Super Bowl Changes Nothing for NFL in LA

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of the NFL logo after Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

It’s downright negligence not to acknowledge the existence of this National Holiday. So one day removed from the Super Bowl, here is LA Sports Hub’s breaking news: it happened. Still without a team in Los Angeles approaching 18 years, The Super Bowl still was played. If the game couldn’t be waylaid by a 37 minute power outage, then not having a professional team in the nation’s second largest media market should have nothing to do with NFL business as usual, right? And LA observed this game with the perfunctory enthusiasm and fanaticism associated with a national holiday.

In LA (Louisiana) on Sunday, Ray Lewis made his teary case to be a canonized a saint of this religious holiday. The now 2 time champ was undoubtedly the focal point as ended his career. There needs to be some empirical research done to determine whether football is more often described as a religion or a war. In my estimation, football is a battle on the field by categorization, and a religion in the stands. So football is a Holy War. It’s a crusade to take over every remaining American sub-culture. The battle is waging in LA over football, but to mix my metaphor’s, it’s much more like the Cold War here. Nothing is really happening in this standoff of blame. Blame Al Davis, Georgia Frontiere, Roger Goodell, smaller media markets, blame anyone for a concept that hasn’t budged through the assistance of anyone in the league. There is no time table set for the end of LA’s freeze out in professional football.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the field prior to Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Super Bowl XLVII in my opinion is further evidence that the NFL doesn’t need LA. The biggest American sporting event goes on with or without a team in LA. And LA natives eat it up no matter who is playing all the same. It’s further proof that football in LA will always be the ultimate bargaining chip for the NFL to serve their agenda with smaller markets. Even though former USC wideout Steve Smith and his St. Louis Rams teammates regularly spend practice time talking about how much they want to be the Los Angeles Rams; they seem destined to play their whole careers in the gateway to the West, and not the West Coast.

A battle or not on the field, there were some Angelinos who figured in the Super Bowl for both teams.

10 year NFL vet, UCLA standout, and undrafted Brendan Ayanbadejo of the Ravens is a Super Bowl champ after first spending time in the Canadian Football League. The Ravens firepower at the Tight End position comes from a duo of LA natives: Dennis Pitta from Moorpark, and Ed Dickson from Bellflower. Pitta caught one of Joe Flacco’s 3 touchdown passes.

On the losing end, even with the benefit of a show-stopping and momentum stopping power outage, was Safety Dashone Goldson out of Narbonne HS who had six solo tackles and will have to wait for another rare chance to be a Super Bowl champ. Also on the 49ers are Mike Iupati from Western HS in Anaheim and Delanie Walker who attended Pomona HS.

But Helix High School in La Mesa grad, and backup quarterback Alex Smith was twice a loser yesterday. He lost the game, and lost the opportunity to win in it when Jim Harbaugh benched him for Colin Kaepernik. He may get to play the “I told you so card,” but that is of little consolation to losing the chance to win the game for a Super Bowl contending team.

LA natives aren’t conflicted about the result. We are losing the battle for an NFL franchise, but now that the big game is over, we will go back to what we have been doing most of the fall—wondering what on Earth is wrong with the World, err . . . the Lakers.

Allright LA Sports Hubsters, When is the NFL Coming Back to LA? Sooner, Later, or Never?