Goodell: "We Want To Keep Our Teams Where They Are"

by Christopher Gates on Feb 4, 2012 12:17 PM CST in NFL

During his annual Super Bowl news conference on Friday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that if the NFL were to put a team in Los Angeles, they would prefer it to be due to expansion and not because of an existing team moving there.

Of course, it doesn't sound like the NFL is planning on going that route any time soon, either.

"We have not talked about expansion in the league at all. It has not been on our agenda. It is not something we've focused on with our membership. And I don't see that in the foreseeable future," Goodell said. "We want to keep our teams where they are. We believe that's healthier for the league in the long term. We're working to get stadiums built and make sure we do whatever we can to make sure those teams are successful in those communities."

(Check out the rest of the article, but stop before you get to the comments. . .unless listening to the whining of anti-fan, anti-stadium, anti-Viking douchebaggery is your thing.)

So, the NFL doesn't want their teams moving, which is fine. Once everyone in the Minnesota legislature pulls their heads out and gets something together for a new stadium, we won't have to worry about the Vikings leaving, regardless.

While this is good news for Vikings fans that don't want to see their team depart from where they belong, one has to wonder what this could do to the level of urgency to get something done. Hopefully it won't screw things up too much. Then again, with the way this is being handled at pretty much every level, I guess they can't get that much more screwed up

I'm not sure why the NFL would even consider expanding at this point, either. The set-up they have now is perfect as far as conferences, divisions, etc. Throwing another team or two into the mix would throw everything off and further dilute the talent pool in the league. It just doesn't make any sense, no matter how much the league's other owners would stand to profit from it.

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LA Chargers

only option that makes any sense at all really

"Believe in the system. For it shall bring light when there is dark, food when there is hunger, and shots when there are passes. This is the divine process." Yeo 4:18

by NorthernStar on Feb 4, 2012 12:27 PM CST reply actions

It makes sense

The Vikings are part of the oldest division, by age of teams in the division combined for a total of 316 years. 93 each for packers and bears, 83 for the lions and 51 for the Vikings. Goodell probably doesn’t want to be the guy that allowed our division to break up if he can afford not to.

"You can write articles and do whatever you want, you can break down every player. Good, bad or ugly. But we just aren't good enough as a team, as a group. Offensively, defensively and special teams, from the No. 1 on the roster to the last man on the roster. We just aren't good enough. It's as simple as that." - Chad Greenway

by Grape Drank on Feb 4, 2012 1:05 PM CST reply actions

The NFL is too smart to move an existing team to LA.

Moving the Vikings or the Chargers to LA won’t increase their revenue like adding adding another team would…..They’re saving LA for when they do expand!

by chaosg on Feb 4, 2012 1:18 PM CST reply actions

i hate all the expansion talk, though...

even if it’s “eventual” or “not in the plans right now”… 32 teams is perfect. 8 divisions with 4 teams each. adding 1, 2, even 4 teams is going to mess all that up.

ugh.

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Feb 4, 2012 1:37 PM CST reply actions

Seriously

They currently have the most perfect setup in America in terms of competitive balance, regular season scheduling and playoffs.

But the owners are probably still hoping for an 18 game schedule, which would throw all that off anyways. Greed can ruin anything, and it will eventually hurt the NFL’s setup too.

by Cobra312004 on Feb 4, 2012 2:06 PM CST up reply actions

and that's another beast altogether...

…the game schedule. you’re right that the NFL has the perfect setup in pro sports. 32 teams in 8 even divisions; 16 game regular seasons schedule; wild card playoff scheduling; etc.

TBH, they would be better served actually allowing some teams to move to better markets. (read: Florida does not need 3 teams…)

"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."

Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.

by rj-b on Feb 6, 2012 12:14 AM CST up reply actions

4

would still work 3 div of 6 , making divisional games matter more than they do now . even expanding to 18 games 10 div one cross conf div for 6 , and 2 for conf playing other teams that finished div in same spot as your team. not ideal but still plausible.

by skol viking on Feb 4, 2012 3:16 PM CST up reply actions

i was just

Excited ywhen I posted on this bc the MN Vikings should stay in MN :) I didn’t think about the divisions if an expansion happened or the leverage aspect

by Lunchpail on Feb 4, 2012 1:39 PM CST via mobile reply actions

IF THE NFL CARES THEY SHOULD PONY UP MORE $$$$$ TO HELP WILFS BUILD

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW MUCH DID THE NFL COMMIT TO A NEW VIKING STADIUM ? IS IT PART OF ZGYS 450 MIL OR IN ADDITION TO THE 45O
I DID A SEARCH ON NFL GROSS PROFITS AROUND 03 IT WAS OVER 6 BILLION IN 2010 IT WAS 7.5 BILLION SO IF THEY SINCERELY CARE AND WANT TO KEEP THE TEAMS WHERE THEY ARE THEY SHOULD PUT UP MORE TO KEEP THEM THEIR !
IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT RAMSEY CO AND THE ARMY HAVE THE CLEAN UP OF ARDEN HILLS COVERED AND THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS AND BIG CHUNK OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN THAT AREA IS ALREADY SCHEDULED TO BE IMPROVED BY THE STATE AND COUNTY OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS REGARDLESS OF A STADIUM BEING BUILT OR NOT SO THESE COST SHOULD NOT BE PART OF THE STADIUM COST !
WITH THAT SAID WHAT IS THE TRUE COST FOR THE STADIUM ? LESS THAN A BILLION ? AND IF ZYGI IS GOOD FOR 450 MILL I DONT THINK IT WOUD HURT THE NFL TO DROP 400 – 500 MILLION $$$ AND JUST PARTNER UP WITH THE WILFS OR JUST FINANCE A LOW INTREST LONG TERM LOAN TO THE STATE , COUNTY AND CITIES THAT WOULD ONLY NEED TO ADD A 1/2 CENT OR 1 CENT TAX INCREASE TO PAY BACK THE NFL OR THE NFL JUST SPLIT THE PROFITS WITH THE VIKES ALONG WITH THE TAX REVENUE UNTILL THEIR PAID OFF I WOULD THINK WITH ALL THE CREATIVE BEAN COUNTERS OUT THEIR THEY COULD MAKE THIS WORK THE STATE ALSO NEEDS TO BE MORE UP FRONT THAT THEY DID NOT INVEST IN THE HHH DOME BUT THEY PROFITED OVER 320 MILLION $$$ SO FAR AND WITH THAT SAID HOW MUCH DID MPLS AND HENIPEN PROFIT IM SHURE IT WAS ENOUGH TO MORE THAN DOUBLE OR QUADDROOPLE THEIR INVESTMENT AND THATS WHY THEY ARE GOING OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SPOIL THING FOR RAMSEY CO THEY KNOW THE VIKES ARE MONEY IN THE BANK AND THEY ARE TO SHARE EVEN THOUGH THEY WILL STILL GET MOST OF THE HOTEL AND RESTRAUNT PROFITS BUT TTHEIR JUST TO GREEDY TO BE HAPPY WITH THAT

GO FIGURE
SKOL

by THORS BLOOD THIRSTY HAMMER on Feb 4, 2012 6:28 PM CST reply actions

NFL has a loan program that will advance $200 Million

as talked about in other threads, that is PART of Wilf’s $450 Million contribution. Part of the issue in asking the NFL to contribute more is that they have to treat all their teams the same. The 49’s are getting $200 million, the Vikings shouldn’t get any more than that.

Something tells me you haven’t been following along, because there is a state law in MN that states that any new county taxes or a raising of existing county taxes must pass by voter referendum. The pro stadium people have been very adamant that the voters not get a chance to vote on the rate increase, because they believe it will fail. On the other side of the coin, several state legislators have stated they will not vote to exempt this project from that state law.

Yes, the Vikings could easily fund this themselves, should they choose to. But then they would own the entire enchilada including all liability insurance and maintenance costs. Instead, they would rather have someone else pay the majority of the money to build, then own the stadium. In exchange, this partner would not receive any revenue profits from the stadium, they would all go to the Vikings. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for the Vikings. But it is not a good deal for the taxpayers (financially).

Concerning the HHH dome and the profit from that ….80 MLB games/yr for over 25 yrs (including several playoff games and games in 2 different World Series), the Timberwolves, the Vikings and the Gophers all played there. I think the North Stars also played there. In other words, that $320 Million profit over 30 yrs was not just from the Vikings, meaning that any new Vikings Only stadium would not bring in that much. Also, the initial cost of the dome was $55 million. This does not account for money sunk into 3 replacement roofs 2 or 3 replacement turfs and 3 major renovations. So, no, the dome really hasn’t garnered that much profit…just it made that much more THAN ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE.

Concerning the revenue raised by county and local taxes due to the Vikings…realize that the county makes less than a dime on every dollar spent. Meaning, if the fans spent $100 million in the community, then the county would not have made $10 million.

by Chris3 on Feb 6, 2012 8:31 AM CST up reply actions