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  • January 30, 2008 11:09 AM ET

Pick a bad NFL Franchise and choose a city to move them to and explain why

sooner31 (9-12-1) vs Big Ben68 (38-4-0)
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Without Question, the most embarrassing franchise in the NFL are the St Louis/Arizona Cardinals. Nothing nice to say about a team that has made the playoffs 4 times in 41 years. Maybe the saddest franchise in all of sports. I would move them to, as stange as it sounds, to Omaha Nebraska. It isn???t as sexy as lets say Las Vegas, but the people in Nebraska eat and live Cornhusker football. With a pro-team, I think the following would be automatic. Omaha is also the 42 most populated city in the US..ahead of such cities as Miami, St Louis and Pittsburgh. More thoughts to come...


First, let me ask you:

Why would the ARIZONA Cardinals leave their two year old state of the art stadium that will have a Super Bowl played at it this year and I think has another one planned in the future?

No, doesn't make much sense to leave such a beautiful facility and start up a new fanbase off in Nebraska. I don't know of many pro sports teams in Nebraska, but in Arizona you have the Cardinals (NFL), Diamondbacks (MLB), and Suns (NBA). Obviously you have a sports state out in Arizona and the Cardinals have been selling tickets pretty well with the new stadium. I don't see the reasoning in removing the Cardinals (who seem to be turning it around with Wisenhunt as the head coach).

The only two teams I could see actually moving would be the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. Though, I personally feel that no team should move unless its fanbase has completely abandoned it, but that is not the case with either franchise, but the Lions are moving closer to such a pandemic with Matt Millen still drafting wide receivers and a team that completely collapsed after a great start. I've heard Lions fans contemplating a complete walk out of all home games, but many are too faithful.


Buffalo has one of the most loyal fan base in the NFL and arguably the most successful in NY. Stadium aside, there is no reason for the Cardinals to be in Arizona. And from what I hear that stadium will be obsolete in 15-20 years. Beside the roof, there isn???t much to it.
And besides with an open stadium in Omaha, could you imagine the home field advantage in Dec. and Jan.


Are you kidding me? The University of Phoenix Stadium has a RETRACTABLE field! The stadium is useful to not only the city and its activities but also as a GREAT football field. The Bills shouldn't be moved from Buffalo (as I was saying) because the fans despite ineptitude are still buying tickets and selling out many of their games. The Lions could do for new management and the Vikings are looking for a new stadium, but the Lions might be good for a move. If a team were to move a great city to move to would be Mexico City, Albuerque, or possibly Toronto. Now I'm not a supporter of overseas or foreign regular season games, but if the NFL were to move a franchise to Toronto or even Mexico City it might take care of some of that foreign interest in the game as well as prove helpful to the NFL's attempts at foreign games. Mexico City has hosted a few preseason games that sold out (between the 49ers and Cardinals of two years ago--snoozer here, but a great game for the residents of Mexico City). My choice would be the Lions to Mexico City (and a new GM for the Lions).


LIONS!! You aer using the Stadium argument against me when the Lions have a brand new one too!

C'mon, Mexico City...Football is an American sport...foreign based sports don't work in the States...It hasn't worked well with soccer here has it? And the media market is a horrible argument too. Look at Green Bay's market, look at Buffalo's market. Overall succesful teams with small markets. Hell, L.A. #2 market and can't hold a football team.


Actually the Lions' Ford Field is about 5 or 6 years old compared to the TRULY brand new stadium of the Cardinals which is now through its 2nd year of use & IS hosting a Super Bowl on Feb. 3.

Soccer is nothing to football here in the states & if you look at the response to PRESEASON games in other parts of the world along w/ the SOLD OUT regular season game in London you'd understand that moving an NFL franchise to Mexico City or even Toronto would create a bigger fan base continentally than if we kept playing games out in London. Green Bay is successful in its small market because that fanbase has been following an astounding franchise for over 75 years. Buffalo is the ONLY team to appear in four straight SBs. Success breeds a larger & more loyal fanbase than a perennial loser like Detroit who hasn't sniffed the playoffs since Sanders retired. LA is NOT worthy of a team due to its ineffectiveness of satisfying TWO franchises that have made stops in the "#2 market". A large market may not = interest in what is offered. The LA fans want a winning franchise not a loser trying to regain fans. Move it to Mex. City or Toronto & you have a new fanbase to appeal to w/ a wanted product.

Comments (111) Add A Comment

January 30, 2008  11:10 AM ET
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Omaha is an.....interesting choice....I guess.

January 30, 2008  11:21 AM ET
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I may have to step away...

January 30, 2008  11:21 AM ET
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Ran out of room to say where I was moving them...

January 30, 2008  11:30 AM ET
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Well, at least Sooner didn't say LA, a city which would lose their team in 7-10 years anyway.

January 30, 2008  11:30 AM ET
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Nice try with the respective populations, but city size within city limits is NOT the same thing as media market size.

St. Louis is the #20 media market in the US
Pittsburgh is #23
Miami is #12.

Omaha? #74.

January 30, 2008  11:36 AM ET
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sooner31 said 01/30, 11:29 AM
Buffalo has one of the most loyal fan base in the NFL and arguably the most successful in NY. Stadium aside, there is no reason for the Cardinals to be in Arizona. And from what I hear that stadium will be obsolete in 15-20 years. Beside the roof, there isn???t much to it.
And besides with an open stadium in Omaha, could you imagine the home field advantage in Dec. and Jan.

Okay, that's pretty stupid....Packers have been at Lambeau for 75 years. Yeah, they've made changes but it hasn't grown "obsolete". Basically almost any stadium can be modified to make it up-to-date.

and Omaha in December & January isn't much of a homefield advantage...at least not compared to true cold weather/snow cities like GB, Chicago, Cleveland, NY, NE

January 30, 2008  11:36 AM ET
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oops, and Buffalo

January 30, 2008  11:38 AM ET
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LoL Omaha. You think they would appreciate more bad football to go along with their Cornhuskers?

January 30, 2008  11:46 AM ET
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While I disagree with sooner's choice of franchise locations and maybe even the team, Big Ben hasn't yet offered a location alternative nor a single franchise to move there as per the TD title. I will wait for Ben to do so before I vote otherwise I will have to vote for sooner because the requirements of the TD were not met!

January 30, 2008  11:47 AM ET
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Moving a team doesn't change the ownership. Ford would still own the Lions, and the Bidwell's would still own the Cardinals. They would both still blow, just in a different town. Good luck building a fanbase with them.

January 30, 2008  12:00 PM ET
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Omaha?

January 30, 2008  12:04 PM ET
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I think though of teams most likely to move, it would be NO (b/c of the owner) or the Vikings (because the team/owner wants a new stadium and the state won't pay).

January 30, 2008  12:07 PM ET
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Vote to Big Ben68.

January 30, 2008  12:16 PM ET
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[MOH] Coach, I was decding on the Lions and saying why it wasn't the Bills, but ran out of room.

January 30, 2008  12:19 PM ET
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Dont say those kind of things Ben......Your gonna RUIN my day If I have to think about the Bills moving


I will cry if that happens...Unless they move to Spokane Washinton

January 30, 2008  12:20 PM ET
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If Benson moves the Saints, it'll be the death of him! But he has tried moving them so wouldnt surprise me if it happens one day. Definitely not anytime soon though.

January 30, 2008  12:25 PM ET
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[MOH] Coach, I was decding on the Lions and saying why it wasn't the Bills, but ran out of room.

Big Ben68 | 01/30/08, 12:16 PM


Problem with your argument there Big Ben. The Lions have a bright shiny new stadium just like the Cardinals do...

January 30, 2008  12:36 PM ET
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Omaha? Not a big enough market. The only reason it works in Green Bay is because to the tradition and history of the franchise. They also have Milwaukee and Madison to support them. Lincoln and whatever else wouldn't be enough and to start over in a small market is just to hard.

The Jags should be the ones to move. They can't sell out their stadium and the team is pretty good.

January 30, 2008  12:39 PM ET
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Like all pro sports all leagues are watered down like a cheap drink in a strip club. The league needs to remove teams, not move them. Of course, that is completely unrealistic and it will never happen. 3 years ago I would have said ARI but the SB this year and the new stadium from 2 years ago DID change all that. Buffalo is more realistic... move them to somewhere else in NY since that state always need 4 teams.

 
January 30, 2008  12:44 PM ET
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Like all pro sports all leagues are watered down like a cheap drink in a strip club. The league needs to remove teams, not move them. Of course, that is completely unrealistic and it will never happen. 3 years ago I would have said ARI but the SB this year and the new stadium from 2 years ago DID change all that. Buffalo is more realistic... move them to somewhere else in NY since that state always need 4 teams.

FCB82 | 01/30/08, 12:39 PM

Just had an interesting idea that would never fly (nor work anymore) but here it is.

If NFL Europe was still around, say, the 4 worst teams in the NFL get shipped over to NFL Europe and the 4 best NFL Europe teams would get moved over. And by moved over, I don't mean the team itself, just the players....thus, say the best NFL Europe team is the London Whatevers...the players from that team play for the Dolphins and the Dolphin players move to London.

Would never work and those teams would never win in the NFL then, but it would kinda be entertaining and somewhat like the relegation system in most soccer leagues across the world.

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