NFL Expansion. Austin?

StarOfGlory

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Before anyone says "Hey, there is not an expansion planned anytime soon...", yes, I know, and this is a hypothetical. Hear me out.

The Spurs sent out a letter requesting to play more games in Austin and Mexico. Usually, letters like this are signs that a move is coming in the next couple years. Austin is a big time up and coming city and I could it see it being a much more appealing market than San Antonio.

With Elon Musk looking like he is moving some operations to Austin, and the number of people leaving Commie...I mean California to come to Texas, I could see a team wanting to be in football-crazy Texas with an aim for Austin. Over 1 million people and growing, and while SA has 1.4 million, it really is a small metro area surrounded by lots of burbs and land. It doesn't have that big city feel.

If a NBA team pulls up roots and makes the move, can the NFL be far behind if expansion is planned? Could a team survive in Austin?
 

KJJ

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Austin has the Longhorns they’re a big college football town. Not sure an NFL team would prosper there.
 

KJJ

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With the Cowboys in Dallas and the Texans in Houston I don’t think another Texas NFL team would do well. A San Antonio franchise would have a better chance than one in Austin but San Antonio is all about the Spurs.
 

Ranching

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Before anyone says "Hey, there is not an expansion planned anytime soon...", yes, I know, and this is a hypothetical. Hear me out.

The Spurs sent out a letter requesting to play more games in Austin and Mexico. Usually, letters like this are signs that a move is coming in the next couple years. Austin is a big time up and coming city and I could it see it being a much more appealing market than San Antonio.

With Elon Musk looking like he is moving some operations to Austin, and the number of people leaving Commie...I mean California to come to Texas, I could see a team wanting to be in football-crazy Texas with an aim for Austin. Over 1 million people and growing, and while SA has 1.4 million, it really is a small metro area surrounded by lots of burbs and land. It doesn't have that big city feel.

If a NBA team pulls up roots and makes the move, can the NFL be far behind if expansion is planned? Could a team survive in Austin?
Split the difference....the Gruene Gringos has a nice ring.....Gringos comes from the revolutionary soldiers that wore Green Coats...
 

Established1971

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Before anyone says "Hey, there is not an expansion planned anytime soon...", yes, I know, and this is a hypothetical. Hear me out.

The Spurs sent out a letter requesting to play more games in Austin and Mexico. Usually, letters like this are signs that a move is coming in the next couple years. Austin is a big time up and coming city and I could it see it being a much more appealing market than San Antonio.

With Elon Musk looking like he is moving some operations to Austin, and the number of people leaving Commie...I mean California to come to Texas, I could see a team wanting to be in football-crazy Texas with an aim for Austin. Over 1 million people and growing, and while SA has 1.4 million, it really is a small metro area surrounded by lots of burbs and land. It doesn't have that big city feel.

If a NBA team pulls up roots and makes the move, can the NFL be far behind if expansion is planned? Could a team survive in Austin?

since Columbus Ohio has the Blue Jackets (barely a pro team) it makes Austin the biggest city in the US with no sports teams at all.

They get overlooked (as does Columbus) because of proximity to other cities with teams (Dallas, Houston like Cleveland and Cincy) Same with Orlando, FL (midway between TB and Jacksonville and 5 hours from Miami)

Milwaukee is too close to Green Bay, though they stopped playing games there long ago

San Jose and San Antonio also too close to cities with teams

St Louis and San Diego may be too soon to go back to

Memphis and Portland seem like the most deserving at the moment
 

Techsass

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I don't think Austin is a big enough market to entice the NFL. The greater Austin area actually has about 2.230 million people. Dallas is listed as only 1.339 million, but the Greater Dallas area is 7.687 million. Houston is around 7.10 million.
 

jterrell

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Before anyone says "Hey, there is not an expansion planned anytime soon...", yes, I know, and this is a hypothetical. Hear me out.

The Spurs sent out a letter requesting to play more games in Austin and Mexico. Usually, letters like this are signs that a move is coming in the next couple years. Austin is a big time up and coming city and I could it see it being a much more appealing market than San Antonio.

With Elon Musk looking like he is moving some operations to Austin, and the number of people leaving Commie...I mean California to come to Texas, I could see a team wanting to be in football-crazy Texas with an aim for Austin. Over 1 million people and growing, and while SA has 1.4 million, it really is a small metro area surrounded by lots of burbs and land. It doesn't have that big city feel.

If a NBA team pulls up roots and makes the move, can the NFL be far behind if expansion is planned? Could a team survive in Austin?
Austin and San Antonio are like 45 miles apart at their outer, closest edges. Austin's latest "growth" is largely toward SA. All those burbs are blowing up.
Lockhart, San Marcos, New Braunfels.
The Spurs issue is they spent 15 years being great and have fallen off. That comes with fan apathy. But they've been remarkably supported forever.

I could easily see an NFL team succeeding in Austin but that has all been Cowboys country with training camps held in both cities for years.
Being second fiddle in your own city aint a grand recipe for success.
What makes Austin more appealing than SA is income per capita.
The tech bros in Austin have money to burn.

With the traffic problems in Austrin right now adding an NFL/NBA team would be criminally negligent behavior. 35 is a full on parking lot even on weekends.
 

Hoofbite

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I don't think Austin is a big enough market to entice the NFL. The greater Austin area actually has about 2.230 million people. Dallas is listed as only 1.339 million, but the Greater Dallas area is 7.687 million. Houston is around 7.10 million.

And the Green Bay metro has how many people? Large populations give you a numbers advantage, but if you can find a smaller yet more dedicated population it can also work.

2.2 million people can work, but it's highly unlikely the prospective amount of fans is anywhere near 2.2 million given that Dallas and Houston are established franchises.

Personally, I think Toronto makes a lot of sense. Move the Jaguars to Toronto, and nobody would care. Only team in Canada, and would be within a 3 hour flight to countless opponents.
 

Techsass

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And the Green Bay metro has how many people? Large populations give you a numbers advantage, but if you can find a smaller yet more dedicated population it can also work.

2.2 million people can work, but it's highly unlikely the prospective amount of fans is anywhere near 2.2 million given that Dallas and Houston are established franchises.

Personally, I think Toronto makes a lot of sense. Move the Jaguars to Toronto, and nobody would care. Only team in Canada, and would be within a 3 hour flight to countless opponents.
Green Bay is an established icon with a great history. Heck they could have an Ice Bowl every year & it would probably still be a sell out.
 

csirl

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I think Austin could support a team, but the next expansion will be to Europe later this decade - teams in London and Germany.
 

StylisticS

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I think Austin could support a team, but the next expansion will be to Europe later this decade - teams in London and Germany.
It would fail in London or Germany. The NFL will never supplant soccer in any city in these places.
 

Hardline

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Austin doesn't deserve a team. That city doesn't even belong in Texas.
 

atlantacowboy

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Before anyone says "Hey, there is not an expansion planned anytime soon...", yes, I know, and this is a hypothetical. Hear me out.

The Spurs sent out a letter requesting to play more games in Austin and Mexico. Usually, letters like this are signs that a move is coming in the next couple years. Austin is a big time up and coming city and I could it see it being a much more appealing market than San Antonio.

With Elon Musk looking like he is moving some operations to Austin, and the number of people leaving Commie...I mean California to come to Texas, I could see a team wanting to be in football-crazy Texas with an aim for Austin. Over 1 million people and growing, and while SA has 1.4 million, it really is a small metro area surrounded by lots of burbs and land. It doesn't have that big city feel.

If a NBA team pulls up roots and makes the move, can the NFL be far behind if expansion is planned? Could a team survive in Austin?

The Texans got grandfathered in b/c Houston is historically an NFL town. There is no NFL tradition in Austin. I doubt the owners of the Texans and Jerry want more competition for dollars in Texas. I think areas that have lost NFL teams due to moves are higher on that hypothetical list.
 

RandyOh

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Nah. If a team comes to Texas, San Antonio would get the team, but i'm certain the team would play in San Marcos to include the Austin Market. Austin is all about UT anyways. Doubt the NFL wants an expansion team to be behind a college team. Doesn't matter if the team aint in Austin though. San Antonio and Austin are on track to merge into a mega metro in the same vein as Dallas/Fort Worth.
 

darthseinfeld

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I don't think Austin is a big enough market to entice the NFL. The greater Austin area actually has about 2.230 million people. Dallas is listed as only 1.339 million, but the Greater Dallas area is 7.687 million. Houston is around 7.10 million.
Greater Buffalo is just 1 million. However greater Rochester is also 1 million and is 40 miles away. Plus Syracuse down 1-90. Can an Austin team draw from other areas
 

Diehardblues

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Before anyone says "Hey, there is not an expansion planned anytime soon...", yes, I know, and this is a hypothetical. Hear me out.

The Spurs sent out a letter requesting to play more games in Austin and Mexico. Usually, letters like this are signs that a move is coming in the next couple years. Austin is a big time up and coming city and I could it see it being a much more appealing market than San Antonio.

With Elon Musk looking like he is moving some operations to Austin, and the number of people leaving Commie...I mean California to come to Texas, I could see a team wanting to be in football-crazy Texas with an aim for Austin. Over 1 million people and growing, and while SA has 1.4 million, it really is a small metro area surrounded by lots of burbs and land. It doesn't have that big city feel.

If a NBA team pulls up roots and makes the move, can the NFL be far behind if expansion is planned? Could a team survive in Austin?
Austin is a college town. Can’t see a NFL team ever wanting to come there. Would be like a NFL team wanting to go to Tuscaloosa, Happy Valley or Ann Arbor. And I’ve never heard Austin officials speaking about it.

The Dallas mayor though recently was promoting Dallas and North Texas for another NFL team since that area is about to become the third largest metro area in country , only behind NY and LA which both have 2 NFL teams .

I’d add that expansion is unlikely . But we could see a current team look for greener pastures like most recent moves in NFL.
 

Aerolithe_Lion

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Remember what happened when Baltimore, Cleveland, LA, Houston, Oakland(first time), St. Louis(first time) all lost their teams: they eventually got one back. The NFL knows those cities and knows that they have a solid foundation with both city councils and built-in NFL fandoms. There’s no guarantee they’ll be selling out games right away with a third team in Texas… but could you imagine if STL got an expansion team again finally? They’d freak out, wouldn’t have an open seat for 10 years.

Oakland I think is an exception because their council really seems against supporting pro teams. The A’s are in limbo, they basically kicked the Raiders out twice, and the Warriors had to move back to SF to get their stadium funded.

I’d go

1. St. Louis
2. Toronto
3. San Diego? Can SoCal support 3? The Tristate area has like 6, so why not.
4. Maybe San Antonio here
 
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