Many obstacles remain before NFL returns to Los Angeles
There will soon be a new owner in Jacksonville who may have his sights on L.A. But a move by the Jaguars or any other team won’t be easy, as owners figure to make the relocation fee extremely high.
Sam Farmer
The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES- The Jacksonville Jaguars made two blockbuster announcements in rapid-fire succession this week:
Jack Del Rio is out as coach. Shahid Khan will be in as owner.
When you change the coach, you change the face of the franchise. But when you change the owner, that can mean a seismic shift — and a lot of people believe that move is the first big step toward the vacant Los Angeles market.
It makes sense on one level, with Jacksonville being the league’s fourth-smallest market, and L.A. being the nation’s second-largest market. The move seems like a no-brainer, especially because Jacksonville has long struggled to sell tickets. The team is averaging crowds of 62,000 this season, 26th in the league.
What’s more, Khan didn’t build his fortune by making dumb business moves. Of course he’s aware that L.A. has been without a franchise since 1995, and that competing groups are proposing “can’t-miss” mega-venues downtown and at Grand Crossing (City of Industry). Why wouldn’t he want to pack the moving vans and find the first onramp to Interstate 10?
Dilemma X 
December 2, 2011
Athletics