Two NFL Franchises for LA?

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Texas yesterday to ask the NFL to locate not just one, but two NFL teams in the Los Angeles area. LA’s on-again, off-again relationship with the NFL has provided some of sports law’s most memorable cases. I have little doubt that the relocation of an existing franchise or expansion of a new franchise to LA will spawn at least some litigation, whether relating to an eminent domain effort by a city losing a team (New Orleans?) or the expected $800 million stadium construction costs. Most likely, as suggested here, parties who could stand to profit from renovating the LA Coliseum will challenge any effort to place an new NFL stadium in downtown LA. I also suspect that Al Davis will find a way to get involved.

MSNBC’s Michael Ventre is skeptical that LA can get even one team, much less two. In particular, Ventre suspects that the “quixotic” request for two teams, when so far no business group has emerged to secure financing for even one team, may end up scuttling the entire effort of bringing professional football to the region.

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