Should UCLA move to New York City?

Question

Another person asked whether the Jets should move to LA, since they need an NFL team and the Jets are second fiddle in New York. Well, LA has two high profile NCAA Football programs. Everyone in LA is a USC fan. The NCAA could use a lot more exposure in New York. So, why not move UCLA to New York City? Wouldnt UCLA be better off as the #1 college football program in the #1 media market than as the #2 college football program in the #2 media market?

This is a joke. It is mainly a comment to the person who posted the Jets to LA question. However, Yahoo has the annoying feature of closing questions to any new answers very shortly after they are asked. So, I thought it would be funny to see "Should UCLA move to NYC?" as a question alongside "Should the Jets move to LA?" since I could not add anything to the original question. I think the logic and marketing works the same. The campus issue makes it more impossible, but that is part of the joke.

Anyway, maybe it would be easier to move Notre Dame to New York. Maybe the lure of big city night clubs would draw in some athletes with the talent and ambition to keep bowl games within 20 points or so and maybe even win one eventually.

Answer 1

it would not be UCLA anymore..

Answer 2

When I first thought this question I thought it was some kind of joke, but you did make a somewhat decent point. However I can't imagine how you could uproot an entire university and move it to a new city. Besides, you have to take more than UCLA's football program into consideration here. The basketball team has a great history of success and has a good future there too. I don't think there is any way that something like this could be done.

Another thing, LA is not a good NFL market. The Jets should not move there, and anyways since when are they second fiddle to the Giants. As I recall they won two more games this year.

Anyways, LA is a city full of celebrities, and celebrities don't attend outdoor sporting events such as football. They like the NBA with it's fancy indoor courts super-rich, super self-absorbed, superstar players. (The previous statement does not describe Dwayne Wade, and I am not sure why I described the NBA courts as fancy, but please don't hold that against me.)

Answer 3

Heh....I'm the guy who asked the "Jets to LA" question, and I stand by it as a valid idea. Of all the teams in the league, I think the Jets are the most viable option to move to LA - not saying that they will or should, just an idea and a discussion about its merits, and the possibility of moving any other team (since NO now seems locked in for a while, read the other question thread for more...). Its a lot different of a situation than you're trying to make it out.

LA has no NFL team. Rutgers is closer to NY than the Chargers or Raiders are to LA, but even with the Scarlet Knights winning this year, people in NYC dont seem to care about them. There are a lot of fans this year in the LA area that cheered for the Chargers when they were kicking butt, or who continue to be part of the Raider Nation even though they werent kicking ANYTHING this year. In fact, I think you'd be hard pressed to find another media market anywhere in the country as far from an NFL franchise as LA is, that still gives as much coverage to an NFL team as the Raiders get in the LA area. Its actually kinda sweet, because Raider games never get blacked out like they often do in the Bay Area, since we're well outside the 75 mile blackout range :)

As for college gridiron, I agree with everyone who says everyone in So Cal is not necessarily an SC fan. UCLA still fields a great program, even if its been overshadowed by its crosstown rival in the Carroll era, and still has a strong and loyal fanbase. Most people here, I'd say, are actually fans of both programs, and want both to do well, except for during Rivalry Week, when they all take their sides :) I'm an SC and a UCLA fan, as well as liking ND.

The NY area has colleges that are big enough to field a viable I-A football program; there just isnt the support for it. Thats a lot different than the situation in LA for the NFL, where both sides really want to bring a franchise to the city, but the owners dont want to expand, and the city doesnt want to pay the money to attract a team to move....administrative wrangling and a lack of political support is a lot different than lack of fan support, but a college wouldnt have that problem; they'd just have to decide for themselves they want to make the effort to be NYC's Div I-A team, so I think that shows that there's a much more ingrained lack of interest for bringing NCAA football to NYC than there is to bring NFL football to LA.

And, lastly, if you really want to comment on my thread, you can still leave comments once I've picked the best answer, even if you cant answer any more - there's a link at the bottom of the "best answer" to open the discussion board...

Answer 4

You obviously aren't up on the whole concept of colleges. You can't just move a college football program. It doesn't work that way. Doesn't NY already have colleges? Yes. They just have no football programs. Why? Because there is nowhere suitable to play. There's a reason the NFL teams play in Jersey. Also, your statement that everyone in LA is a USC fan shows your ignorance. UCLA had an average attendance of nearly 65,000 people in 2006 (24th in the nation).

Answer 5

As a former UCLA football player I am completely offended by your statement. What part of LA are you talking about that is a USC fan? Have you ever been to LA? The difference between UCLA fans and USC fans is right around the same. USC may have more fans for football, but UCLA has way more fans for basketball and many other sports. Plus do you know what UCLA stands for? University of California-Los Angeles. What are they going to change it to? The University of California-New York? You cant just move colleges like you move pro teams. You cant move a college just because some seasons it's rival school has more football fans. You are a complete idiot.

Answer 6

LOL. This question is so funny. UCLA stands for University of California, Los Angeles; you can't move it to another state. BTW, I go to UCLA and I can guarantee you that USC might have more fans in football (bandwagons), but when it comes to basketball or other sports, Bruins fans rule :)

Go Bruins!

Answer 7

UCLA owns. Sorry but not all people in Calafornia are USC fans, they jus pretend they r when they r winning, they're bandwagoners. there's just as many UCLA fans as USC fans. Plus what would they be called? and since when have colleges moved around like pro's? dumb question

and joey if you are a former UCLA football player, YOU'RE ONE OF MY FRIGGIN IDLES! just had to add that in....

Answer 8

It flows University of California-Los Angelas-New York City (UCLANYC) Plus moving all of the non-sports related people would be easy, and all of the families of the proffesors wouldnt mind moving either.

Nice try.

Answer 9

That'd be cool. That means hot California blondes in New York City! I guess I'll be hanging out in the city more often, lol

Answer 10

west coast basketball is just more competitive than the east! and that was a stupid question!

Answer 11

Now why in the heck would they want to do that??