Why the Move of an NFL Expansion Team Could Be Necessary
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio thinks a second wave of NFL expansion is on the way, although, as a result of simple economics. The NFL only recently increased the regular season length to seventeen games, and also 18 are scheduled to come before long. However, that’s only going to be the maximum number of games out there, which means the only realistic way to obtain more television exposure and drive up sales is to add a few more teams. Some folks feel this is simply a cash cow, and the owners want to keep it this way. However, if you stop and think about how successful the NFL has been, adding teams just makes sense.
One example of how NFL expansion can be a smart business move is with a team that hasn’t been around for a while. Let’s say you have the Miami Dolphins, who have been around for quite some time. If they were to move into a new stadium, which is being built, they’d immediately become one of the more interesting teams in the league. There’s a chance that the team might even end up going into consecutive Super Bowls. In addition, you also have to take into account that the Dolphins would have a new television contract with the network that carries the Dolphins’ games. So it’s very possible that not only would the fans enjoy a second season in Miami, but the Dolphins would also get a nice financial boost from their new television contracts!
It seems as though the Los Angeles Rams are in the mix of NFL Expansion, with reports indicating that they are very interested in moving into a new stadium. While there’s no real evidence that they’ll move into a new stadium in Los Angeles, it does make sense that the NFL would like to have this team move into the L.A. area. Los Angeles is a great market for sports teams because it is the largest city with a professional sports team already in it. However, there are also a lot of Los Angeles residents who don’t watch football. So the question becomes, “Why would the NFL want to put two different teams in the same area?”
One reason that a relocation may be necessary for an NFL expansion team is because the current stadium won’t be able to meet the needs of all of the NFL’s teams and fanbases. Some areas of the country aren’t growing in popularity and the demand for a NFL franchise is predicted to grow at a slower rate over the next couple of years. That means that the number of people who live in a NFL town will continue to drop, which would force an increased demand for an adequate number of stadiums. So if two franchises are competing for a given place, then it makes sense to locate a third team somewhere else in the area.
A second reason an NFL expansion team may be necessary is because the league has been too slow in growing its memberhips. The NFL has held onto its players and fanbases by not expanding the basic product that is responsible for the success of each team. Due to this, many fans have turned their backs on the game due to the lack of growth in the league. As television audiences and attendance continue to decline, the NFL has been forced to look at ways to increase interest in the regular season games. So it goes without saying that the longer the average NFL season lasts, the more successful the teams will become and the more money the league will make from ticket sales and merchandise sales.
The final reason why the relocation of an NFL team could be necessary is that the very nature of the game requires expansion in order to thrive. Unlike other professional sports leagues that can be built with only a small amount of investment, the NFL must acquire new members in order to expand their player bases. Each year, several teams must be added to the league. This requires massive amounts of money being spent on advertisements and on the salaries of various players. It also requires teams to draft new players in order to keep up with what the competition is doing.