Chargers to London?

[Butch]

We all know the NFL wants to move a team overseas looks like the team they are targeting is the chargers. What a joke it would be to have any team move overseas when there are cities in the US that would easily support having a team in their town.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/chargers-nfl-reportedly-considering-relocating-franchise-to-london-on-permanent-basis-amid-la-failures/

[86WARD]

That’s such nonsense. The moving expenses, the new logo design, the marketing, all the additional costs to relocate and rebrand an NFL Team, location and stadium in London, blah, blah, blah.

Take that money and put the Chargers back in San Diego where they belong. Fuck London.

[86WARD]

To your point about cities in the US. I’m sure San Antonio could probably support an NFL team. Portland maybe? How about Memphis? Something in Oklahoma City? I don’t know...maybe San Diego? San Jose?

Much rather see them try and fail in a US City then take this shit show to London.

[teegre]

Da Raidahs are the only team who can be successful in LA. Raidahs fans dominated Chargers games when the Bolts were still in SD; there was no way that the Chargers stood a chance in LA.

The Chargers should have gone to Las Vegas.

I get that Kroenke didn’t want to share a stadium with the Raiders, because the Raiders fans would have owned that city (as they already do). The Rams would have been an afterthought. Still, moving the Chargers to LA was an extremely bad decision.

[st33lersguy]

Roger Goodell and awful idiotic decisions, name me a more iconic duo?

[DesertSteel]

To your point about cities in the US. I’m sure San Antonio could probably support an NFL team. Portland maybe? How about Memphis? Something in Oklahoma City? I don’t know...maybe San Diego? San Jose?

Much rather see them try and fail in a US City then take this shit show to London.
What about Cincinnati? They could use a football team.

[Born2Steel]

Sure. Why not? They’re going to push the Chargers out of business anyway. Let them do it in London and kill off that stupid idea at the same time. Chargers or Jags? Whichever one they want.

[AtlantaDan]

Long time rumor has been that the Jags owner, who owns a football (aka soccer) team in Great Britain, has the inside track on any franchise move to London. Jax is too small of a market to support a team in SEC country where the most popular pro (called “college” for marketing purposes) football teams are the Gators and, in the southeast Georgia portion of the extended Jax market area, the Dawgs

But Chargers relocation would screw up the financing by the Rams owner of the new football palace in LA so that would be a good thing

[steelreserve]

A smarter move would have been going to Vegas, or back to San Diego, but there are too many contracts in place and too many people counting their piles of money for anything to change now.

What will really happen is the Chargers will struggle along for several years in the new stadium, and then Spanos will sell them at a huge profit to someone with a "turnaround plan" - who will then bitch and moan about building more luxury boxes, or some other redevelopment deal in the surrounding area, and threaten to move the team if not.

For this generation of owners, it is not about building a loyal fan base or a winning football team, it is about doing real estate deals and trying to increase the resale value of the franchise by hundreds of millions of dollars. The way to do that is by trying to strongarm the city government by bitching or threatening to move, so that's what they all do. That's the only reason a fan base matters to these people - if they are visible enough that they make a good prop that the owner can use to help coerce the local politicians to act in his favor.

Overall a pretty disgusting state of affairs, but that's the game they're playing. It will be interesting to see whether the fact that the Chargers' support has completely cratered is enough to throw a monkey wrench into those plans. (But then the owner just bitches about low support because of the ungrateful fans, and what else would help it except a redevelopment deal and concessions from the city, such as a $1 stadium lease, etc.)

[ALLD]

Jags moving would be more practical, especially with current ownership.

[Crow-Magnon]

London Chargers. Ditch the Bolt; add St. George atop his white charger slaying a dragon. It fits!

[GoSlash27]

The logistics would be a nightmare and the AFC would have to be reorganized. I wonder what it would look like...

AFCE

NE Pats
NY Jets
London Chargers
Baltimore Ravens

AFCN

Pittsburgh Steelers
Buffalo Bills
Indy Colts
Cleveland Browns

AFCS
Cincy Bengals
Miami Dolphins
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans

AFCW
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
KC Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders

Just a guess...

[86WARD]

They wouldn’t separate the Tavens and Steelers. They’d probably just move San Diego to the East, mive Miami to the South and move Houston to the West.

What no one has been mentioning is whether the players would want that. You think Rivers wants to play in London and move his 26 kids with him? What about the taxes on the pay? If players don’t want to play overseas, they’ll have trouble fielding a competitive team.

[AtlantaDan]

They wouldn’t separate the Tavens and Steelers. They’d probably just move San Diego to the East, mive Miami to the South and move Houston to the West.

What no one has been mentioning is whether the players would want that. You think Rivers wants to play in London and move his 26 kids with him? What about the taxes on the pay? If players don’t want to play overseas, they’ll have trouble fielding a competitive team.

My guess is this rumor may be some sort of attempt to give the Chargers ownership leverage to get relief from the league or the Rams owner as they prepare to be tenants in the Rams new stadium next season and probably have not sold sufficient seat licenses to meet their financial obligations

Any actual move occurring any time soon is as likely as the Tomlin being hired by Danny Snyder hot takes that were last month’s rumor of choice

To merge those streams I have heard if the Chargers move to London they are going to hire Tomlin as head coach

[GoSlash27]

They wouldn’t separate the Ravens and Steelers. They’d probably just move San Diego to the East, mive Miami to the South and move Houston to the West.

I can't say you're wrong, because how would I know? :D It just comes down to whether they prefer to split up the Steelers and Ravens or pay a boatload more cash to shuttle teams and their equipment crazy distances. If it's me (which it's obviously not), I'm gonna shorten up my travel during the year as much as possible in order to make London economically viable.
And yeah, the big question is whether the players would go for it. They'd basically become the "Rainbow Warriors" of the NFL, which would place a huge strain on both their personal lives and their competitiveness in the league.

[Craic]

I just don't see London happening. I'd guess there's a much better chance of putting a permanent team in Mexico city. Flight time is 2:45 to Dallas, 2:16 to Houston, 3 hours to Miami, so on and so forth. Also, if NFL football takes off down there, it'd be much easier to expand to cities like Guadalajara with 4.8 million or Monterrey with 4.4 million people. They can also start an expansion into South America and divide into two leagues with the Superbowl played between them. Plus, you get the benefit of cheaper land and labor (think, building and maintaining stadiums) and yet, much of the same benefits with revenue sharing.

[Mojouw]

Massive security problem in Mexico. Cartels may just start snatching players for ransom. Perhaps a low probability, but not out of the realm.

[86WARD]

Massive security problem in Mexico. Cartels may just start snatching players for ransom. Perhaps a low probability, but not out of the realm.

That’s a good movie premise...

[Mojouw]

That’s a good movie premise...

Yup! Also, how would the NFL account for that on the roster? Would it require a 53 man roster spot? Or would there be an "Exempt - Kidnapped" list? How long before the Patriots would start kidnapping their own guys to create extra roster spots?

Now, I'm all for it. Let's put a team in like whatever the most ruthless controlled cartel town is and see what happens.

[pczach]

Yup! Also, how would the NFL account for that on the roster? Would it require a 53 man roster spot? Or would there be an "Exempt - Kidnapped" list? How long before the Patriots would start kidnapping their own guys to create extra roster spots?

Now, I'm all for it. Let's put a team in like whatever the most ruthless controlled cartel town is and see what happens.



They really need to consider a bunch of things if they go out of the country. How are they going to sign these practice squad guys and just release them in a day like they did with Sutton Smith? That's not fair to these people to have to travel that far, give up living arrangements, give up jobs, move family, etc... and then have a team release guys the next day. That would require considerably more compensation and new rules would probably need to be put in place to limit the negative impact on signed players.

[JnK]

Yup! Also, how would the NFL account for that on the roster? Would it require a 53 man roster spot? Or would there be an "Exempt - Kidnapped" list? How long before the Patriots would start kidnapping their own guys to create extra roster spots?

Now, I'm all for it. Let's put The Patricheats in like whatever the most ruthless controlled cartel town is and see what happens.

fixed it for ya :chuckle:

[steelreserve]

Ciudad Juarez Patriots does have a nice ring to it.

[ALLD]

Washington Wall Jumpers?

[tom444]

Ciudad Juarez Patriots does have a nice ring to it.

Since the Brady Patriots have just about run their course we'll trade Mexico the Patriots if they'll bring Bullfighting to Gillette.


https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/08/03/19/25-BULLFIGHTING-AFP-Getty.jpg?w968h681

[86WARD]

What about when players get in trouble with the law. Are there chances that they won’t be able to visit other countries because they can’t get a visa?

[AtlantaDan]

Yup! Also, how would the NFL account for that on the roster? Would it require a 53 man roster spot? Or would there be an "Exempt - Kidnapped" list? How long before the Patriots would start kidnapping their own guys to create extra roster spots?

Now, I'm all for it. Let's put a team in like whatever the most ruthless controlled cartel town is and see what happens.

Future midweek injury report for the Sonora Assassins

DNP - kidnapped
DNP - awaiting bail for arrest on trafficking charges
Limited - car bombing upper body injury

[steelreserve]

"WR Julian Edelman is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a gunshot wound to the left thigh."

MAKE IT HAPPEN ROGER

[Craic]

While that's true to a degree, it's also true here. I mean, seriously. Who here is going to argue there was no Mafia involvement with the Giants building that stadium, waste disposal, burying Jimmy Hoffa. :chuckle:

Plus, they're smarter than that. They can overrun our borders, poison our children with cinnamon heroin, traffic guns back up across the border, and we don't really care that much. Screw with a football game? Ruin the betting over/under? I give it five days before US special forces clear out the entire province. You simply do not threaten Goodell's money-making schemes!

[pczach]

Future midweek injury report for the Sonora Assassins

DNP - kidnapped
DNP - awaiting bail for arrest on trafficking charges
Limited - car bombing upper body injury



:toofunny:


DNP - Went to Amsterdam for the weekend and never returned
DNP - On waiting list for medical procedure for 3 months
DNP - Forced to be a mule for a cartel and is in police custody in a Mexican prison
DNP - In Mexican police custody on bogus charge until he pays the extortion fee

[86WARD]

:toofunny:


DNP - Went to Amsterdam for the weekend and never returned
DNP - On waiting list for medical procedure for 3 months
DNP - Forced to be a mule for a cartel and is in police custody in a Mexican prison
DNP - In Mexican police custody on bogus charge until he pays the extortion fee

That actually brings up a good question...if a player is injured whether he be on a London or Mexican team, could there possibly be different medical procedures in other countries that may not be available in the United States that the injured player may be able to take advantage of?

[pczach]

That actually brings up a good question...if a player is injured whether he be on a London or Mexican team, could there possibly be different medical procedures in other countries that may not be available in the United States that the injured player may be able to take advantage of?



There are so many questions and considerations, it makes my head hurt just thinking about potential pitfalls.

[teegre]

A story.

My brother turns 18, and we’re like: “Bro, you gotta go to TJ with us!!!” His reply was always: “No thanks... it’s too sketchy.” After a few months, we convince him to go with us.

We are walking down Revolución when three black Suburbans pull up in front of a club. Out steps twenty dudes wearing all-black leather body-armor and motorcycle helmets with the visors down. And, you know, they each were carrying an M-16.

They formed a semi-circle in front of the club (facing the crowded streets)... and the center guy took three steps forward, cocked his gun, and shot a magazine into the asphalt. The entirety of Revolución emptied in like 30 seconds. (That’s 30,000 people running towards the border.)

As we are running, my brother (in a lather) is screaming: “I TOLD YOU!!! I TOLD YOU!!!!!”

Good times. :toofunny:

[86WARD]

There are so many questions and considerations, it makes my head hurt just thinking about potential pitfalls.

It’s such a bad idea...lol

[Craic]

It’s such a bad idea...lol

Can you imagine the disputes when it comes to taxes? Players on teams overseas will have to pay taxes there, and then here as well. They'll have to give a salary cap exemption: say, an extension of 20 percent or something. If they don't there will be no free agents going overseas (probably won't be, anyway). That'll also affect salaries in rookie salaries. You can bet the NFLPA is going to be all over that.

[steelreserve]

A story.

My brother turns 18, and we’re like: “Bro, you gotta go to TJ with us!!!” His reply was always: “No thanks... it’s too sketchy.” After a few months, we convince him to go with us.

We are walking down Revolución when three black Suburbans pull up in front of a club. Out steps twenty dudes wearing all-black leather body-armor and motorcycle helmets with the visors down. And, you know, they each were carrying an M-16.

They formed a semi-circle in front of the club (facing the crowded streets)... and the center guy took three steps forward, cocked his gun, and shot a magazine into the asphalt. The entirety of Revolución emptied in like 30 seconds. (That’s 30,000 people running towards the border.)

As we are running, my brother (in a lather) is screaming: “I TOLD YOU!!! I TOLD YOU!!!!!”

Good times. :toofunny:

Another story: I have a friend, we'll call him "Fat Randy."

Fat Randy moved to San Diego a couple years ago and loves going to TJ on the weekends. One time he was telling us about his previous trip:

Fat Randy: "It's just unbelievable! They have whole streets with just whorehouses, and there are hookers lined up on the sidewalk in front, all up and down the street. And every one of them is like, an 11 out of 10! You're like, why are they doing this instead of being models or something?"

Us: "Uh ... So you guys were just there looking, like out of curiosity, right?"

Fat Randy: (vague response)

Us: "No seriously, like, you weren't actually in Mexico banging Tijuana hookers, were you?"

Fat Randy: ...

Us: "Gross."

[steelreserve]

Can you imagine the disputes when it comes to taxes? Players on teams overseas will have to pay taxes there, and then here as well. They'll have to give a salary cap exemption: say, an extension of 20 percent or something. If they don't there will be no free agents going overseas (probably won't be, anyway). That'll also affect salaries in rookie salaries. You can bet the NFLPA is going to be all over that.

You get to deduct taxes paid to a foreign government from your U.S. taxes. But I doubt people would be lining up to pay 60% taxes and double living expenses in London. I mean, a Subway quality sandwich is like $15.

On the other hand, in Mexico on an NFL salary, you could live like a drug kingpin ...

[pczach]

It’s such a bad idea...lol


We should make a sitcom about all of this!

We'd all be rich.

[Craic]

You get to deduct taxes paid to a foreign government from your U.S. taxes. But I doubt people would be lining up to pay 60% taxes and double living expenses in London. I mean, a Subway quality sandwich is like $15.

On the other hand, in Mexico on an NFL salary, you could live like a drug kingpin ...

True, but I wonder how it works with SS and medicare. I do know that some countries have agreements with the US on paying for those things. I'm not sure if England does. They might, but . . .

[teegre]

Another story: I have a friend, we'll call him "Fat Randy."

Fat Randy moved to San Diego a couple years ago and loves going to TJ on the weekends. One time he was telling us about his previous trip:

Fat Randy: "It's just unbelievable! They have whole streets with just whorehouses, and there are hookers lined up on the sidewalk in front, all up and down the street. And every one of them is like, an 11 out of 10! You're like, why are they doing this instead of being models or something?"

Us: "Uh ... So you guys were just there looking, like out of curiosity, right?"

Fat Randy: (vague response)

Us: "No seriously, like, you weren't actually in Mexico banging Tijuana hookers, were you?"

Fat Randy: ...

Us: "Gross."

Fat Randy probably knows the whereabouts of the infamous “donkey show”...

[Crow-Magnon]

And “my mother. She virgin!”

[steelreserve]

Fat Randy probably knows the whereabouts of the infamous “donkey show”...

You mean you don't?

I thought they told everybody about that on their first day here.

[GoSlash27]

For real... They told me about it my first day off the bus at NTC San Diego.