New NFL Teams...

The next logical number of teams to have is 36 because that gives you 18 per conference and it allows you to expand the playoffs to 16 teams without having 50% of the league making the playoffs. But the NFL realizes that there are not 4 immediately worthy markets in the US at the moment nor are there enough players to create a balanced league. So, expansion will probably not happen until the next round of collective bargaining when the NFL will use expansion as a bargaining chip with the union because each new team creates about 60 new union members who pay union dues...

Las Vegas would be a great venue but the NFL is not the league that will break the ice and go to Vegas first. Either baseball or the NBA will have to move there first and then the NFL would move in too. Remember, the city hosting an NFL team does not have to be a major metropolis; Pittsburgh and Nashville and Buffalo do just fine.

Portland had a USFL team and it did not draw flies. I suspect the NFL would be very leery of a city like that.

All the Canadian cities of interest already have CFL teams and I don't think the NFL wants to appear to be so predatory as to put a team or a league out of business.

So you can put a team in LA if you want and then you are probably looking at places outside the continental US.

Hawaii would be nice - except they don't draw much for college games or bowl games or the Pro Bowl.

Mexico? Long shot.

Japan? Horrible travel scheudling problems.

European cities? None of the European teams is turning away people in droves.

I think the NFL will proceed VERY cautiously with expansion.

If a team goes to LA, it will probably be an existing team.

They cant even sell out for college games and UCLA is one of the best college teams in the country. Look at any major college football program and they have sellouts every home game.

eh, don't u mean USC?

anyway, there's a reason the Raiders left- there's absolutely no support for a team in LA unless they are perennial champs (look at the lakers- i went to a game at the forum in 96 and it was deafeningly silent). the games will always be blacked out anyway locally b/c they never sell out the stadium...

the no. 2 tv market doesn't ever equate to a successful franchise. it's kinda cool anyway, cuz we always get a pretty good national game on television every sunday.

I dont think they should move a team there, they had their chance. Im sure we could have an NFL team in China, theres a big audience there, doesnt mean its a good idea though. IF they are stuck on teh idea though they have to move a team, having 33 teams would be horrible. i really like the way it is now with four sets of four in each conference.