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To bring the NFL back to LA?
Magic, NASCAR chief discuss putting NFL franchise in L.A.
By Rudy Martzke, USA TODAY
Former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson says he and NASCAR chairman/CEO Brian France have held discussions concerning the purchase of an NFL team for Los Angeles.
Johnson, a co-chairman of NASCAR's diversity committee, said he has met three or four times with France in Los Angeles, where France has a home, and he said the two will meet again in two weeks.
"I'm working on trying to bring the NFL back to L.A.," Johnson said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. "I've met with the league three, four, five times, hopefully to be a minority owner."
Johnson has established several businesses since retiring from the NBA, bringing movie theaters and Starbucks franchises to inner-city locations — including Los Angeles. He has an ownership stake in the Lakers and is a club vice president. In his capacity with NASCAR, he is trying to help get more minority-owned businesses involved in the sport.
Los Angeles, the nation's No. 2 media market, hasn't had an NFL team since 1995. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said during his annual state of the game address before the Super Bowl that the league intends to return a team to the Los Angeles area sometime this decade.
"It would be wonderful that Brian France would be interested in being a part-owner or owner in the Los Angeles franchise," Johnson said. "He has the money, he has the marketing tools and he lives in L.A. He loves both the NBA and the NFL. So I would see him being an owner in one or the other league. I'd love to work with Brian."
France — a grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. who has been credited with increasing the sport's popularity since taking over from his father, Bill France Jr., in 2003 — was not available for comment Thursday.
"Brian and Magic have had several conversations," said Ramsey Poston, managing director of NASCAR corporate communications. "Mainly they've talked about diversity in NASCAR, but ... they've talked about a lot of sports.
"They both like the NFL, but there has not been any specific conversations between the two about acquisition or ownership of an NFL team. Brian is firmly planted as CEO and chairman of NASCAR and is here for the long haul."
France, 42, told USA TODAY last month, "I can't tell you that we didn't inquire (about) the (NFL) ownership structure. ... But believe me when I tell you, there's nothing coming. You're not going to wake up in a month, or a year, or whatever and see that I'm owning, or my family's owning, any NFL team. I would be stunned if that were the case."
On whether he expected to be a "20-year commissioner of NASCAR," though, France said, "I don't believe that to be the case."
Contributing: Chris Jenkins, USA TODAY
Sounds like a good team to me
Magic, NASCAR chief discuss putting NFL franchise in L.A.
By Rudy Martzke, USA TODAY
Former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson says he and NASCAR chairman/CEO Brian France have held discussions concerning the purchase of an NFL team for Los Angeles.
Johnson, a co-chairman of NASCAR's diversity committee, said he has met three or four times with France in Los Angeles, where France has a home, and he said the two will meet again in two weeks.
"I'm working on trying to bring the NFL back to L.A.," Johnson said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. "I've met with the league three, four, five times, hopefully to be a minority owner."
Johnson has established several businesses since retiring from the NBA, bringing movie theaters and Starbucks franchises to inner-city locations — including Los Angeles. He has an ownership stake in the Lakers and is a club vice president. In his capacity with NASCAR, he is trying to help get more minority-owned businesses involved in the sport.
Los Angeles, the nation's No. 2 media market, hasn't had an NFL team since 1995. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue said during his annual state of the game address before the Super Bowl that the league intends to return a team to the Los Angeles area sometime this decade.
"It would be wonderful that Brian France would be interested in being a part-owner or owner in the Los Angeles franchise," Johnson said. "He has the money, he has the marketing tools and he lives in L.A. He loves both the NBA and the NFL. So I would see him being an owner in one or the other league. I'd love to work with Brian."
France — a grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. who has been credited with increasing the sport's popularity since taking over from his father, Bill France Jr., in 2003 — was not available for comment Thursday.
"Brian and Magic have had several conversations," said Ramsey Poston, managing director of NASCAR corporate communications. "Mainly they've talked about diversity in NASCAR, but ... they've talked about a lot of sports.
"They both like the NFL, but there has not been any specific conversations between the two about acquisition or ownership of an NFL team. Brian is firmly planted as CEO and chairman of NASCAR and is here for the long haul."
France, 42, told USA TODAY last month, "I can't tell you that we didn't inquire (about) the (NFL) ownership structure. ... But believe me when I tell you, there's nothing coming. You're not going to wake up in a month, or a year, or whatever and see that I'm owning, or my family's owning, any NFL team. I would be stunned if that were the case."
On whether he expected to be a "20-year commissioner of NASCAR," though, France said, "I don't believe that to be the case."
Contributing: Chris Jenkins, USA TODAY
Sounds like a good team to me