Magic Johnson Discusses NFL's Potential Return to Los Angeles

Longtime Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson, who's currently part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' ownership group, would be interested in helping bring the NFL back to the city.

Jarrett Bell of USA Today reports that Johnson, who also holds stake in the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and the developing Los Angeles FC MLS franchise, believes an L.A. connection is important. The owners must be able to sell the team to the fanbase:

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We helped the Dodgers rebound. We're No. 1 in attendance in baseball; we've been that for the last two years. So we know how to take a franchise, elevate it and also sell it to the fans in Los Angeles.

That's going to be important to whoever the owner is, to make sure they have someone locally to sell the team to the local market.

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A lot of chatter has developed over the past few years about an NFL return to the United States' second-largest media market. So far, however, the talk has greatly outweighed concrete movement in that direction.

Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times notes the league did create a new committee to start evaluating options in regard to a potential move of a current organization. The St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders are mentioned as teams that could move.

The report also included a memo from the NFL. In part, it reiterates that all decisions must be voted on and approved by league owners:

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In particular, as has been discussed on numerous occasions and confirmed in various memoranda, any decision to resume NFL team operations in Los Angeles will require multiple approvals from NFL ownership, which can only be granted by a three-fourths vote of the clubs.

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In other words, there are still hurdles to jump before an L.A. return becomes reality.

Johnson is interested if it does, though. He's done a nice job with the Dodgers, helping rebuild the roster to a point where the team should be consistently competing for championships. Whether a similar effort would be possible with the NFL's salary cap is a mystery.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

That said, the NBA legend told USA Today that even if he doesn't end up being involved in the ownership group, he won't shy away from a Los Angeles football team. He'll be waiting for a chance to take up prime territory within the stadium on game days:

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Even if I'm not involved, I just want the suite. Seriously, I'm going to be the first one in line to get a suite. So whoever's coming, even if I'm not a part of it, I'm going to buy my suite and I'm going to be there, just like I was at Raiders games and Rams games. If it's the Raiders, the Rams, the Chargers—I don't care who it is—I'm going to be there because I love the NFL and I love football.

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Johnson has been a public backer of Los Angeles for a long time, so the comments don't come as much of a surprise. Mostly they show there's definite interest among at least one powerful investor to get L.A. back in the NFL game.

It sure seems like something is going to happen on that front eventually. The question is whether it's a short-term or long-term proposition. Either way, Johnson sounds ready to get heavily involved.