Packers: 5 key points from shareholders meeting
By Phil Watson
Los Angeles ‘crucial’ to NFL’s future
Murphy said that the increasing buzz about teams relocating to Los Angeles is real and, although the nation’s second-largest television market hasn’t been home to the NFL since both the Rams and Raiders left after the 1994 season, the city is important to the league’s long-term future.
“It’s very important,” Murphy told PackersNews.com. “It’s the second-largest market in the country and we don’t have a team there. So I think that’s been a priority for the league for years.
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“Now, quite honestly, it does help to have a market like L.A. open so that there’s always an option or chance that teams could move there.
“I think you’ve got three teams that are really looking at it. They all have, quite honestly, frustrating or disappointing stadium situations. They’re all trying to improve their current situations in theri home market. Whether or not that’s achievable, we’ll see.”
There has been a steady stream of rumors linking the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles, as those franchises have fought to upgrade or build new stadiums in their existing markets.
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The Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, playing their first few home games at old Busch Stadium before their current venue, the Edward Jones Dome, was ready to open.
The Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995 after leaving the Bay Area for Los Angeles in 1982. But the Raiders returned to an upgraded, but still old, stadium—now known as O.co Coliseum—and proposals for a new stadium in Oakland haven’t gained much traction.
The Chargers played their inaugural season in the old American Football League in Los Angeles before heading down the coast for San Diego for the 1961 season. The Chargers have played at what is now called Qualcomm Stadium since it opened in 1967 and have been trying for at least a decade to get a new facility.
“At the league level, we’ve talked about L.A. for many, many years,” Murphy said. “There’s really a sense that this is much more of a priority. In fact, we have a special league meeting coming up in August, focused solely on L.A., an update there. So it’s obviously a high priority for the league.”
The Packers last played in Los Angeles in 1990 against the Raiders, but did play a road game against the Rams in Anaheim in 1991.
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