Steinberg: Expect two NFL teams to come to L.A.

The 20-year void of NFL football in Los Angeles seems certain to come to an end in 2016.

The owners will not vote on this issue until January and maybe later, so all reporting is just speculation. I think the most likely scenario is this: the Rams move to Los Angeles this next off-season and the Chargers will join them. The Raiders will end up in St. Louis.

I am not advocating this scenario.

Had the NFL stopped the Colts from leaving Baltimore and the Cardinals from leaving St. Louis in the first place, the franchise merry-go-round would have been prevented.

The NFL should have granted expansion franchises to St. Louis and Baltimore in 1995 instead of Carolina and Jacksonville.

NFL franchises are not pure unencumbered private businesses. They ask for an artificial identification with the people who support them, “YOUR San Diego Chargers.”

They ask to be supported win or lose. It makes no sense to break the hearts of the fans of teams like the Chargers and Raiders.

Franchise movement is not in the best interest of professional sports.

The only circumstance in which a team should leave is when there is no economic alternative and weak interest in a fan base. This is why I helped San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan in our “Save The Giants” campaign when the team threatened to move. It is why I helped Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris “Save the A’s” when they contemplated leaving. And, it is why I fought for a year as co-Chairman of “Save the Rams” to keep them in Southern California.

The current round of potential franchise movement is not about fans — it is about state of the art stadia and bottom-line franchise valuation.

Fifteen million people within two hours of a stadium on a Sunday is a powerful lure. The nation’s second largest television market, with a massive number of corporations and especially the entertainment industry, guarantees a doubling of franchise value.

The NFL has tried to return football to Los Angeles for years, granting a 2000 franchise to the area. When Los Angeles didn’t deliver a stadium, the franchise went to Houston.

Economics, not fan interests, will rule the day, and football will return to Los Angeles.

St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke seems steadfast in his desire to leave. He has massive economic resources, a viable stadium plan, and it is inevitable that he returns the team to Los Angeles.

While I disagree with the principle, I fell in love with football watching the Rams play in the Coliseum in the 50’s and will rejoice in their return.

The Rams were here for almost 50 years. They have a loyal Southern California fan base waiting for them.

The Chargers seem unwilling to make a deal with San Diego. This political stalemate risks disenfranchising a large and loyal fan base. The Chargers will probably make a deal with the Rams owner and co-habit the Inglewood site. The teams will play at a site like the Coliseum, until the new stadium is built.

Oakland is a city with many economic challenges. Building a state-of-the-art stadium for the Raiders to play in is not a top priority. This is a sad state for Raider faithful.

If decisive action is not taken in Oakland, they are in danger of not only of losing the Raiders, but also losing the Warriors to San Francisco, and the A’s to the San Jose area. St. Louis has many advantages as a football town and Mark Davis can take advantage of the effort being made currently to keep the Rams.

The decision on Los Angeles football is still several months away and the situation is fluid and unsettled.

When the dust settles, the Rams and Chargers in Los Angeles and the Raiders in St. Louis seems like the most likely scenario.

LEIGH STEINBERG is a renowned sports agent, author, advocate, speaker and humanitarian. Follow Leigh on Twitter: @steinbergsports.