Best and Worst Moves By Professional Sports Teams

[nWoElite]

I'm not talking free agency and trades, I mean as in moving entire franchises from one city/country to another.

Right now, my moneys on Vancouver (Grizzlies, NBA) to Memphis being one of the worst, and Los Angeles (Rams) to St. Louis as one of the better decisions.

[Lupin the Third]

As much as many hate to say it, Cleveland to Baltimore. After they moved, they became a powerhouse, and won a Super Bowl.

[nWoElite]

Oct 11, 2011 21:58:06 GMT -5 Lupin the Third said:

As much as many hate to say it, Cleveland to Baltimore. After they moved, they became a powerhouse, and won a Super Bowl.

But at least Cleveland got to keep their storied history. The Ravens had to start anew. It was as if the Browns just took a few seasons off.

[Lupin the Third]

Oct 11, 2011 22:01:20 GMT -5 nWoElite said:

Oct 11, 2011 21:58:06 GMT -5 Lupin the Third said:

As much as many hate to say it, Cleveland to Baltimore. After they moved, they became a powerhouse, and won a Super Bowl.

But at least Cleveland got to keep their storied history. The Ravens had to start anew. It was as if the Browns just took a few seasons off.

Yeah, they got to keep their history. But they still kinda sucked for the last 10 years or so.

Baltimore, even without the history, came out and punched the NFL in the mouth.

[Push R Truth]

The Lakers still break my heart... but I can't argue that it wasn't smart.

[Red Impact]

Oct 11, 2011 21:55:18 GMT -5 nWoElite said:

I'm not talking free agency and trades, I mean as in moving entire franchises from one city/country to another.

Right now, my moneys on Vancouver (Grizzlies, NBA) to Memphis being one of the worst, and Los Angeles (Rams) to St. Louis as one of the better decisions.

The problem was that they moved the Hornets to New Orleans in the first place. Charlotte was a great NBA city. Vancouver really wasn't.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Best:St. Louis Browns to Baltimore to become the Orioles. The Browns were dismal in St. Louis, had no fan following because of the Cards and when they left, they won 3 World Series titles and appeared in 6 over the next 30 years.

Worst:Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis, they have no fan following. Memphis Tiger basketball is way bigger.

[Drillbit Taylor]

Worst: Oilers to Tenn... Screw you Bud Adams

[Urethra Franklin]

Best: The little supported Atlanta hockey team becomes the first pro sports team to relocate from the US to Canada and becomes the Calgary Flames in 1980.

Worst: The Winnipeg Jets move to Phoenix to become the Coyotes. The capital of Manitoba is devastated, while the nine people who bought tickets in Glendale wonder why the Suns are on ice.

[VenomFang]

Most moves seem to be bad. Both LA NFL teams leaving were bad moves. St. Louis already wants a new stadium. The Raiders are a brand and it doesnt matter that they play in Oakland but being in a larger market like LA would still be more benficial.

[Romeo Hotel]

Oct 11, 2011 22:42:53 GMT -5 Drillbit Taylor said:

Worst: Oilers to Tenn... Screw you Bud Adams

Exactly what I came in here to post. Words cannot describe how much I hate Bud Adams.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Oct 11, 2011 22:56:57 GMT -5 VenomFang said:

Most moves seem to be bad. Both LA NFL teams leaving were bad moves. St. Louis already wants a new stadium. The Raiders are a brand and it doesnt matter that they play in Oakland but being in a larger market like LA would still be more benficial.

Well, at the time...it made perfect sense. Los Angeles fans just stopped going to games for both and on top of that they faced blackouts nearly every week. Both the Raiders and the Rams sought a new stadium because the Coliseum was outdated and Anaheim Stadium wasn't quite a good site for football. St. Louis gave the Rams a good deal with the new stadium (albeit the Dome is outdated by 10 years by modern standards) and Oakland loves the Raiders, Oakland belongs there. As a Rams fan, I hope we move back to L.A. with new ownership (I'm liking the group Magic Johnson and Co. are getting together) because even though my only championship memory was Super Bowl 34, the name "Los Angeles Rams" to me represents winning, a great legacy, and one of the best NFL franchises of all-time.

Yeah I know its not the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Giants but the Los Angeles Rams is a prestigious team name. Georgia Frontiere ruined this franchise with her mismanagement in the 90's and 2000's. Personally, the reason the Rams have been dismal for the last 20 years is because of the ownership. I hope Chip Rosenbloom, Kroenke, and Rodriguez sells because I've had enough with inept ownership. The Rams belong in Los Angeles, this management is a disgrace to the team created by Dan Reeves, Carroll Rosenbloom, and the Irsays.

Sorry I'm just venting because I've had enough of this ownership. If L.A. is passionate about the NFL again, then take the Rams back because we need a winning image and the best image we had was the Los Angeles Rams of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's.

[HMARK Center]

Originally, when the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York City to become the Highlanders, it appeared to be a move that wouldn't pan out.

Then the Highlanders changed their name, bought out Babe Ruth, built a stadium in the Bronx, and did alright after that.

[mattperiolat]

The Washington Senators in all their years in existence had ONE World Series championship and became known by the catch phrase "Washington: first in war, first in peace and last in the American League."

They would move to the Mid-West and, especially in recent years, become a power in the AL Central with two World Series to their credit as the Minnesota Twins.

[The Line]

This is a move that I hate, but will concede that it's good; The Seattle SuperSonics moving from Seattle to OKC. Still heartbreaking, but since moving to OKC, they've done pretty decently, and seem to have the support of the city, which they didn't really have towards the end of their run in Seattle. I can bemoan the move all I want, but for the franchise, the move was incredibly smart. Especially considering Seattle has failed to build a new arena/renovate The Key, which they were supposed to have had done by 2011, and then again by 2013, but it never gets beyond the initial planning stages. Seattle seems to want a new "Sonics" team, in the sense that they want men's basketball back, but never actually wants to put forward the resources to get it done. And with the league's popularity is going to take a hit due to the lockout, I doubt we're going to see a big push for that to happen anytime soon. I'd like to see Seattle get an expansion/relocated team sometime within the next 5-10 years, but that's going to take a rather serious commitment by the city, one which it hasn't shown since well before the team moved in the first place. The city seems to be waiting for a team to express desire in moving there before they rebuild, which is backwards from how it'll probably work. Like Field of Dreams says, "If you build it, they will come."

Ideally, Seattle and Vancouver would get teams again, making for a nice little three-way rivalry with Portland. Move NOLA to the East Conf., where they belong. Do the same to Memphis. Add 2 teams to the WC. Or, just move Memphis back out west, and add 1 more.

[Deleted]

Oct 11, 2011 22:47:44 GMT -5 Urethra Franklin said:

Best: The little supported Atlanta hockey team becomes the first pro sports team to relocate from the US to Canada and becomes the Calgary Flames in 1980.

Worst: The Winnipeg Jets move to Phoenix to become the Coyotes. The capital of Manitoba is devastated, while the nine people who bought tickets in Glendale wonder why the Suns are on ice.

The 'Yotes may not have many fans, but the fans they do have are extremely devoted and would be VERY devastated if the 'Yotes were to have to leave here. They have much more than 9 fans too. That dig at us is stupid and overdone.


Oh and on the Grizzlies to Memphis thing... they're actually a force to be reckoned with now. In Vancouver that was never going to happen.

[noleafclover1980]

Best: From a TOTAL homer standpoint, Chargers moving from L.A. to San Diego after their first year. Here's hoping we get a stadium deal done.

Actual best: Giants and Dodgers to San Francisco and L.A. from NY. It may have upset some fans in NY... but did NY really need THREE freaking teams? Moving to the west coast finally established Major League Baseball in the west w/ the Angels and A's being formed in the decade after.

Worst: Just in the way it was done, Colts.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Oct 11, 2011 23:56:40 GMT -5 OGBoardPoster2005 said:

Oct 11, 2011 22:56:57 GMT -5 VenomFang said:

Most moves seem to be bad. Both LA NFL teams leaving were bad moves. St. Louis already wants a new stadium. The Raiders are a brand and it doesnt matter that they play in Oakland but being in a larger market like LA would still be more benficial.

Well, at the time...it made perfect sense. Los Angeles fans just stopped going to games for both and on top of that they faced blackouts nearly every week. Both the Raiders and the Rams sought a new stadium because the Coliseum was outdated and Anaheim Stadium wasn't quite a good site for football. St. Louis gave the Rams a good deal with the new stadium (albeit the Dome is outdated by 10 years by modern standards) and Oakland loves the Raiders, Oakland belongs there. As a Rams fan, I hope we move back to L.A. with new ownership (I'm liking the group Magic Johnson and Co. are getting together) because even though my only championship memory was Super Bowl 34, the name "Los Angeles Rams" to me represents winning, a great legacy, and one of the best NFL franchises of all-time.

Yeah I know its not the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Giants but the Los Angeles Rams is a prestigious team name. Georgia Frontiere ruined this franchise with her mismanagement in the 90's and 2000's. Personally, the reason the Rams have been dismal for the last 20 years is because of the ownership. I hope Chip Rosenbloom, Kroenke, and Rodriguez sells because I've had enough with inept ownership. The Rams belong in Los Angeles, this management is a disgrace to the team created by Dan Reeves, Carroll Rosenbloom, and the Irsays.

Sorry I'm just venting because I've had enough of this ownership. If L.A. is passionate about the NFL again, then take the Rams back because we need a winning image and the best image we had was the Los Angeles Rams of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's.

I wouldn't say they were dismal for the entirety of the last twenty years...

[texaswhopper]

Worst: Just in the way it was done, Colts.

Robert Irsay and his drunken rages...


"THIS IS MY GODDAMN TEAM!"

Then there was another time where he said something like...

"IT'S NOT YOUR TEAM, IT'S NOT OUR TEAM! IT'S MY TEAM!"

[rocket]

Who knows how popular the Red Sox and Phillies would be in their respective cities have the Braves and A's not moved out. And it's especially baffling why the A's, historically the better franchise, was the odd team out.