drsteuss wrote:....Everyone knows Benson wants to move the team there, but it'll be a cold day in hell before the NFL lets it happen....
I dunno, when your entire city is destroyed by a natural disaster, including your stadium, it kind of leaves the NFL without many valid objections....
Especially when you see the reaction that the people of San Antonio are having to the Saints...
It looks like it is making more and more sense....
LA is out of the running until they build proper facilities.... No NFL franchise is going to sign on to play in the Colliseum or the Rose Bowl....
Personally, I think it's lousy to give Texas OR California another team....
I say they move the Saints to Birmingham.... It's not too far from where they currently are, and Alabama could use a team....
I wonder where Birmingham ranks relative to San Antonio as far as Market Size.
I wouldn't be shocked (I would be disappointed) to see the Saints move, but San Antonio would surprise me. A third team in Texas, in a market not that much bigger than New Orleans, just doesn't make a lot of financial sense. And the NFL is ALL about the Benjamins.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Voltaire
drsteuss wrote:....Everyone knows Benson wants to move the team there, but it'll be a cold day in hell before the NFL lets it happen....
I dunno, when your entire city is destroyed by a natural disaster, including your stadium, it kind of leaves the NFL without many valid objections....
Especially when you see the reaction that the people of San Antonio are having to the Saints...
It looks like it is making more and more sense....
LA is out of the running until they build proper facilities.... No NFL franchise is going to sign on to play in the Colliseum or the Rose Bowl....
Personally, I think it's lousy to give Texas OR California another team....
I say they move the Saints to Birmingham.... It's not too far from where they currently are, and Alabama could use a team....
I wonder where Birmingham ranks relative to San Antonio as far as Market Size.
I wouldn't be shocked (I would be disappointed) to see the Saints move, but San Antonio would surprise me. A third team in Texas, in a market not that much bigger than New Orleans, just doesn't make a lot of financial sense. And the NFL is ALL about the Benjamins.
Actually San Antonio is much bigger than New Orleans, easily over twice the size, and im sure Birmingham isnt even on the radar. But I think trying to spread franchises to as many states as possible would be lucrative even if the city itself is a slightly smaller market.
drsteuss wrote:....Everyone knows Benson wants to move the team there, but it'll be a cold day in hell before the NFL lets it happen....
I dunno, when your entire city is destroyed by a natural disaster, including your stadium, it kind of leaves the NFL without many valid objections....
Especially when you see the reaction that the people of San Antonio are having to the Saints...
It looks like it is making more and more sense....
LA is out of the running until they build proper facilities.... No NFL franchise is going to sign on to play in the Colliseum or the Rose Bowl....
Personally, I think it's lousy to give Texas OR California another team....
I say they move the Saints to Birmingham.... It's not too far from where they currently are, and Alabama could use a team....
I wonder where Birmingham ranks relative to San Antonio as far as Market Size.
I wouldn't be shocked (I would be disappointed) to see the Saints move, but San Antonio would surprise me. A third team in Texas, in a market not that much bigger than New Orleans, just doesn't make a lot of financial sense. And the NFL is ALL about the Benjamins.
Actually San Antonio is much bigger than New Orleans, easily over twice the size, and im sure Birmingham isnt even on the radar. But I think trying to spread franchises to as many states as possible would be lucrative even if the city itself is a slightly smaller market.
What I meant to say by market size was the amount of "paying customers" and TV Ratings that SA could generate vs. NO. In that respect, I honestly don't think SA is that much bigger. I agree that metro population there's no comparison.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Voltaire
drsteuss wrote:.... Actually San Antonio is much bigger than New Orleans, easily over twice the size, and im sure Birmingham isnt even on the radar. But I think trying to spread franchises to as many states as possible would be lucrative even if the city itself is a slightly smaller market.
S.A. is #28 Metro area in the US
N.O. is (was) # 34
The overwhelming majority of the New Orleans metro area is intact with minimal damages. And, overwhelmingly, the people who will not be returning to the city didn't have the means to purchase season tickets...
There is no "almost done" deal for the Saints to relocate from New Orleans beyond this season.
Someone mentioned empty seats at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Well, the Dome took 67K, Tiger Staduim can go 90K+. Its tough for any team, in any market to fill 90K+. Tiger Staduim could have 25K empty seats and still sell just as many tickets as the Dome.
Finally, some outrage... Mayor Ray Nagin rips the Saints owner!
Yahoo wrote:NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Mayor Ray Nagin disparaged Saints owner Tom Benson on Wednesday for working with San Antonio officials to permanently keep the NFL team in Texas.
The mayor's comments came after the departures of two top Saints executives who were supportive of keeping the Saints in Louisiana. Nagin is concerned that San Antonio officials said publicly that Benson is working with them to relocate the franchise to Texas.
``We want our Saints, we may not want the owner back,'' Nagin said while attending the reopening of Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter.
``I'm ready to go to the NFL and to (commissioner Paul) Tagliabue and say, 'Give us the Cleveland plan,' `` Nagin added, referring to the league awarding Cleveland an expansion team almost immediately after the Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season. ``Whatever the Saints want to do, you let them leave, but they can't take our logo, they can't take our name, and you give us a promise to give us a franchise when this city's back.''
Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said he had no comment on the matter.
``For them to be openly talking to other cities about moving is disrespectful to the citizens of New Orleans, disrespectful to the Saints fans who have hung in with this franchise through 30-something years under very trying times,'' Nagin said.
The Saints joined the NFL in 1967. In 1986, Benson was part of an ownership group that bought the team to ensure it would stay in Louisiana. Benson eventually bought out other members of the group.
During Benson's ownership, the state of Louisiana has built him a new headquarters, including spending $6.75 million for an indoor practice field in 2003. The state also has paid for repeated improvements to the Louisiana Superdome at Benson's insistence during the past two decades.
On Monday night, Benson fired Arnold Fielkow, the team's top business executive since 2000. Fielkow had overseen a 36-game sellout streak at the Superdome and negotiated an unprecedented stadium lease that called for the state to pay Benson $187 million in direct subsidies over 10 years.
But Fielkow has said he believed the Saints needed to be leaders in New Orleans' rebuilding process after Hurricane Katrina and repeatedly praised Saints fans in Louisiana as the best and most loyal in the NFL. Fielkow has since said that stance led to his dismissal.
On Tuesday, Conrad Kowal, senior director of marketing and business development, also resigned.
Nagin called Benson's recent actions a ``doggone shame.''
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by Wesley Walker » Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:39 pm 
