false

The title of this post isn't even a title. It's an answer. An answer to some people questioning this week if a NFL team in L.A. would be bigger than the Lakers. Not a chance. At least not in this lifetime. So many things would have to happen on and off the field first before a reasonable argument could be made. On the field, you have to have a winner. The Lakers are one of the NBA's crown jewels (the other being the Celtics), that's a culmination of decades of tradition, great players, and a lot of success. Things that don't happen over night. Assuming we get a brand new expansion team, its safe to say you would have to allow about 5 years before the team was any good. If a team was moved to L.A., the wins may come quicker but you have to wonder how the fans would take to the team. Off the field, the challenges are tougher. Recent generations grew up with no football, or small stints with the Rams and Raiders. As a result, everyone has had a chance to claim a team. Where most teams have the benefit of their fans coming to them, any L.A. team would have to work twice as hard to impose themselves on the potential fan base. In addition, it would take a few generations of fans before you actually had a truly devoted following. Then there's the Lakers themselves. Say what you want about them, but they are truly the one team in the NBA that doesn't stay down for long. To think that they would be bad enough, or field a team that with no marketable players, for any period of time long enough for football to catch up is inconceivable. Ultimately, if football in L.A. wanted to be top dog they would have to take it -- take it from Jerry Buss's cold, dead hands.