in this area need to get behind them in record numbers, or they'll be going the way of the Stallions, too.