#NFL #London #Chargers #LosAngeles
After years of regular success with its games in London, the NFL might be considering taking its overseas relationship with the city one step further.
Interest is picking up with the league, the Los Angeles Chargers and the rest of the NFL’s owners in possible move by the team to London, according to a report from The Athletic’s Vincent Bonsignore:
The Athletic has learned through NFL sources that the possibility of the Chargers moving to London has been broached among league personnel. The Athletic also has learned that, while the team is fully committed to Los Angeles where it will move into the new $4.5 billion stadium with the Rams next year, the Chargers would at least listen if the NFL approached them about about London as a possible option.
Finally, The Athletic has learned that NFL owners are concerned enough about the Chargers’ situation in L.A., where a crowded sports market and the presence of the more established Rams has resulted in a tepid embracement [sic] of the Chargers, that they would provide the necessary support for a relocation to London if the Chargers pursue it.
In summary, it appears there are very few figures with control over the Chargers’ location that would say no to a hypothetical move to London.
Would the Chargers really move to London?
Such a move would obviously be years away, but it’s hard to blame the NFL for considering such a drastic move at this point. The Chargers’ big migration from San Diego to Los Angeles has been an embarrassment for the league, as opposing fans repeatedly take over Dignity Health Sports Park, the the 27,000-capacity soccer stadium the Chargers are using as a temporary home.
The Chargers are scheduled to move into the Inglewood stadium with the Rams next season, but it’s clear the team is in danger of becoming the clear-cut second banana in a city that might not have enough room for two NFL teams.
A move to London would give the Chargers sole possession of an even bigger market, with the whole of the United Kingdom possibly rooting for them. The Athletic also mentions the state-of-the-art, 62,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the likely venue for the team.
There would still be plenty of logistics to figure out — pitching players on being based overseas, a possible divisional realignment, scheduling issues stemming from travel and time zones, figuring out where the team would practice — but the pros are obvious.
It might not be the massive market that Chargers ownership was hoping for when it moved from San Diego, but it could also be the team’s best path going forward.
By Jack Baersports.yahoo.com
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