The idea of the NFL expanding has always peaked my interest. I love the NFL and the thought of new teams, more players getting the opportunity to play in the league, and the growth of new fan bases gives me goosebumps. If the league decided to expand, here are five cities that should be first on the list to get a team
Toronto, Canada
They’ve already got a professional NBA, MLB, and NHL team; why not add an NFL team to the mix?
The city of Toronto has great infrastructure and a rabid sports fan base. The Maple Leafs average 83% attendance, the Raptors average 95.3%, and the Blue Jays bring in just south of 30,000 fans a game. While football isn’t huge in Canada, adding a team to the city would only build Toronto as one of the top sports cities in North America.
Also, with where Toronto sits geographically, this wouldn’t be a massive travel haul for teams in the NFL; if you added a team to another country like London or Paris then this incorporates a whole new aspect of preparing for games. I can see it now; Drake on the field with an on field pass hanging around his neck with an OVO chain hyping players up as they run out of the tunnel.
St. Louis, Missouri
Gather round kids and let me tell you about the St. Louis Rams. From 1995 to 2015, the Rams franchise resided in St. Louis, Missouri and the fans saw 5 playoff appearances, 2 NFC Championships, and 1 Super Bowl win along with the Greatest Show on Turf. Now, the Rams are settled in to their flashy stadium in LA so I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon. While the Rams didn’t have great attendance numbers in St. Louis, I’d love to see them get another shot with an NFL team. The midwest is an under represented area of sports in the country and getting an NFL team in America’s heartland would be awesome to see.
By bringing a team to St. Louis, they could reel in fans by poaching them from two specific fan bases. Rams fans that live in St. Louis and were bummed about the Rams leaving would be target number one. Then number two would be a bit tougher, but they could try and sway some neighboring Chiefs fans. It’d definitely be tough to go from a Super Bowl caliber squad to an expansion team, but being at the ground floor of something new would be a cool story.
San Diego, California
Another city that had an NFL team ripped right out from under them. San Diego only has one professional team and it’s the dismal Padres who have had 2 winning seasons since 2010. The city of San Diego is prime for an NFL team and much like the team that left St. Louis, it doesn’t look like the Chargers are returning to their old city. When San Diego had a team from 1961-2016, they were pretty successful; they made the playoffs 17 times, won the AFC West 10 times, and appeared in 1 Super Bowl. I’d really enjoy San Diego bringing a team back and reviving sports in a beautiful American city.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the eighth biggest U.S. city by population with 1.5 million people, but they only have one professional sports team. The Spurs had an average attendance of 82% this past season and the city has grown substantially since 2010. In 2010, San Antonio had 1.3 million people and has now grown by 200,000 residents. People in Texas go crazy for football, so adding a third team to Texas to compete with the Cowboys and Texans wouldn’t be a detriment. Football and Texas go hand in hand together; bring a team to San Antonio.
Salt Lake City, Utah
While Salt Lake is a smaller American city, adding an NFL team would be more fuel for their already hostile fan base. The Jazz averaged a 100% attendance rate for this NBA season, and it’s not an ideal place for players to play if you’re an away team. Jazz fans have been called “the most disgusting fans in the NBA” and are the worst behaved in the league.
Now let’s channel that rambunctious energy to the gridiron. Hostile atmospheres are embraced way more in football and the citizens of Salt Lake are nuts. Salt Lake is also a beautiful city that has the infrastructure to support a new professional franchise. The city is growing as Utah is one of the fastest growing states in America; adding an NFL team creates jobs and will entice people to move to the city.